The Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC) has secured over €27 million in Horizon Europe funding for the period 2021–2024, thus consolidating its position as one of Spain’s leading centres. IBEC ranks fifth among research centres in terms of return on investment and seventh among national entities in terms of ERC funding. This success is underpinned by a project management model that combines scientific excellence with robust support for securing European funding.
Following the publication of Spain’s Centre for Technological Development and Innovation’s (CDTI) report on the provisional results of Spanish participation in Horizon Europe for the 2021–2024 period, the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC) has reaffirmed its leading position within the European scientific ecosystem. The data places IBEC among the country’s leading institutions in terms of securing European and competitive funding.
According to the analysis, Spanish organisations secured over €4.5 billion in the programme’s first four years, consolidating Spain’s position as the third-highest recipient of EU funding and the leader in collaborative projects. In this highly competitive context, IBEC stands out for its excellent performance.
Specifically, IBEC ranks as the fifth research centre in Spain in terms of Horizon Europe funding, consolidating its position as a leading national institution. This result maintains the trend observed in the previous analysis (2021–2023), in which IBEC also held fifth place among Spanish research centres.
Furthermore, IBEC excels in research excellence, ranking as the seventh Spanish institution in terms of funding secured from the European Research Council (ERC), one of the programme’s most prestigious and competitive funding instruments. Within this ranking, IBEC is the second-ranked research centre in Spain, highlighting its importance in advancing cutting-edge science.
It is joined in the top ranks by institutions such as the CSIC, the Autonomous University of Barcelona, and the Centre for Genomic Regulation. This positioning reflects the institute’s high scientific quality and its ability to compete in highly selective European-level calls for proposals.
IBEC’s results are indicative of the excellent performance of the Catalan research system, which leads the way in securing funding in Spain, accounting for almost a third of the national total.
Furthermore, analyses by the Government of Catalonia of the early years of the Horizon Europe programme place IBEC among the leading institutions for securing funding. Between 2021 and 2025, IBEC obtained over €27 million and participated actively in multiple European projects. This further consolidates its consistent performance and establishes its role as a key player in the European research and innovation landscape.
Since the launch of Horizon 2020 in 2014 and throughout Horizon Europe, which began in 2021, IBEC has remained one of the leading centres in Spain in terms of returns on European funding. This success is due to its project-focused management model, which combines scientific excellence with robust support for preparing and executing competitive proposals.
Taken together, these results consolidate IBEC’s position as a leading bioengineering centre at a European level, setting it apart for its ability to attract funding and its contribution to research excellence. Its position in national and international rankings further enhances its visibility and leadership within the global scientific ecosystem.
