The public research institutes, together with the units and groups of the University of Barcelona (UB) present at the Barcelona Science Park (PCB-UB), have reached a new funding record in 2024. This milestone solidifies the PCB’s position as one of the major European hubs of research and innovation in life sciences and as a benchmark in attracting international talent.

During 2024, investment in the public research ecosystem continued to grow, reaching 84.6 million euros, coming from public funds (67.9 million euros) and private capital (16.6 million euros). These figures confirm that 2024 was a year of remarkable economic growth at the PCB, with an increase of 20.8% compared to 2023 (69.9 million euros). In total, taking into account the investment raised by private companies (124.7 million euros), the financing of the entire PCB ecosystem last year reached 209.3 million euros.

“These data show the great potential of public research in the life sciences, which continues to grow in parallel with private companies. For the PCB-UB, it is key to have such powerful institutions in our community, because of the value they contribute and because they promote increasingly solid public-private collaboration; a model that we at the PCB and the University of Barcelona consider to be our seal of quality and success,” said PCB director Maria Terrades.

For his part, the Rector of the University of Barcelona, Joan Guàrdia, emphasized that data like these demonstrate that the PCB-UB has the foundations to become “the leading hub for biotechnological and biomedical innovation and research in Southern Europe.

The large research institutes and centres housed at the PCB led the way in securing financial resources in 2024. In terms of public funds, the Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona), which raised 31.3 million euros focused on cancer, stands out in particular. The Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC), internationally recognised for its interdisciplinary research in bioengineering and nanomedicine, raised 18.8 million euros. The National Centre for Genomic Analysis (CNAG) raised 8.5 million euros, consolidating its position as a benchmark in genomics and bioinformatics, while Institute of Molecular Biology of Barcelona (IBMB-CSIC) reached 5.7 million euros of public funding.

Following the trend of previous years, the funding received by public research centres from private capital remained below public investment, although it increased significantly to 16.4 million euros, 30.8% of all funding raised. IRB Barcelona led fundraising with 7 million euros, followed by the CNAG, which raised 5.6 million euros, the IBEC, with 2.7 million euros, and the IBMB-CSIC, which reached 188,436 euros.

The centres, units and groups of the University of Barcelona located at the PCB have contributed to this economic boost. This is the case of Creatio – the UB Production and Validation Centre of Advanced Therapies – which raised 1.8 million euros (1 million euros of private capital) for the development of cell and gene therapy and tissue engineering. The Technology Unit of the UB Institute of Cosmos Sciences (ICCUB-Tech) obtained 135,714 euros (98% of funding). The Laboratory of Metabolic Dynamics in Cancer raised 285,000 euros (60,000 euros of private capital), and the BioNMR Group, part of the UB Department of Inorganic and Organic Chemistry, received 55,000 euros entirely from public funding.

Also noteworthy are the Scientific and Technological Centres of the University of Barcelona (CCiTUB), which attracted a total of 2.5 million euros for the acquisition of scientific and technical equipment through Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities calls. These platforms, which support research activity, have one of the three unique scientific and technical infrastructures (ICTS) in Catalonia at the PCB: the nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) laboratory. At the beginning of 2025, new latest-generation microscopy equipment was inaugurated, which is a key step forward in consolidating the UB as a benchmark in electron microscopy. The equipment cost 3.35 million euros, co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund of the European Union within the framework of the ERDF Operational Programme for Catalonia.

A place where science connects with society

Knowledge transfer continues to be a central element of the PCB’s innovative ecosystem, where research centres, start-ups, spin-offs and large corporations carry out their RDI activities and transform research into innovative products and services with a tangible impact on society. The research carried out combines scientific rigour and a vocation for innovation, reflected in the constant efforts to protect the results, enhance the value of knowledge and promote technology transfer.

In the field of public research, the centres and groups registered a total of 18 priority patent applications and extensions during 2024: 14 from the IBEC, 3 from IRB Barcelona and 2 from the BioNMR Group at the UB. These data reflect the vitality and dynamism of a public sector that, together with the PCB’s companies and start-ups, transforms science into tangible solutions for society.

In addition, during 2024 it participated in 675 national and European collaborative RDI projects, an activity that not only fosters international cooperation but also funds much of its research and development, ensuring that scientific results reach the market and society faster.

Driver of scientific production of excellence in Catalonia

The PCB is home to some of the most innovative and productive centres in Catalonia, with 552 scientific publications in 2024, combining innovation, international impact and discoveries that can transform the health and science of our planet.

In biomedicine, IRB Barcelona made headlines with the discovery of CPEB4 protein condensates implicated in autism, published in Nature. The IBEC succeeded in reducing bladder tumours by 90% with self-propelled nanorobots, a breakthrough so significant that it made the cover of Nature Nanotechnology. Meanwhile, the CNAG completed the most detailed cellular atlas of the human amygdala to date, with more than 556,000 cells analysed, providing key clues about the immune system and diseases such as leukaemia.

