Five BIST researchers among the candidates for the 2018 ‘premio Vanguardia de la Ciencia’

By January 31, 2019BIST, CRG, ICFO, ICIQ, IRB Barcelona

Researchers from ICN2ICFO, and IRB Barcleona are among the candidates chosen as finalists for this year’s ‘premio Vanguardia de la Ciencia’

Every year, eight of the best Spanish research projects of the year are chosen as candidates for the ‘premio Vanguardia de la Ciencia’. The winner is chosen based on a vote by the public throughout the month of February.

Among the list of this year’s eight finalists are three projects led by BIST researchers: 


• Aitor Mugarza and César Moreno (ICN2 / ICREA): “Una membrana de grafeno con propiedades excepcionales
• Raúl Méndez (IRB Barcelona) and José J. Lucas (CBMSO): “Una proteína clave en el origen del autismo
• Frank Koppens and David Alcaraz (ICFO/ ICREA): “La luz, confinada en un solo átomo

We encourage you to read more about the candidates and vote for your favourite on the La Vanguardia website.


The ‘premio Vanguardia de la Ciencia’ prize is a joint initiative of the Godó Group and the Fundació Catalunya-La Pedrera and it was established in 2011 to give more visibility to scientists in Spain. This idea came from the realization that excellent athletes and musicians tend to be well-known by the public but excellent scientists are often not.

To this end, candidates are chosen based on research excellence and affiliation with a Spanish institution. The public can then vote for their favourite candidate through the La Vanguardia website. To help with the decision making, La Vanguardia has dedicated a web page to showcasing all eight candidates and will also post interviews with researchers throughout February.