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The Barcelona Science Park will house the Molecular Sequencing Centre

By 30 de November de 2009November 18th, 2020No Comments
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 30.11.2009

The Barcelona Science Park will house the Molecular Sequencing Centre

On the 27th of November 2009, the Council of Ministers approved a Royal Decree whereby 15 million Euros are allocated to the Barcelona Science Park Foundation to roll out the first phase of the future Molecular Sequencing Centre (CSM). The funding will be provided by the Special State Fund for the boost of Economy and Occupation and () and will be granted directly via a regulatory agreement that will be signed by the Ministry of Science and Innovation in collaboration with the Departments of Health and Innovation of the Generalitat de Catalunya- and the Barcelona Science Park Foundation.

The aim of this project is to create a scientific and technological project for large-scale genome sequencing in order to meet the growing sequencing demand in large-volume genomic research projects, to assure Spain’s participation in the International Cancer Genome Consortium (), and to ensure Spanish competitiveness in the strategic area of genomics, as well as in other sectors of economic relevance such as biomedicine, agriculture and food biotechnology, renewable energies and environmental bioengineering.

The agreement will be equally funded by both public administrations signatories to the agreement for a total amount of 30 million Euros. The contribution coming from the Ministry of Science will take place in 2009 and the item is included as part of a series of actions for a value of 490 million Euros that PlanE will allocate to R+D+I on three priority axes in the sector, namely health, energy and international excellence. The project will receive direct funding because it merges public, social and scientific interests”.

The first phase of the CSM project will be to set up the centre and will include the creation of infrastructures and the provision of equipment as well as the necessary human resources. In this first phase it is also planned to perform the first pilot project relating to the sequencing of tumour samples within the framework of Spain’s participation at the ICGC that will validate the correct operation of the centre.

Once this first phase is completed, the CSM will become a scientific and technological infrastructure via an active fundraising activity from other public and private funding sources that will make it possible to expand its range of activities to offer a wide array of large-volume R+D+I of high strategic interest.