“Severo Ochoa” Excellence Accreditation
ICFO secures its 4th consecutive “Severo Ochoa” national grant, enabling the institute to further advance in its mission to pursue cutting-edge scientific research.
In 2011, the Ministry of Spain with responsivities in Science and Innovation launched the prestigious Severo Ochoa Centers of Excellence program, aiming to identify the top research institutions in the country and allocate dedicated funding for them to conduct cutting-edge research for a period of four years.
In the inaugural edition, ICFO was among the first eight centers to receive this prestigious distinction. Over the following years, the Institute successfully renewed this recognition two more times, earning it for a second and third term.
Now, the Ministry of Science, Innovation, and Universities has announced the awarded institutions that will receive the Severo Ochoa Centers of Excellence grant for a new term. The selected institutes listed as awardees include ICFO together with other renowned entities such as the National Cancer Research Center (CNIO), the Institute of Marine Sciences (ICM), the Doñana Biological Station (EDB), the Catalan Institute of Chemical Research (ICIQ), the Institute of High Energy Physics (IFAE), the Donostia International Physics Center (DIPC), the Madrid Institute of Materials Science (ICMM), and the Barcelona School of Economics (BSE).
With more than €75 million of total funding allocated to the new Severo Ochoa Centers of Excellence and eight María de Maeztu Units of Excellence to promote science and thus recognize the scientific impact and international leadership of these facilities, the Minister Ms Diana Morant stated that “the Government of Spain is promoting and strengthening science like never before to ensure it is of higher quality and at the service of our country and society as a whole."
The awarded centers and entities were selected through an international scientific committee constituted by researchers of top international stature, thus guaranteeing an independent process. ICFO, CNIO and BSE have been the three institutions that have renewed their accreditation for the fourth consecutive time in this batch, a remarkable achievement that highlights their drive and dedication to excellence and frontier research.