The Government of Catalonia has commissioned the Barcelona Biomedical Research Park (PRBB) Consortium to build and manage one of the three research buildings in the former “Mercat del Peix” (an old market). Jordi Camí, general director of the PRBB, gives us details of this great project of Catalan biomedical science.
How do you view the new government agreement that gives the PRBB responsibility for a building in the old Mercat del Peix?
The government agreement entrusts us with the construction and management of the building, in order to develop the scientific project designed and promoted by the BIST (Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology). This agreement has the personal commitment of the President of the Generalitat (the Catalan government) and the great determination of the departments of research and universities, economy and the presidency. It is a country agreement that has been possible thanks to the commitment and complicity of the Barcelona City Council and the Pompeu Fabra University, which are the other two partners of the PRBB.
What does it mean for the PRBB to take on the construction and management of this new building?
It is a great responsibility, also a great challenge. We will count on the experience we have accumulated in the last 19 years. We have already deployed an exclusive team to work on it, with both our own and external resources, to give continuity to the completion of the executive project and assume all the actions in progress.
Who designs the building?
The drafting of the project is in the hands of the Barcelona studio Barozzi Veiga. It just so happens that in 2021, the BIST invited me to preside over the jury of the international competition that decided to award the drafting of the architectural project to this firm. The current equipment also has ARCbcn engineering, which is essential for a building of these characteristics.
And what will be the scientific focus of the new building?
The scientific program is a collaborative model with a specific focus on “Precision Medicine“. The building will have about 24,000 m2 (of which 3,300 below ground). The entire IRB (Institute for Biomedical Research) and also a section of the IBEC (Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia) will be moved. Other centres such as the CRG, ICFO and ICN2 will also have their own laboratories and facilities. Finally, office spaces are planned for the PRBB and the BIST.
What will be the benefits for the Catalan biomedical research system and for the city of Barcelona?
This project will contribute to multiplying the potential of the city of Barcelona as a scientific pole of excellence in biomedical research. The building that will be managed by the PRBB will be one more piece of the Citadel of Knowledge (Ciutadella del coneixement), a long-term vision for a park and its environment promoted by the Barcelona City Council. This great initiative is a shared commitment to the life sciences, social sciences and humanities; a space for the confluence of scientific centres and institutions, where the Museum of Natural Sciences and the Zoo are already located.
“This project will contribute to multiplying the potential of the city of Barcelona as a scientific pole of excellence in biomedical research“.
Jordi Camí
And who else will be part of the Ciutadella del coneixement?
In addition to this new building, on the same plot as the old Mercat del Peix, the Pompeu Fabra University, the main developer of this site, is promoting its own project in the field of social welfare; and the CSIC with the UPF promotes the building of the Institute for Evolutionary Biology (IBE: CSIC-UPF).
The Pasqual Maragall Foundation and its research centre, the BBRC (Barcelona Brain Research Center), are also being deployed in the immediate vicinity.
This is the nearby ecosystem the PRBB is joining as a new developer.
What does the participation of the PRBB contribute?
I estimate – it is my personal opinion – that the critical mass between the new centres in the old Mercat del Peix and the current PRBB will double, at least. The current PRBB has already more than 1,700 people including scientific, technical and administrative and service staff. It brings together the Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), the Hospital del Mar Research Institute), the Department of Medicine and Life Sciences (MELIS-UPF), a part of the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal) and the European Molecular Biology Laboratory – Barcelona (EMBL Barcelona).
I only see opportunities for synergies, for scenarios of much more cross-fertilization between disciplines and institutions. It will be a larger ecosystem, but more fertile: it will help to increase the capacity to attract resources and the best talent in the world.
With this new assignment, will the role of the PRBB change?
The PRBB’s mission will not change. Beyond the responsibility of managing, conserving and maintaining heritage, the PRBB will continue to accompany the centres and make their environment as inspiring as possible.
