The PCB-UB public ecosystem sets a new research investment record of €85.2 million in 2025

Public research at the centres, units and groups of the University of Barcelona Science Park (PCB-UB) recorded €85.2 million in 2025, a record figure that consolidates the previous year's investment levels (€84.6 million). Public funding from national and European funds and grants remains the main support for scientific research, amounting to €68.3 million (80% of the total), while funds from private initiatives remain stable and account for around 20% of the total investment, at €16.8 million, 1.5% more than in 2024 (€16.6 million).

Overall, the funding secured by the entire PCB-UB community (public research centres and private companies) grew by 50.5% in 2025, rising from €209.3 million in 2024 to €315 million this year, thanks to the record investment raised by the companies (€229.7 million).

"The strength of the PCB-UB lies in its ability to create an environment where public research and private enterprise coexist, collaborate and mutually reinforce one another. The addition of new centres and the growth of those already part of our community consolidate this model and expand opportunities for collaboration and knowledge transfer. Reaching a new funding record, with private contributions already accounting for almost 20% of the total, demonstrates the ability of public research to attract resources and generate value for society," said Maria Terrades, director of the PCB-UB. 

“We universities are a strategic infrastructure for the country. We not only produce science, but also innovation, citizenship, critical thinking and hope. Scientific networks and infrastructures are drivers of the future. The 21st century is defined by knowledge and, in this context, universities neither want to nor can remain passive observers. The University of Barcelona, as one of Europe’s leading intellectual powerhouses, must not only generate knowledge of excellence: it must also be capable of transforming that knowledge into progress. And to achieve this, cross-cutting structures such as PCB-UB play an essential role”, explains Joan Guàrdia, rector of the University of Barcelona (UB).

Public support drives research, with stable private funding 

The Barcelona Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona) led in funding, with €41.1 million (nearly half of the total), of which €32.8 million are public and €8.3 million private. In turn, the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC) raised €19.3 million, including public (€16.4 M) and private (€2.9 M) funds.

The National Centre for Genomic Analysis (CNAG) added another €14.1 million, of which €9.97 million comes from public funds and €4.12 million from private capital. The Molecular Biology Institute of Barcelona (IBMB-CSIC) received €5.04 million (93% from private capital). For its part, the five new groups at the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), which recently joined the PCB-UB, brought €1 million to the table, of which €750,000 came from public funds and €260,000 from private sources.

These institutes are joined by the University of Barcelona units and groups that conduct their research in various fields of knowledge. Firstly, Creatio UB – the Production and Validation Center of Advanced Therapies – received a total of €1.6 million, of which €890,000 is public and €720,000, private. 

The Technology Unit of the Institute of Cosmos Sciences (ICCUB-Tech) obtained €160,000 in private funding, while the Institute of Biomedicine of the University of Barcelona (IBUB) secured €262,500, entirely public funding. The UB BioNMR Group, specialising in nuclear magnetic resonance, raised €85,000 (82% of which is public funding).

Overall, in 2025, the centres and units incorporated 62 new pieces of scientific equipment into their facilities at the PCB-UB. Also worth mentioning is the UB Scientific and Technical Centre (CitecUB), which received €2.5 million in public funding to renovate and expand its scientific and technical facilities, the base from which the other groups work, with seven new pieces of equipment. Among the new scientific infrastructures incorporated in 2025 is its new state-of-the 2 art electron microscopy facility, a Singular Scientific and Technical Infrastructure (ICTS) inaugurated in early 2025 by the President of the Generalitat, Salvador Illa and financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) under the ERDF Operational Programme for Catalonia. 

Strengthening the research ecosystem with new biomedical research organisations

 The year 2025 also marked the arrival of the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal) and the incorporation of the Fraunhofer Center for Applied Theragnostics (Fraunhofer CAT) at the PCB-UB facilities. 

By the end of 2025, ISGlobal had moved some of its laboratories to the PCB-UB, where five research groups from the Malaria and Neglected Tropical Diseases programme are working. The institution's arrival was the result of the collaboration agreement signed in 2024 to host various units from the research centres affiliated with the Hospital Clínic de Barcelona at the PCB-UB. Among these is the August Pi i Sunyer Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBAPS), which completed its move in early 2026. 

For its part, Fraunhofer CAT, linked to Fraunhofer Spain Research (a state-run applied research foundation affiliated with Germany's Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft), joined the PCB-UB in 2025 through the IBEC and already has more than 50 professionals.

Technological transfer, increasingly present in research activity 

Public centres in the PCB-UB licensed 11 new technologies in 2025, over 10 for the first time, making technology transfer one of the most visible milestones of the year. ICCUB-Tech led the count with 4 licences, followed by the IBEC with 3, and the ISGlobal groups with 2. IRB Barcelona and IBMB-CSIC had one each. 

Technological transfer was also strengthened by the protection of research results, with 22 new patent applications, highlighting 7 from ISGlobal, 6 from the IBEC, and 4 from ICCUB-Tech. 

In addition, the creation of PulSensing Technologies, a new spin-off driven by ICCUB-Tech, stands out. The company has developed ASIC chip technology that aims to improve imaging diagnostics in techniques such as PET, and to facilitate the early detection of cancer.

This momentum is taking place in an environment of sustained scientific output, with 577 publications and participation in 651 national and European collaborative projects, in an ecosystem where public research coexists with industry.