The centre

Spain

www.clinicbarcelona.org/en/idibaps

The August Pi i Sunyer Biomedical Research Institute, IDIBAPS, is a biomedical research centre located in Barcelona (Spain) and was founded in 1996 to expand the already excellent clinical research of the Hospital Clinic of Barcelona. The close interaction of more than 100 clinical and laboratory research groups drives forward original translational research oriented to solve relevant biological and clinical questions for human health. IDIBAPS has a large community of junior researchers, offering training and career development opportunities, and access to state-of-the-art facilities.

The EMERALD fellows will be hired by IDIBAPS while they will register for one of the PhD programmes at the IDIBAPS’ partner university, the University of Barcelona. The working conditions and benefits will be:

  • 42-month employment contract at IDIBAPS for full-time research activity, covering Spanish Social Security contributions as well as the annual gross salary.
  • Time off options due to illness, maternity/paternity leave, or others in line with statutory provisions. Some additional benefits are available such as: up to one month of yearly unpaid leave or a compacted breastfeeding period of 14 working days instead of natural days.
  • Social security coverage in the workplace during the fellowship.
  • 22 days of working holidays and 4 days off work for personnel matters per year; in addition to some free hours agreed every year.
  • Telework is available, if compatible with the research activity.
  • Opportunities to attend training activities specific for IDIBAPS employees and others opened to the whole research community.
  • Allowance for attending other training and networking events, covering travel costs, among others.
  • Support to relocate to Spain, visa application (if necessary) between others.
  • Discounts in businesses of the Institute’s neighbourhood.

IDIBAPS research is organized in 5 areas focusing on: 1. Biological aggression and response mechanisms; 2. Respiratory, cardiovascular and renal pathobiology and bioengineering; 3. Liver, digestive system and metabolism; 4. Clinical and experimental neuroscience; 5. Oncology and haematology.

Research is supported by state-of-the-art 5 core facilities: Biobank, Cytometry and cell sorting facility, Functional genomics, Magnetic resonance imaging, Medical statistics. Other technology platforms, such as microscopy and proteomics, are available on the Campus.

IDIBAPS is part of the Clinic Campus, comprising the Hospital Clinic of Barcelona, a tertiary Spanish public university hospital with an historical commitment to research. In 2021, the hospital was recognized as the best Spanish hospital in the World Best Hospitals 2021 ranking (Newsweek journal in collaboration with Statista).

IDIBAPS combines clinical and basic research to accelerate knowledge translation to the benefit of the patients. Scientists with a medical background are part of it, particularly 64% of IDIBAPS research groups are led by physician-scientists.

The fellows will enroll in one of the University’s of Barcelona PhD Programmes such as the Programme on Translational Medicine and Research. Its mission is to train researchers to allow them to perform high-quality investigations in the different fields of clinical and biomedical research. Each researcher will also join IDIBAPS and the host group, under the supervision of the selected Principal Investigator. IDIBAPS offers a rich programme of internal and international scientific seminars, the Toolbox seminar series focused on transversal aspects such as Open Science and Innovation, and the Stepping-stone training program focused on transferable skills. The active IDIBAPS PhD community promotes social and professional collaborative activities among doctoral researchers.

IDIBAPS is already recognised as an excellent research institute, ranking first in scientific productivity within the Spanish Research Healthcare Institutes, the health research institutes that are linked to hospitals. 54 Hospital Clínic-IDIBAPS researchers were recognized as the most influencing, according to the 2021 Stanford University’s Ranking of the World Scientists: World’s Top 2% Scientists. Besides, the Institute is committed to offering good working conditions and environment as ensured by the HR Excellence in Research award (European Commission). Overall, it has a solid track record of excellence and competitiveness.

Different departments ensure that IDIBAPS researchers have access to adequate working spaces with functional research equipment and lab management support, and guarantee a safe working environment; moreover, scientists receive specialized advice and support on aspects such as communication and dissemination and knowledge and technology transfer issues.

Excellent mentoring and supervision are offered in the framework of the research group and its members normally interact through lab meetings or journal clubs. At the same time, IDIBAPS organizes in-house activities, seminars and workshops, promoting professional and personnel interaction. Physician-scientists can be invited to attend medical sessions together with their peers.

Barcelona is a one-of-a-kind research hub and knowledge center in southern Europe. It has a state-of-the-art ecosystem in biomedical research and a consolidated economic environment.  It is a city that is open and welcomes different cultures. IDIBAPS with the support of Euraxess Catalonia’s node is available to support researchers prepare their arrival in the city. If necessary, additional support can be provided by IDIBAPS.

Positions

Other hosting institutions