Bassat will succeed Antoni Plasència, who has held this position since October 2014.

The Board of Trustees of the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal) has appointed Quique Bassat as the new Director General of the institution. Bassat will succeed Antoni Plasència, who has led the institution since October 2014.

A paediatrician and epidemiologist, Quique Bassat is ICREA Research Professor and Director of the Malaria and Neglected Parasitic Diseases programme at ISGlobal, as well as Associate Professor at the University of Barcelona and researcher at Hospital Sant Joan de Déu. Throughout his professional career, which has included long stays in the Manhiça Health Research Centre (CISM), in Mozambique, he has combined his clinical work with biomedical research on infectious diseases affecting the poorest and most vulnerable populations, with his two main areas of interest being childhood malaria and respiratory infections (bacterial or viral).

“I am honoured and thrilled by this opportunity that the Board of Trustees has given me,” says Bassat. “ISGlobal plays a critical role in advancing global health and equity, and I look forward to continuing to work with the incredible team of professionals that make up ISGlobal in my new role to further our positive impact around the world.

A rigorous selection process

On behalf of the Executive Committee of ISGlobal’s Board of Trustees, a selection committee made up of experts appointed by the Board of Trustees, with the support of the CERCA system of the Generalitat de Catalunya, carried out the selection process for the new director through a public and international call for applications. From the list of applications received, a group of highly qualified candidates were interviewed to assess their scientific solvency, management skills and strategic proposals for ISGlobal. Quique Bassat was the unanimous choice because of his proven scientific, clinical and translational track record and his commitment to ISGlobal’s mission and values. His experience in the field, his ability to lead multidisciplinary teams and his innovative vision were key aspects in the Committee’s final assessment.

In relation to the change of Director, the Board of Trustees expresses its deep gratitude to the outgoing director, Antoni Plasència, for his strong commitment and exemplary leadership, and expresses its full confidence in his successor, Quique Bassat. “Through a rigorous selection process we have chosen the best candidate to lead this new cycle. The “la Caixa” Foundation is proud to continue to support ISGlobal in its strategy to address the major global health challenges and promote equity in health through excellence in research and the transfer and application of knowledge”, said Javier Solana, Chairman of the Executive Committee of ISGlobal.

The Director must contribute to increasing the research level of i2CAT and the impact it has on the Public and Private sectors while boosting digital societal activities aiming at minimizing the territory digital divide.

The qualities being sought in the Director include outstanding strategic vision, integrity, communication skills, administrative abilities, energy and motivation, fundraising experience, consensus building capacity, and a leadership style that engenders and nurtures trust and respect. She/He will have an excellent record in technology, research, leadership experience, capacity of team management, and will embrace the values of rigour, diversity, and service, and provide inspiration to all staff. She/He will have an in-depth knowledge of both national and international research systems and ecosystems – with a particular focus on European programs.

i2CAT wants to lead the challenge of designing the digital society of the future based on research and innovation in advanced digital technologies. Through talent generation, cooperation, and the commitment of its members, i2CAT envisions Catalonia as a creative, empowered, and innovative society, where knowledge and digital technology are at the service of the Catalan ecosystem and society.

Deadline for submitting applications: October 13th, 2023 at 9 am ECT

This call for applications is aimed at the selection of the best candidate for the position of Director General of ISGlobal, and is open to candidates worldwide including those who are currently or have been researchers at ISGlobal.

The Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal) is a cutting-edge institution addressing global and public health challenges through research, innovation, translation into policy and education. It is the result of a private-public partnership involving highly reputed academic, public administration and philanthropic institutions.

ISGlobal has a broad research portfolio in communicable and non-communicable diseases including environmental and climate determinants of health, and applies a multidisciplinary scientific approach ranging from the molecular to the population level. Research is organised in the following five programmes: Malaria and neglected parasitic diseases; Maternal, Child and reproductive Health; Global Viral and Bacterial Infections; Climate, air pollution, nature and urban health; and Environment and health over the lifecourse.

ISGlobal is a private center promoted by “la Caixa” Foundation and takes part in the CERCA system of the Generalitat of Catalunya. It is accredited with the Severo Ochoa distinction, a seal of excellence from the Spanish Science Ministry, strengthening cross-cutting frontier methodological capabilities in areas of Data sciences, Health Impact Assessment and eHealth.

The deadline to receive applications is September the 15th, 2023, 10pm ECT.

ICRA’s mission is to be a point of reference for water science and technology in the Mediterranean.

