The Institute for Molecular Science (ICMol) of the Universitat de València held this Friday 13th December the 19th Edition of its Scientific Day. This encounter, in the key of dissemination, makes annual balance of the activity and the state of this centre of excellence. It also puts on the table outstanding advances in the field of molecular materials. The encounter paid posthumous tribute to the Valencian physicist Catalina Ruiz.

The Institute for Molecular Science (ICMol) of the Universitat de València has already held nineteen editions of its Scientific Day, one of its main dissemination activities. The encounter, celebrated annually since the creation of the Institute in the year 2000, revolved around the lectures of three internationally renowned scientists: José Ramón Galán-Mascarós, Diego Peña Gil and Nazario Martín León. Always in high disclosure key. Fullerene super-molecules against Ebola, Dengue or Zika virus; perfect chemical nanoribbons for electronic development, or electro-catalysis to convert CO2 from the atmosphere into chemicals of industrial interest, helping to reduce the climate change effects, were the main subjects of the 19th ICMol Scientific Day. This conferences were inaugurated by the Principal of the Universitat de València, Mavi Mestre; the executive vice-President of the Agència Valenciana de la Innovació (AVI, Valencian Agency for Innovation); and Eugenio Coronado, ICMol’s Director.

As it does each year, Coronado has analysed the status and activity of this centre recognised as the 'María de Maeztu Unit of Excellence', which has 130 researchers, 14 European R&D&I projects and 5 Prometheus from the Generalitat Valenciana (Valencian Government) for groups of excellence; an institute that has licensed 5 patents. It also obtained 8 ERC Grants and its research essentially contributes to the Universitat de València ranking the fourth Spanish university in the field of Chemistry. This gives the ICMol an outstanding position among the first in Europe, according to the Nature Index. “The ICMol has an annual funding of almost 10 million euros, 60% of which comes from European projects and the rest from national and regional fundings”, said Eugenio Coronado. He stressed the importance of attracting young talent to R&D&I. “ICMol has young people who come to research through contracts Ramón y Cajal, Juan de la Cierva or Marie Curie; the CIDEGEN programme of the Generalitat Valenciana for doctors, the Beatriz Galindo call for proposals, the Junior Leader projects of La Caixa...; it is very important to attract young people who can work in research centres and here we have them at all levels”, he said.

Coronado has also reported on the technological developments of ICMol carried out by its Scientific Unit for Business Innovation (UCIE), an innovation agent promoted by the Agència Valenciana de la Innovació (AVI, Valencian Agency for Innovation). This has improved the transfer of new OLED and LEC systems, of lower cost and simpler manufacture, which allow their integration into different surfaces. “The scientific world must be incorporated into the production system”, said Andrés García Reche. “We have a poor production system and scientific levels of excellence, and, in order to change this, we have created the UCIE, to develop innovations built by knowledge and improve and make our companies more competent,” he concluded.

The Principal Mavi Mestre highlighted her sincere appreciation and gratitude to the “task of this institution that research, innovates, transfers and disseminates; which makes this work reach as many people as possible, contributing significantly to the Universitat being ranked in the world’s leading scientific rankings”.

The Professor of Organic Chemistry Ángela Sastre, of the Miguel Hernández University (UMH), has been the spokesperson of the tribute that this 19th Scientific Day wanted to pay to the researcher Catalina Ruiz Pérez, who died this past August and with whom ICMol maintained close ties. Valencian of origin, the scientist was Professor of Applied Physics at the University of La Laguna and director of the Laboratory of X-rays and Molecular Materials of the Canarian institution. Catalina is today a national and international scientific reference,” said Sastre, “but she was also a fighter for equality in the field of science and is an example to be followed by women researchers that are contributing to process”.

Links:

• Vídeo Jornada