NETCOM Research Group

This year, the Madrid Region will allocate 16.1 million Euros to support the scientific activity of the Madrid Institutes for Advanced Studies (IMDEA, Institutos Madrileños de Estudios Avanzados), a cluster of research centers created by the Regional Government to direct research to the fulfillment of society’s demands and foster scientific and technological innovation in the region.

The 16,109,642 euros investment approved today by the Governing Council contributes to funding the activities of IMDEA Water (1,916,250 euros), Food (2,004,642 euros), Energy (2,690,000 euros), Materials (2,410,000 euros), Nanoscience (2,903,750 euros), Networks (1,750,000 euros) and IMDEA Software, that will be allocated a grant of 2,435,000 euros, as explained by the regional speaker, Salvador Victoria.

The project has enabled to create in the region an institutional framework of excellence in research. Over the last few years, it has succeeded in attracting over 380 researchers from more than 25 nations and internationally renowned Universities.

Almost 109 millions invested

The IMDEA cluster currently includes six advanced research centers specialized on seven different knowledge areas: Water, Food, Energy, Materials, Nanoscience, Networks and Software. Since its inception in 2007, the regional government has spent 108,709,024 euros in these research centers.

Different lines of work have been defined in each of these areas, in cooperation with internationally renowned researchers and other government and institutions from the public and private sectors, with a view to improving the productivity and leadership position of the Madrid region at the national and international levels. The scientific and technological contribution of these centers is remarkable. Only in 2012, the IMDEAs have enabled the granting of five patents.

Today, they are working on over 160 research projects, and the quality of their scientific research is demonstrated by the publication of over 580 articles in high-impact scientific magazines.

As a whole, in 2012, all these activities have enabled to raise external funding by 11.9 million euros for research projects, in addition to the funding from the Madrid Regional Government, representing a global self-funding ratio exceeding 38%, well above the usual ratio in other Spanish public research centers, and similar to the world’s most prestigious research centers.

Several researchers working in IMDEA have been awarded well renowned awards, such as the 2009 Farrington Daniels Award awarded to the Deputy Director of IMDEA Energy, granted by the International Solar Energy Society, or the 2012 Jaime I Award in Fundamental Research, awarded to the Deputy Director of IMDEA Nanoscience for his contributions in the field of supramolecular chemistry.

Currently, five of the IMDEA Institutes (Food, Energy, Materials, Nanoscience and Sofware) have their headquarters in owned buildings, erected on land granted by the concerned Municipalities, Technology Parks or University Campuses where they are located. The headquarters of the other 2 IMDEA centers (Water and Networks) are located on premises made available, respectively, by the Alcalá and Carlos III Universities.