In astronomy, the UB Institute of Cosmos Sciences (ICCUB-Tech), as part of the Gaia mission of the European Space Agency (ESA), participated in the identification of the most massive stellar black hole in the Milky Way, which was highlighted in an article in Astronomy & Astrophysics.

In 2024, 14 new research infrastructures were added. Among the most outstanding examples, the CNAG has expanded its latest-generation sequencing platform with 4 new pieces of equipment, while CCiTUB has incorporated 7 pieces of scientific-technical equipment that enhance its experimental capabilities. It should also be noted that Creatio UB has added 2 new infrastructures and ICCUB-Tech has acquired advanced welding equipment.

Scientific discoveries at the frontier of knowledge

2024 has continued to be a year of high scientific output, with outstanding discoveries that will shape the research agenda in the coming years, demonstrating that the public research ecosystem within the Barcelona Science Park community stands at the forefront of international scientific knowledge and paves the way for new innovations, especially in the field of life sciences.

Last year, the UB-NMR Biomolecules Laboratory consolidated its position as a reference in the structural study of biomolecules using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) techniques and their application in biomedicine. Among its most notable activities was the organization of the international symposium “Integrative Structural Biology”,  which served as a meeting point to share advances in the analysis of protein structure and function. In the research domain, the group published a study in the Journal of Medicinal Chemistry (doi: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.4c02042) presenting a new NMR method that accelerated the discovery of the mechanisms of action of drugs targeting protein tyrosine kinases, representing a decisive step toward designing more effective treatments. Additionally, in a paper published in Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy (doi: 10.1016/j.biopha.2024.117325), they demonstrated that two antiviral drugs, ledipasvir and daclatasvir, can block the growth of colorectal and triple-negative breast cancer cells.

The CNAG continued to expand the boundaries of scientific knowledge with advances that open new avenues for understanding life, health, and evolution. In 2024, it published the most comprehensive cellular atlas of the human amygdala to date, analyzing over 556,000 cells (doi: 10.1016/j.immuni.2024.01.006). This resource is essential for better understanding the functioning of our immune system and the development of diseases such as leukemia. In another extraordinary milestone, a research team identified the first fossil of ancient chromosomes preserved in the skin of a 52,000-year-old woolly mammoth, a discovery that enables the reconstruction of extinct species’ genomes and deepens knowledge of their biology (doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2024.06.002). Furthermore, CNAG plays a key role in biodiversity preservation by participating in the pilot ERGA project (European Reference Genome Atlas), contributing to the generation of reference genomes for 98 species, thus promoting genomic research and species conservation at the European level (doi: 10.1038/s44185-024-00054-6).

The ICCUB-Tech team achieved significant advances in astrophysics and theoretical cosmology. On one hand, new theoretical models were developed that shed light on the quantum nature of black holes (doi: 10.1016/j.physletb.2025.139260), offering a better understanding of the physical processes that determine their behavior. In addition, the group participated in the discovery of the first pair of merging quasars at the dawn of the universe, a result published in The Astrophysical Journal (doi: 10.3847/2041-8213/ad35c7), providing key information on the early formation and evolution of galaxies. They also achieved the detection of the most massive stellar-origin black hole in the Milky Way using data from the Gaia mission. This accomplishment, published in Astronomy & Astrophysics (doi: 10.1051/0004-6361/202449763), contributed to refining models of the formation of such compact objects. Concurrently, ICCUB-Tech collaborated on the most precise measurement to date of the universe’s expansion through the international DESI (Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument) project, a decisive step toward a better understanding of dark energy. Finally, the center celebrated the successful completion of proton-proton collision data collection at the CERN LHCb experiment, ending a phase of intense experimental activity that opened new perspectives for particle physics.

In 2024, Creatio received funding for the VISI-ON BRAIN project (MSCA-ITN | MSCA-2024-DN-01-01, Horizon Europe) and coordinated the VISI-ON-BRAIN Doctoral Network, dedicated to training doctoral students of excellence and promoting the development and validation of in vitro and in silico methodologies based on human models for brain disorders. The center also promoted the translation of research projects to the clinic, with 17 clinical production services demonstrating the operational and translational capacity of the center.

IBEC achieved a series of highly significant discoveries during 2024. On one hand, a team managed to reduce bladder tumors in mice by 90 % using urea-powered nanorobots, publishing the results in the prestigious journal Nature Nanotechnology (doi: 10.1038/s41565‑023‑01577‑y). In Nature Communications, they revealed how the physics of colorectal cancer cells—their mechanical and adhesion properties—contributes to the metastasis process (doi: 10.1038/s41467-024-47227-2). Another study demonstrated that human H1 histones have antimicrobial activity against multi-resistant bacteria such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa, both in suspension and in biofilms, opening new therapeutic avenues (doi: 10.1128/msystems.00704‑24). Additionally, Advanced Materials (doi: 10.1002/adma.202400306) published that they generated kidney organoids with an integrated complex vascular system for the first time, enhancing the in vitro modeling of kidney diseases and facilitating translational research (doi: 10.1002/adma.202400306). Finally, they presented progress in biomedical sensors with a study on biosensors based on human olfactory receptors, capable of distinguishing compounds with very similar characteristics by mimicking human olfaction at the molecular level.

