HISTORY

The Institute for Advanced Chemistry of Catalonia (IQAC) has been created for doing research of excellence focused on basic chemical sciences, but also addressed to solve specific problems of our society

The Institute for Advanced Chemistry of Catalonia (IQAC)

was created in 2007 to better accommodate the interests of scientists of the Chemistry areas working at the Center for Research and Development (CID) and to provide a greater external projection of the activities of these scientists within the frame of the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC).

The Institute inherits the long and fruitful research tradition in Organic Chemistry and Chemical Technology

initiated by mid-1900’s. In 1967, after a productive activity in the University of Barcelona, Prof. Pascual Vila and his co-workers, Prof. Manuel Ballester, Prof. Josep Castells and Prof. Fèlix Serratosa, moved into the CSIC Institute of Organic Chemistry of Barcelona, placed at CID. At the same time, CSIC scientists working in the field of Tanning and Textile Technology, such as Prof. Albert Barella, Prof. Rafael Audivert and Prof. Enric Gratacós, were also incorporated into CID to later create the Institute for Chemical and Textile Technology. These moves fostered the emergence and further consolidation of the two main research areas at CID: Organic Chemistry and Chemical Technology

During many years the CID has been the referent of the CSIC Chemistry in Catalonia.

Not only many graduate students and post-docs trained in this Center have moved to relevant positions in academic institutions and in private sectors, but CID has been the seed of outstanding research centers in Catalonia. In 1996, a joined action of the bioorganic, theoretical and technological groups together with teams working on chemical issues related to the environment led to the creation of the Institute for Chemical and Environmental Research of Barcelona (IIQAB). During the ten-year period of IIQAB, the Institute became a referent in the fields of Environmental Chemistry, Biological Chemistry, Theoretical and Computational Chemistry, Sustainable Chemistry and selected items of Chemical Technology. Some of these fields have remained active and have been reinforced at IQAC since its creation in 2007. Furthermore, during its 10 years of life, research on Nanobiotechnology has emerged as a potent working area at the Institute. The apparent heterogeneity of the active research areas at IQAC is clearly compensated by the wide opportunities of their mutual interaction, making IQAC a solid and modern Institute that looks at the future leaning on three key pillars: the robustness of the chemistry tradition in our Centre, the enthusiasm and expertise of its personnel and the firm willingness to warmly welcome staff scientists not trained in the Institute, providing them with the best possible conditions to carry out their research in a competitive, friendly and collaborative environment.