The Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC) welcomes Dr Carlos Moreno Yruela as principal investigator. Moreno-Yruela joins from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL, Switzerland) and will lead the new Enzyme Sensors and Chemical Probes group, focused on developing imaging tools and enzyme-activity modulators to uncover disease mechanisms.
Manuel Salmeron, director and ICREA Research Professor at the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC), received the George Winter Award 2026 in recognition of his outstanding contribution to biomaterials research. The European Society for Biomaterials’ (ESB) most prestigious individual honour was officially presented to Salmeron, he stated on Tuesday, 8 September 2026, during the ESB 2026 conference held in Antwerp, Belgium.
As every year, as soon as the school year ends, IBEC’s laboratories fill up with a new generation of future scientists. This summer, more than 20 secondary school, high school and undergraduate students took part in various programmes, gaining first-hand experience of the day-to-day work of bioengineering research in nine of the centre’s laboratories.
Xavier Trepat and his team at the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC) are key partners in ALIVE: Active Living Matter — Information, Vitality, and Emergence, an international research programme selected for funding through the first European edition of the Novo Nordisk Foundation Challenge Programme. Coordinated by the Niels Bohr Institute in Copenhagen, the project will receive 75 million DKK (around €10 million) over six years to uncover how information flows drive the emergence, organisation and function of living tissues.
In June, the IBEC management team took part in an exchange visit to the UCL Hawkes Institute as part of the Severo Ochoa programme. Currently in its pilot phase, this initiative opens up new opportunities for knowledge and best practice sharing in research management amongst leading international institutions.
On 18 June, the results were announced for the 36 research projects funded by La Marató de 3Cat through its 2020 special call for proposals dedicated to tackling the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2). The Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC) participated in three of these projects, which aimed to deepen our understanding of the disease and improve its diagnosis and clinical monitoring.
On Thursday 18 June, IBEC held an event called “IBEC Alumni – 20 Years of Community” at the Barcelona Science Park. Around 100 people attended, including former members and staff of the institute. The event aimed to reconnect the alumni community, share career journeys, and showcase the talent nurtured at IBEC over the last 20 years.
Over 200 people took part in IBEC Day 2026, an event designed to encourage sharing, connection and celebration in honour of the institute’s 20th anniversary.
