The last month has seen several researchers at the Barcelona Biomedical Research Park (PRBB) recognized for their achievements at the highest level. Serrano, Pujades, Irimia, Marquès-Bonet and del Campo have all recognized the work and people in their teams and collaborators as key to their success, emphasizing that “science is always a collective effort.”
Luis Serrano Pubul, the Director of the Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), has received the 2025 Premio Nacional de Innovación 2025 modalidad Trayectoria Innovadora (National Innovation Award in the Innovative Career category), the highest national recognition for scientific and business leadership in R&D.
The jury recognized Serrano as an “international reference and example for new generations of researchers” thanks to “a career marked by scientific excellence, innovation, and commitment to knowledge transfer.”
The award highlights his pioneering role in the creation of six spin-off companies that contribute to pharmacological development efforts for chronic pain, precision medicine for cancer, and treatments for neurodegenerative diseases, as well as the development of FoldX, a world-renowned software for the design and prediction of protein structures.
“Fundamental research takes on a new meaning when it translates into benefits for society, and this award recognizes this collective effort to bring ideas from the laboratory to tangible solutions,”
Luis Serrano Serrano (CRG)
Cristina Pujades, a full professor at the Department of Medicine and Life Sciences (MELIS-UPF), who leads the Neurodevelopmental Dynamics Research Group, and Manuel Irimia, an ICREA research professor with the same UPF Department, leading the TransDevo Lab dually affiliated to the UPF and the CRG and coordinator of the CRG-UPF-IBE Joint Program on Evolutionary Medical Genomics (EvoMG Program), have been appointed elected members of EMBO, the European Molecular Biology Organization.
They join the list of more than 2,100 top researchers from Europe and around the world, 68 new from this year. Being elected a member is recognition of a scientist’s excellence in research and their outstanding achievements.
“It is a great honor, and it is in recognition of the collaborative work of my research group over the years; alone it would not have been possible”
Cristina Pujades (MELIS-UPF)
Tomàs Marquès-Bonet, Principal Investigator at the Institute for Evolutionary Biology (IBE: CSIC-UPF) and leader of the Comparative Genomics Group, has been awarded the 2025 Ramón y Cajal Medal by the Royal Academy of Sciences of Spain (RAC) in recognition of his scientific career.
According to the nomination, “Marquès-Bonet’s dedication to primate research has gone beyond expectations, establishing him as one of the world’s most renowned experts in the field and contributing to our understanding of human evolutionary origins and the roots of many of our diseases.”
“In difficult times, when the role of science is questioned in many parts of the world, I especially appreciate the Academy’s commitment to knowledge and this encouragement, which I receive with joy, but also with a sense of responsibility.”
Tomàs Marquès-Bonet (IBE)
Javier del Campo, principal investigator of the Microbial Ecology and Evolution Lab at the Institute of Evolutionary Biology (IBE), has received the Hutner Award at the 16th International Congress of Protistology (ICOP). The award recognizes exceptional contributions to the field by early-career researchers. Del Campo has been at the IBE since 2021 and in 2024 he was appointed Co-Chair of the Catalan Initiative for the Earth Biogenome Project.
“It means a lot to be recognized by your peers, and receiving the Award at the ICOP meeting in Seoul, surrounded by so many colleagues, was a truly special moment”
Javier del Campo (IBE)
Huge congratulations to all the awarded researchers, as well as their teams, for an excellent work!