2024 was also a year of remarkable scientific output at IRB Barcelona. Notably, research on the role of CPEB4 protein condensates in the development of autism-related mechanisms was published in Nature (doi: 10.1038/s41586-024-08289-w) , providing new perspectives for future treatments. They also identified five key factors explaining why some patients respond better to cancer immunotherapy, a discovery published in Nature Genetics (doi: 10.1038/s41588-024-01899-0). Additionally, scientists showed that synchronizing the body’s circadian clocks helps slow aging, protecting muscles and tissues, with results published in Science (doi: 10.1126/science.adj8533) and Cell Stem Science (doi: 10.1016/j.stem.2024.04.013).

Finally, researchers at IBMB-CSIC demonstrated that transcriptomic balance and optimal cell growth depend on cell size in a study published in Molecular Cell, offering new perspectives on cellular regulation (doi: 10.1016/j.molcel.2024.07.005). They also revealed that the LATS1 protein controls chromatin occupancy by CTCF and hormonal responses in 3D-cultured breast cancer cells, with implications for a better understanding of cancer dynamics (doi: 10.1038/s44318-024-00080-x). In microbiology, they deciphered the mechanisms of fucoidan degradation in marine bacteria of the Planctomycetota group, published in Nature Communications (doi: 10.1038/s41467-024-55268-w). In the same journal, it was demonstrated that nucleosomal DNA retains topological memory, a discovery that helps understand genome regulation (doi: 10.1038/s41467-024-49023-4). Finally, in virology, it was shown that point mutations at specific sites in the nsp12-nsp8 interface drastically alter SARS-CoV-2 RNA polymerase activity, a key study for developing antiviral strategies (doi: 10.1073/pnas.2317977121).

Cutting-Edge Scientific and Technical Infrastructures

The research infrastructures of the University of Barcelona continue to consolidate their strategic role on the international scientific stage. Through state-of-the-art facilities and highly specialized services, UB promotes collaboration between institutions and strengthens its competitive advantage in key areas of research and innovation.

The UB Biomolecules NMR Laboratory has intensified the promotion of integrative structural biology in close collaboration with the Alba Synchrotron, one of the country’s major scientific centers dedicated to synchrotron light generation. This infrastructure allows the analysis of matter at atomic and molecular levels, facilitating essential studies to understand the structure and function of biomolecules. A CSIC cryo-electron microscopy team also participates in this project, creating a high-level interdisciplinary research ecosystem. Throughout 2024, work has also progressed on expanding the European structural biology infrastructure INSTRUCT-ERIC, aiming to integrate UB’s high-field NMR equipment, the Alba Synchrotron, and the university’s electron microscopy groups, thereby strengthening the presence of Catalan research within the European framework.

The CNAG has continued advancing biomedical research, particularly in the areas of cancer and rare diseases, through the adaptation of the RD-Connect Genome-Phenome Analysis Platform (GPAP). This integrated platform for genomic and phenotypic data analysis allows the identification of key mutations and molecular patterns that can guide diagnosis, prognosis, and the development of personalized treatments. Thanks to this technology, CNAG, in collaboration with the Sant Joan de Déu Research Institute (IRSJD), has successfully diagnosed 23 children with rare neuromuscular diseases, improving their quality of life and opening new therapeutic avenues.

The Creatio center, dedicated to advanced medicine and innovative therapies, has established itself as a reference in the production of lentiviral (LV) particles, essential elements for the development of CAR-T cancer therapies. Thanks to its activity, hospitals across Spain have been able to access these materials, contributing to the successful treatment of more than 900 patients. In parallel, the center leads the UB Hub on Alternative Methods to Animal Experimentation, a collaborative platform focused on the development and validation of in vitro and in silico models that reduce, refine, and replace the use of animals in research, in line with the principles of ethical and sustainable science. Moreover, it has strengthened collaboration with the health ecosystem by establishing 24 new RDI-on-demand contracts, with 5 public institutions and 19 private companies, thereby reinforcing the link between research, innovation, and technology transfer to society.

In the case of the UB Scientific and Technological Centers (CCiTUB), throughout 2024 they incorporated new equipment worth more than €3.5 million. Some of this equipment was fully funded through European funds under the Next Generation EU acquisition call for scientific-technical equipment—a clear example of unique infrastructure. Also in 2024, in the field of innovation and technology transfer, a collaboration agreement was established between the University of Barcelona and Bruker BioSpin for the development of new applications for the 1 GHz NMR equipment available at CCiTUB.