Prof. Luis Serrano, Group Leader and former Director at the CRG, received the National Research Award, Catalonia’s highest scientific distinction, while Prof. Katherine Villa, Group Leader at ICIQ, was recognised with the National Research Award for Young Talent, awarded ex aequo.
Researchers from the BIST Community took centre stage at the ceremony of the 2025 Catalan National Research Awards (Premis Nacionals de Recerca) ceremony held at the National Theatre of Catalonia (TNC) on the evening of 16 June and presided over by the President of the Government of Catalonia, Salvador Illa.
Established in 1990, the National Research Awards are the highest distinction in this field in Catalonia. The awards aim to foster public recognition of science and to highlight the work of researchers, institutions and companies that contribute to the generation of knowledge and its transfer to society, both in Catalonia and internationally.
The ceremony, organised by the Department of Research and Universities through the Catalan Foundation for Research and Innovation (FCRI), brought together representatives from across Catalonia’s research and innovation ecosystem to celebrate the achievements of this year’s awardees and to highlight the crucial role of research in addressing societal challenges and strengthening the country’s future.
Prof. Luis Serrano Pubul, ICREA Research Professor and Director of the CRG from 2011 until April this year, received the National Research Award, Catalonia’s highest scientific distinction. The jury highlighted “his pioneering ability to bridge fundamental research and technological advancement, and to translate both into knowledge transfer.” Prof. Serrano, who leads research in systems and synthetic biology, has co-founded several biomedical start-ups that “have strengthened the international profile of Catalonia’s research system”.
In his acceptance speech, Prof. Luis Serrano, said “We are not always sufficiently aware of the level of scientific excellence we have achieved in Catalonia, and of how this has translated into the development of venture capital, the creation of companies and jobs, and the attraction of multinational corporations. The system is leaving adolescence behind and entering maturity. Now is the time to make a decisive commitment to innovation, fully implement the Ley de la Ciencia, reduce bureaucracy, eliminate duplication, and invest boldly in our technological future.”
To help drive some of these much-needed changes, Serrano was recently appointed BIST Commissioner for Disruptive Innovation.
Prof. Katherine Villa, ICREA research professor at ICIQ, was awarded the National Research Award for Young Talent, ex aequo with Dr. Nadejda Blagorodnova (ICCUB-IEEC). The award recognises the excellence of Villa’s research in the field of light-stimulated smart nanomaterials, opening new avenues for addressing environmental challenges through innovative chemical technologies.
During her acceptance speech, Villa highlighted: “After more than a decade in Catalonia, it is an honour to receive this award in a place that has welcomed me and where I have been able to grow both professionally and personally. For me, it is also a demonstration of science’s ability to create opportunities beyond borders.”
