THE CRG IS SHORTLISTED TO COMPETE FOR THE PROGRAMME "SEVERO OCHOA"

• More than 60 entries were reviewed by three committees composed of internationally renowned researchers.

• 22 research groups make up the first draft, 12 of them from Catalonia. The Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation will announce the 10 winners in November.

• The program aims to promote during 4 years those research centres that stand out for their excellence

Last week (July 14th), 22 Spanish research centres were chosen as the first draft (out of a total of 75) for the Severo Ochoa framework excellence award of the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation. The Centre for Genomic Regulation is among this group.
Over 60 applications were submitted to the program, which distinguishes the major Spanish research centres and units that stand out for their scientific relevance, organizational and research strategy and international competitiveness.
The candidates came from three areas of research: Physical Sciences and Engineering, Life Sciences and Medicine, Social Sciences and Humanities. In the area of Life Sciences and Medicine, the selected centres were:

• Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG)
• Centre for Research in Environmental Epidemiology (CREAL)
• Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona)
• Spanish National Center of Biotechnology (CNB-CSIC)
• “Fundación Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares Carlos III” (CNIC)
• Spanish National Cancer Research Center (CNIO)
• Centre for Research in Agricultural Genomics (CRAG) 
• Doñana Biological Station (EBD-CSIC)
• “Instituto de Neurociencias de Alicante” (CSIC-UMH) 

To enter the competition, they had to meet the following requirements: 

• Have an internationally recognized principal investigators with proven experience in scientific management.
• Provide a critical mass of at least 10 outstanding researchers with competitive research projects.
• A scientific output among the principal investigators of the centre with an international impact factor above 50% of the world average in their respective areas of expertise.

The selection was made from three panels of international experts with proven records, including Nobel laureates Samuel Ting from CERN, in Experimental Sciences and Engineering; Robert Huber from the Max-Planck-Institut für Biochemie, in Life Sciences and Medicine, and Roger B. Myerson of the University of Chicago, in Social Sciences and Humanities.