On Tuesday 16 January, the rector of the UB, Màrius Rubiralta, will chair the opening of the new computation facility in the Centre for Research in Theoretical Chemistry (Centre de Recerca en Química Teòrica, CeRQT). This opening ceremony will be held at 12 am in the Aula Magna of the Faculty of Chemistry and will include the participation of the senior professors in Physical Chemistry at the UB, Francesc Illas, also director of CeRQT, and Juan José Novoa.

The new machine to be hosted by this facility comprises 320 Opteron processors (Hewlett Packard), acquired by the groups that form part of the CeRQT through a public tender and with the infrastructure funding provided by the MEC and the Direcció General de Recerca of the Generalitat. This machine will be set up in a new facility in the basement of the Faculty of Chemistry, thereby facilitating the loading and unloading of heavy material.

The CeRQT was set up in 1999 to promote and boost research in theoretical chemistry at the UB. Its main goals are to increase collaboration between researchers working in theoretical and experimental chemistry, to promote the multidisciplinary nature of research in theoretical chemistry and to strengthen training activities in theoretical and computational chemistry. This centre comprises 7 research groups (classified as consolidats by the Generalitat de Catalunya), working in several departments at the UB, and at the Parc Científic de Barcelona(PCB, Barcelona Science park), which hosts its central office.