The centre produces multidisciplinary water research with the ambition to cover the complete water cycle, from freshwater ecosystems, tracking the water quality and quantity, water depuration, reutilization, and the return to the ecosystem in the best conditions. Its research focuses on the rational use and effects of human activities on water resources and aquatic ecosystems, based on the fundamental importance of water as a resource.

ICRA is a research institute from the CERCA System of the Catalan Government. It is also supported by the Catalan Water Agency (ACA) and the University of Girona (UdG), from which it is an attached research institute.

The deadline for submitting nominations ends on September 30, 2023.

ICFO’s research is world-class and encompasses broad fundamental and applied themes relevant to medicine and biology, advanced imaging techniques, information technologies, a range of sensors, tunable and ultra-fast lasers, the properties and applications of nano and quantum materials, and quantum science and technologies.

ICFO is a CERCA research center affiliated to the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya- Barcelona Tech, located in the Mediterranean Technology Park, in Castelldefels, in the Barcelona metropolitan area. It was created in 2002 and currently hosts 450 people, organized in 25 research teams.

Application Deadline: 29 Sep 2023 – 22:00 (Europe/Madrid)

The Catalan Institute of Human Paleoecology and Social Evolution (IPHES-CERCA) has announced an open call for direction.

IPHES-CERCA is seeking applicants with a distinguished record of scientific excellence and the innovative thinking necessary to lead a dynamic organisation.

The deadline for submitting nominations ends on October 5, 2023.

Replaces Ignacio Romagosa, who has been the director during the last 5 years

The Board of Trustees of the Agrotecnio Foundation has chosen , José Antonio Bonet Lledós, as the new director of this research centre. He will hold the position for a minimum of 4 years and a maximum of 5, renewable. Bonet replaces, Ignacio Romagosa, who has been the director of Agrotecnio since February 2018 until now.

Bonet has been professor at ETSEAFIV since February 2021, although he has been linked to this UdL center as a professor and researcher since 2003. Doctor of Forestry Engineering and Master of Business Administration and Management (Executive MBA) , was director general of the Forest Science and Technology Centre of Catalonia (CTFC) from 2006 to 2009, where he had also been director of research and technology transfer between 2001 and 2007. Currently, he continues there as a researcher. Member of the Forest Production research group of the UdL, his lines of research focus on health and forest mycology, forestry, bioenergy and protected natural spaces.

Among his priorities at the head of Agrotecnio, the new director highlights “consolidating this research centre of excellence within the CERCA map and optimizing the impact of the research carried out by the different groups, enhancing synergies with the Park Agrifood Scientific and Technological of Lleida (Agrobiotech Lleida)”.

José Antonio Bonet is linked professionally or through management or representation positions to the CTFC, Fundació Terra i Agrotecnio. He was assistant to the president of the Social Council of the University of Lleida from 2008 to 2017, a member of the Board of Directors of IRTA between 2009 and 2016 and of the Board of the European Forest Institute (EFI), as a representative in the Spanish Government, in the period between 2008 and 2014. In March 2021, he was appointed coordinator of Research, Transfer, Entrepreneurship and Innovation of the Agrobiotech Park, a position in which he will continue until June.

The Governing Council of the Institute de Recerca Sant Joan de Déu (IRSJD) has appointed Dr. Joan Comella as director of the institute. Comella, director of Innovation, Research and Knowledge Management at the SJD Barcelona Children’s Hospital, replaces Dr. Francesc Palau, the first director of the IRSJD.

“I am honored to take on this significant responsibility and challenge as the new director of the Institut de Recerca Sant Joan de Déu. I am proud to follow in the footsteps of the excellent work accomplished so far and I am eager to contribute to the growth of this esteemed institution. My focus will be to broaden its international reach and ensure that our research makes a tangible impact in diagnosing and treating patients’ illnesses“.

Dr Joan Comella holds a degree in Medicine and Surgery and a PhD in Neuroscience from the University of Barcelona. From September 2009 to September 2022 he has directed the Institut de Recerca de l’Hospital Vall d’Hebron (VHIR), and has been the head of research at the Campus Hospitalari de Vall d’Hebron.

The new leadership faces the challenge of maintaining and advancing the pursuit of global excellence with a tangible impact on enhancing the diagnosis and treatment of diseases in our field. This requires providing the institute with adequate infrastructure and equipment, as well as fostering the development and recruitment of skilled professionals and dedicated research time for healthcare workers.