Highlighted merits

The ERC Advanced Grants (AdG) are given to consolidated scientists for innovative research projects. ICM’s Rafel Simó, from the “Marine Biogeochemistry, Atmosphere and Climate” research group, was awarded an AdG in 2019 with the project entitled “Novel roles of dimethylated sulphur in marine microbial interactions” (SUMMIT). It was just the fourth AdG obtained in Spain focused on environmental issues at the time of the grating. SUMMIT will investigate new roles of dimethylated sulfur in marine microbial food-web interactions. It will also evaluate if interactions through dimethylated sulfur render plankton food-webs more robust and efficient.

ICREA, the Catalan Institution for Research and Advanced Studies, is a foundation supported by the Catalan Government created to integrate the most talented and extraordinary scientists and academics into the Catalan research system. Over the years, these ICREA research positions have become a synonym of global academic excellence.

The ICM currently hosts two ICREA research professors, César R. Ranero and Carles Pelejero. Prof. Ranero works on geosciences to conceptually advance in our understanding of fundamental processes of rifting, passive margins evolution, seafloor spreading, and subduction systems. Prof. Pelejero works on paleoceanography to analyze deep sea sediments and corals as archives of changes in the past, uses systems to monitor the present, and runs manipulative experiments in aquaria to simulate the future.

The European research programmes largely rely on large collaborative projects that require highly skilled coordinators to achieve a wide set research objectives. Coordinating an European research project is a hallmark of structural soundness of the institution as well as scientific excellence of the principal investigator.

Aside from participating in numerous international projects, ICM is currently coordinating three large collaborative European consortia, two in the domain of citizen science led by Jaume Piera (COS4CLOUD and MINKE projects) and one in marine biotech led by Pedro Cermeño (PRODIGIO project).