Juan Fran Sangüesa is a biochemical engineer from the National Institute of Applied Sciences in Lyon and holds a PhD in Molecular and Cellular Biology from the University of Montpellier. He took up the post of director of the CCiTUB in 2021, after a long career in research and innovation management at the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC), the Agency for Business Competitiveness (ACCIÓ) and the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona Research Park (PRUAB).

Briefly, how would you define the CCiTUB?

We are one of the largest research facilities in Spain, with a staff of nearly 200 people. We cover a wide range of techniques in three broad areas –materials, chemistry and biosciences– and we focus on analysis and characterisation. Our services are highly complementary: we offer what we call proximity and recurrence services while providing unique facilities, such as the state-of-the-art electron microscope and the ultra high-field nuclear magnetic resonance equipment, which attract people from all over the world, both researchers and private companies. The PCB, in particular, employs 30 people with an infrastructure geared towards biomedical research: cytometry, genomics, biomolecular analysis, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and electron microscopy.

How do you balance the demand for services between public research and private clients?

This dual role is in our nature; in addition to working for researchers at the University, we also want to provide a service open to the entire research system. In 2024 25% of our users come from private companies, 39% from the University of Barcelona, and the rest from public research institutions, such as CERCA, CSIC and other universities.

What would you say are the key advantages of being in the PCB?

For me, the PCB is the ideal environment for a scientific and technical service centre like ours, because we offer services across the entire ecosystem: research centres, large companies and small companies. Such physical proximity also generates highly profitable interactions. Moreover, it also helps to be part of the University of Barcelona brand, as the most powerful university in Spain, as it is an incentive that provides credibility for and trust in our services. I like to think that we are at the heart of this environment, collaborating with public and private actors.

What added value does your service offer when compared to other players in the ecosystem with similar services?

We offer a personalised service. We are not looking to compete with large companies and commercial laboratories that can perform large volumes of tests. We help to solve specific problems and find tailor-made solutions thanks to our state-of-the-art technology and highly qualified personnel. Our aim now is to integrate the new equipment into the services we offer, leveraging the wide range of techniques we are familiar with, which is truly impressive. When we receive a sample, we can implement methodologies that combine different techniques to obtain the maximum information and the best possible results.

How does having unique scientific and technical infrastructures influence your position?

Our unique scientific and technical infrastructures (ICTS) are very important: they raise our visibility and positioning. There are few such infrastructures in Spain and the selection process is very strict. We are the only university with two different ICTS facilities, which is highly significant for us and for the PCB in terms of reputation. This seal gives us access to specific calls for the acquisition of unique equipment, but also poses a challenge, because being and remaining unique is difficult in this sector, where technology evolves rapidly and requires investment capacity. On the other hand, it helps us attract research talent, because researchers know that they have these facilities nearby, and they can settle and do their research here. Finally, they help us to open up new lines of research and allow researchers to come up with ideas at the cutting edge of knowledge. ICTS facilitate basic and applied research, and our aim is to raise awareness of this among private organisations. For example, we already have success stories of companies making intensive use of high-field NMR.