A leading scientific community
BIST is a multidisciplinary scientific community formed by seven Catalan frontier research centres (CRG, IBEC, ICFO, ICIQ, ICN2, IFAE, and IRB Barcelona) committed to pushing the boundaries of knowledge at the core and the intersections of genomics, bioengineering, biomedicine, chemistry, nanotechnology, photonics, and high-energy physics.
The BIST Community is formed by more than 2,700 researchers, students, and staff, working for the advancement of science. In the 2025 edition of the Nature Index, BIST ranked 11th in Europe (excluding universities) underscoring its position among elite research institutions.
Almost half of the BIST Community group leaders (48%) have been listed in one or more of the latest five editions (2021-2024) of the Stanford’s Top 2% Scientists ranking.
Meet the BIST Community Group Leaders
See the BIST Community Figures
Fostering cutting-edge multidisciplinary research
One of the goals of the BIST Foundation is to promote multidisciplinary research among our community of outstanding scientists. By combining existing disciplines and technologies, we push the boundaries of knowledge, innovate, and create a competitive environment for training scientists. Currently our main initiatives include:
BIST Master of Multidisciplinary Research in Experimental Sciences
In the past, BIST catalysed other collaborative scientific initiatives:
Sustainability in the laboratory
BIST is committed to leading the way in reducing our environmental impact and fostering a sustainable future. In 2024, we launched the BIST Sustainability Handbook, which provides guidelines on how to reduce the environmental impacts of laboratory research and foster cultural change to shift lab practices towards sustainability.
