The president of the Government of Catalonia, Pere Aragonès, emphasised this morning that “today we once again have a highly remarkable capacity to boost investment in science”, such as the agreement that will allow “Spain to contribute an additional 150 million euros for scientific research projects in Catalonia, to be administered by the Government of Catalonia and which represents an extremely important leap forward”.

The head of the Executive was speaking at the opening of the Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology (BIST) Forum, the annual meeting of the BIST scientific community, which brings together researchers from seven major research centres. The Forum will cover the three main areas in which cutting-edge research in Catalonia is making an impact: knowledge, the economy and society. The Catalan Minister for Research and Universities, Joaquim Nadal, also attended.

During the event, which took place in the auditorium of La Pedrera in Barcelona, President Aragonès also noted that “we have one of the most powerful research ecosystems, with the greatest potential in southern Europe” and pointed out that BIST “is one of the clearest examples”. He went on to add that the centre “despite its youth, is already fifth in the rankings of European research centres”.

Along the same lines, Pere Aragonès highlighted the support provided by the Catalan Government for different projects, to promote “the excellence of the research ecosystem, help to continue attracting the best talent from all over the world, provide us with the best scientific infrastructures at the service of science and accompany research with entrepreneurship and thus ensure the transfer of knowledge”.