The Universitat de Barcelona, the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, and the Generalitat de Catalunya (Regional Government), through the Dept. of Health and Dept. of Universities, Research and the Information Society, have set up the Bioengineering Institute of Catalonia Foundation (IBEC). In addition to undertaking teaching activities, this initiative will promote the development of multidisciplinary research in biomedical engineering, and thus make the institute an international reference in this field.

The Bioengineering Institute of Catalonia was officially constituted yesterday. This act was attended by the rector of the UB, Màrius Rubiralta, the rector of the UPC, Josep Ferrer Llop, the minister Carles Solà, and the minister of Health, Marina Geli. In the first meeting of its board of governors, the institute appointed Antoni Planell, professor at the UPC, director.

IBEC includes the Nanobioengineering Research Laboratory, a centre that hosts around 50 investigators and technicians, among these physicists, biologists, chemists and engineers, who derive mainly from the UB, the UPC and several programmes for the incorporation of research staff. The location of this Laboratory at the PCB allows investigators to perform their activities in a research environment devoted to life sciences. Given that the PCB also hosts the Institute for Research in Biomedicine and other organisations, collaboration agreements for the application of nanotechnology to this field are clearly favoured. Moreover, IBEC also has access to first-class technological facilities, which, in addition to the Core Scientific Services of the PCB (culture rooms, characterization services, etc.), include the Scientific and Technical Services of the UB. Moreover, the Nanotechnolgy Platform undertakes activities in nanofabrication, nanomanipulation and analysis and characterization of nanotechnologies.

IBEC will focus its basic and applied research on pioneering fields of research such as cell and molecular nanotechnology; tissue engineering and cell cultures; characterization of tissues and cell cultures; design of devices for the manipulation and processing of cells and molecules on a chip; and the acquisition and treatment of biomedical signals and images, among other activities. In the future, IBEC also aims to set up new laboratories, develop specific research programmes on nanotechnological applications in biomedicine and increase the portfolio of technology transfer services available to the business sector and to the healthcare system.