It has been announced that IBEC’s Pau Gorostiza (left, with the Nanoprobes and Nanoswitches group) is one of the researchers selected to benefit from the European Research Council (ERC)’s top-up funding scheme ‘Proof of Concept’.
Yesterday Diario Vasco, the daily newspaper published from San Sebastian, featured a report and video about the HYPER project, of which IBEC’s Robotics group is a partner.
Santiago Marco’s research group at IBEC has changed its name and will now be known as the Signal and Information Processing for Sensing Systems group.
From 1st February 2013 onwards, the Nanotechnology Platform at the Parc Científic Barcelona (PCB), which for many years has helped users develop innovative cutting-edge research incorporating micro- and nanotechnologies in a wide variety of fields, will transfer to the ownership and management of IBEC.
This week’s press release about the Biomaterials for Regenerative Therapies group’s work on the regeneration of the central nervous system was covered in Diario Medico and several other Spanish- and English-language news and science sites.
Researchers from IBEC and the University of Barcelona have revealed a promising new strategy for regenerating the central nervous system, in a paper published in the journal Biomaterials. 
IBEC featured on 8tv’s ‘Equip de Reporters’ programme on Sunday night, which was entitled ‘Investigant la investigació’ and focussed on public and private funding for science. Joan Aranda of the Robotics group demonstrated the experimental robotic kitchen as as example of the group’s privately-supported work in developing intelligent robotic systems. Head of Corporate Projects Arantxa Sanz commented on the current financial situation in relation to the research community, pointing out that private funding is always needed and welcome even in affluent times.
IBEC has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Barcelona Macula Foundation to jointly promote their respective activities in the context of biomedicine.
Before Christmas, IBEC’s associate director Josep Samitier was a panel member and speaker at a session of the seminar series ‘Nous horitzons per a l’economia metropolitana’ entitled ‘La salut, un gran potencial’. The seminar series seeks to strengthen public policies and private actions in those sectors, such as health, which have the ability to generate or export business successfully in spite of the prolonged financial crisis.
