Institutional news
The Congress of the Spanish Society of Biomedical Engineering brings together more than 200 researchers with the slogan “For a Personalised and Universal Health”
Raimon Jané, President of the Spanish Society of Biomedical Engineering (SEIB), Group Leader of the Bioengineering Institute of Catalonia (IBEC) and CIBER-BBN, inaugurated the conference with the Health Minister of the Government of Cantabria, the Dean of the University of Cantabria, the Director of the Hospital and the President of the CASEIB2019 Organising Committee.
Chronicle of 2nd PhD retreat
The 2019 PhD Retreat gathered more than 50 PhD students in the astonishing town of Les Mines d’Osor (Girona). This edition’s scope included the themes of communication, art and mental health in science with a series of talks and workshops that fostered collaboration and networking among IBEC researchers and the BIST community.
Samuel Sánchez wins an ERC Consolidator Grant to study the collective behaviour of self-propelled nanorobots

Samuel Sánchez, Group Leader at IBEC and ICREA Research Professor, has been awarded the prestigious “Consolidator Grant” of the European Research Council (ERC). With his i-NANOSWARMS project, Sánchez and his team at the Smart Nano-Bio-Devices Group will study the collective behaviour of nanorobots capable of self-propelling, and thus study their possible application in drug delivery and imaging diagnosis.
The highly sought-after ERC Consolidator grants are awarded to EU-based principal investigators with at least seven and up to twelve years of experience after his PhD who have demonstrated talent and scientific potential.
IBEC coordinates a project to promote skin regeneration using nanoparticles and 3D printing
Elisabeth Engel, principal investigator of the “Biomaterials for regenerative therapies” group at IBEC will coordinate a three-year project with the aim of boosting skin self-regeneration. This transnational European consortium composed of four more partners will develop the project over the next 3 years, including Dimitrios Zeugolis (University of Ioannina, Greece), Joan Pere Barret (Hospital Universitari Vall d’Hebron, Spain), Olivier Stephan (Université Grenoble-Alpes, France) and Denis Barbier (MicroLight 3D, France).
The project falls under the scope of EuroNanoMed3 programme, and the consortium will receive a total of 747.000 € through the corresponding national funding agencies of the countries involved. In particular, the “Agencia Estatal de Investigación” (Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades) will fund IBEC’s contribution with 190.000 €.
IBEC receives the FEI award for its support to innovation
Yesterday, the Innovative Companies Forum (“FEI”, in Spanish) celebrated the seventh edition of the 2019 “Innovation Awards”. The awards ceremony, which aims to highlight the commitment to innovation of organizations, companies and researchers, recognized the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia’s (or “IBEC”) “Innovation Support Agency”. David Badia, executive director of the institute, received the award during the ceremony, which took place in Madrid.
During his acceptance speech, Badia noted that IBEC is accredited as a Severo Ochoa Centre of Excellence and is dedicated to the field of bioengineering, with the objective not only to study, but to also promote the research’s application in the field of medicine, health and the improvement of people’s quality of life.
IBEC launches its Clinical Colloquia Program
As a part of IBEC’s strategy to facilitate the transfer of excellent science into health solutions for patients and hospitals, the Institute fosters relations and partnerships with clinicians and companies. Within this framework, the Institute of Bioengineering of Catalonia has now launched the IBEC Clinical Colloquia Program.
Thanks to the nature of the research developed in the institute, IBEC counts on an ongoing and committed relationship with hospitals, medical doctors and patients. As a result, the involved partners are able to develop joint research projects, and in other cases they are a source of information about the unmet needs in clinical practice. With the launching of this clinical colloquia IBEC wants to strengthen these collaborations and offer the opportunity to create a space for discussion between researchers and medical doctors.
IBEC counts on collaboration of medical doctors to provide input on the clinical aspects of its research, so that results are easily extended to clinical practice.
IBEC launches a challenge at the 2nd Innovation Days
Last 9th November 75 participants from different fields participated in the 2nd edition of the Innovation Days (i-Days) organised by EIT Health. Thirty-two locations around Europe hosted the i-Days and for the second time in a row, IBEC was involved in many parts of the workshop held in Barcelona.
I-Days promote health innovation among university students through one-to-two-day programmes held at academic institutions around Europe. Students receive an introduction to practical health innovation tools and work in multidisciplinary teams to tackle real life health challenges posed by EIT Health projects, local organisations and private corporations. The event counted with inspirational speakers and coaches that introduced students to practical tools in innovation, design thinking and pitching ideas.
IBEC signs an agreement with MICIU to acquire a Mask Aligner
Thanks to the signing of the agreement between the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities and the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia, the Mask Aligner equipment located in the Microfab and Microscopy Characterization Facilities will be renewed. This acquisition, scheduled for the first quarter of 2020, will be co-financed by the FEDER of the 2014-2020 multiregional operational program in Spain.
IBEC presents its capabilities in 3D bioprinting and in other industrial areas at the fourth INDUSTRY edition
During the 29th to 31st of October, IBEC participated in the fourth edition of “INDUSTRY: From Needs to Solutions”, the international meeting dedicated to 3D printing, and also the HELTHIO Days where Josep Samitier moderated the round table on 3D printing applications in healthcare.
In its fourth edition, IN(3D)USTRY becomes INDUSTRY to include more industrial sectors, the main goal is to cover the entire value chain and provide intelligent manufacturing solutions. The institute had a stand in the exhibition area, where the representatives of the IBEC Technology Transfer office welcomed the interested visitors to learn more about the 3D bioprinting capabilities of IBEC.