The Catalan research centres, in collaboration with the Government of Catalonia, gathered within the CERCA Institution, represent the fourth-largest research organization in terms of fundraising for Horizon Europe science during the calls for 2021 and 2022. With more than 183 million euros in competitive funds attracted to the Catalan knowledge system, CERCA ranks just behind Germany's Helmholtz (366 million) and Fraunhofer (185 million), as well as France's CNRS (284 million), surpassing Germany's Max Planck Institute (129 million) and Belgium's KU Leuven (119 million).

These data were publicly disclosed during the 2023 edition of the CERCA Conference, the annual gathering of Catalan research centres affiliated with the CERCA Institution. The conference underscored the significance of implementing the Catalan Science Law to solidify and enhance the country's research system. In this regard, the Director General of Research, Joan Gómez Pallarès, expressed optimism about the immediate future of science in Catalonia: "The Department of Research and University, with the commitment of the entire government, is making strides in effectively implementing the Science Law in the calendar year following its approval".

For his part, the director of the CERCA Institution, Lluís Rovira, focused his speech on analyzing the challenges of the CERCA system within the framework of the implementation of the Science Law of Catalonia. Director Rovira noted that "we are making progress in consolidating the CERCA system in Catalonia and on an international scale; the Science Law recognizes us as a major research player in the country. Furthermore, the dynamics of European projects within CERCA highlight and distinguish us on the international stage. The new legal framework represents an advantage compared to the previous situation, although there is still room for improvement."

The report from the director of CERCA also emphasized that the centres it brings together generate impacts that "we are learning to measure and explain", and he emphasized that the CERCA system currently has nearly 17,000 professionals. Rovira also highlighted the year of work by the Àgora de gerents, aimed at training and motivating the community of CERCA managers.

The CERCA Conference concluded with a presentation by Stephen Conway, the Executive Director of Research Services at the University of Oxford, who shared the experience of his institution in supporting excellence in research and innovation.

CIMNE is one of the five engineering research centres belonging to this network.

Visit CIMNE's profile at CERCA