•Notícia

Research activity at the CRnE focuses on the application of nanoengineering to biomedicine, chemistry, physics, electronics, and materials, covering everything from biomaterials that help regenerate tissues in the human body to plastic-based transistors that have the potential to transform television screens, and new catalytic converters for manufacturing cleaner cars.

The center is located in the newly constructed C’ building at Carrer Pascual i Vila 15 in Barcelona (behind the School of Industrial Engineering of Barcelona) and comprises an area of approximately 700 m2, 500 m2 of which is occupied by sophisticated scientific equipment. The new center is being directly used by five research groups working on projects related to nanoparticles, nanochemistry, nanomechanics, nanotechnology of biomaterials, and organic solar cells.

The CRnE is the first research facility to be opened at the Barcelona Knowledge Campus (BKC), which has been recognized as a Campus of International Excellence by the Spanish Ministry of Education. The UPC-Barcelona Tech and the University of Barcelona (UB) have been granted public funding for the BKC project for the 2009-2012 period. The BKC, one of the most active and powerful knowledge hubs in southern Europe, occupies 227 hectares and encompasses 16 schools, 90 departments, and 15 libraries.

Participants in the opening ceremony for the CRnE included the Government of Catalonia’s Commissioner for Universities and Research, Joan Majó; UPC-Barcelona Tech Rector Antoni Giró; the president of the Board of Trustees of the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, Joaquim Boixareu; the Director of UPC Park (the UPC-Barcelona Tech’s research and innovation park), Francesc Solé Parellada; and CRnE Director Ramon Alcubilla.