Catalan Institution for Research and Advanced Studies
Encyclopedia
ICREA, Catalan Institution for Research and Advanced Studies, is a foundation jointly promoted by the Catalan Government through its Ministry of Innovation, Universities and Enterprise, and the Catalan Foundation for Research and Innovation (FCRI). ICREA was created in 2000 aiming to boost the research
system of Catalonia
via the recruitment of top scientists for the Catalan R&D system, scientists capable of leading new research groups, strengthening existing groups, and opening up novel forefront lines of research.
To achieve its objectives ICREA works closely with Catalan universities
and research centres based in Catalonia by means of long-term agreements that allow ICREA researchers to integrate in research groups within these universities and centres.
Cooperation, international openness and excellence are ICREA’s hallmarks.
In the period 2000-2008, ICREA has hired a total of 222 tenured research professor
s in different areas of research: 32,5% in life
and medical
sciences, 27% in experimental
sciences and mathematics
, 10% in social sciences
, 13,5% in different fields of humanities
and 17% in technology
.
Research
Research can be defined as the scientific search for knowledge, or as any systematic investigation, to establish novel facts, solve new or existing problems, prove new ideas, or develop new theories, usually using a scientific method...
system of Catalonia
Catalonia
Catalonia is an autonomous community in northeastern Spain, with the official status of a "nationality" of Spain. Catalonia comprises four provinces: Barcelona, Girona, Lleida, and Tarragona. Its capital and largest city is Barcelona. Catalonia covers an area of 32,114 km² and has an...
via the recruitment of top scientists for the Catalan R&D system, scientists capable of leading new research groups, strengthening existing groups, and opening up novel forefront lines of research.
To achieve its objectives ICREA works closely with Catalan universities
Joan Lluís Vives Institute
The Xarxa Vives d'Universitats , formerly known as Institut Joan Lluís Vives , is the network of Catalan language universities...
and research centres based in Catalonia by means of long-term agreements that allow ICREA researchers to integrate in research groups within these universities and centres.
Cooperation, international openness and excellence are ICREA’s hallmarks.
In the period 2000-2008, ICREA has hired a total of 222 tenured research professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
s in different areas of research: 32,5% in life
Biology
Biology is a natural science concerned with the study of life and living organisms, including their structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy. Biology is a vast subject containing many subdivisions, topics, and disciplines...
and medical
Medicine
Medicine is the science and art of healing. It encompasses a variety of health care practices evolved to maintain and restore health by the prevention and treatment of illness....
sciences, 27% in experimental
Natural science
The natural sciences are branches of science that seek to elucidate the rules that govern the natural world by using empirical and scientific methods...
sciences and mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
, 10% in social sciences
Social sciences
Social science is the field of study concerned with society. "Social science" is commonly used as an umbrella term to refer to a plurality of fields outside of the natural sciences usually exclusive of the administrative or managerial sciences...
, 13,5% in different fields of humanities
Humanities
The humanities are academic disciplines that study the human condition, using methods that are primarily analytical, critical, or speculative, as distinguished from the mainly empirical approaches of the natural sciences....
and 17% in technology
Technology
Technology is the making, usage, and knowledge of tools, machines, techniques, crafts, systems or methods of organization in order to solve a problem or perform a specific function. It can also refer to the collection of such tools, machinery, and procedures. The word technology comes ;...
.