The Instituto de Nanociencia y Materiales de Aragón is born to make Aragon a national and international benchmark in research
INMA is the result of an agreement between the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) and the University of Zaragoza to combine the experience and capabilities of the ICMA and INA research institutes.
The centre brings together around 280 members, of which 150 are PhD researchers, who participate in more than 80 public competitive research projects, with a total funding of around 25 M€, authors of more than 320 scientific articles published in 2020 in journals of recognised impact.
Research into new materials will allow, among other things, a more efficient and environmentally friendly use of energy, the development of biomedical applications for diagnosis and advanced therapies, or the optimisation of information technologies.
(Zaragoza, Wednesday, 24 March 2021). The new nstituto de Nanociencia y Materiales de Aragón (INMA), a joint research centre between the Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC) and the University of Zaragoza (UNIZAR), which arises from the union of two previous research centres, ICMA and INA, will turn Aragon into a national and international reference in nanoscience, nanotechnology and new materials research, thanks to its 150 PhD researchers, 90 PhD students and 40 technicians and administrative staff.
Scientific excellence
Its scientific activity in the period 2016-2019 has generated more than 1,150 publications in scientific journals of internationally recognised impact. In terms of fundraising for research, its 40 current European projects stand out, representing 81% of its current public funding, as well as its role as coordinator in 18 of them. The quality, relevance and international impact of this trajectory has allowed it to apply for the 2020 call for “Severo Ochoa Centres of Excellence” of the Spanish R&D&I system.
This new joint centre, which works to improve our lives, with processes, procedures and technologies that are increasingly respectful of the environment, unthinkable a few years ago, was presented today at the Paraninfo in a ceremony attended by the Chancellor of the University of Zaragoza, José Antonio Mayoral, the Regional Minister of Science, University and Knowledge Society of the Government of Aragon, Maru Díaz, the Vice-President for Organisation and Institutional Relations of the CSIC, Rosina López, and the Director of the Institute of Nanoscience and Materials of Aragon, Conrado Rillo.
This joint research centre will undoubtedly promote the development of advanced materials that respond to the social challenges of the 21st century. The possible applications cover practically all areas of our lives: health (materials to increase both life expectancy and quality of life), energy (materials to achieve clean energy and reduce the energy needs of devices), the environment (materials to improve the quality of the environment and contribute to the fight against climate change), and information and communication technologies (materials for the efficient manufacture of electronic components, new concepts of information storage, optimised detection, etc.). All of this taking into account from the outset the principles of sustainability and the sustainable development goals of the 2030 agenda.
Brief history
INMA, a mixed institute dependent on both institutions CSIC-Unizar, was born as a result of the merger of the Institute of Materials Science of Aragon, ICMA (founded in 1985, being the first research institute of the University of Zaragoza and the first Institute of Materials Science of the Spanish National Research Council) and the Institute of Nanoscience of Aragon, INA (founded in 2003 by the University of Zaragoza and around which a unique set of instruments for the characterisation and fabrication of materials on a molecular scale has been nucleated, notably those that make up the Advanced Microscopy Laboratory (LMA)).
The gestation of INMA dates back to 2017 when the directors of both institutes Javier Campo (ICMA) and Ricardo Ibarra (INA), considered the merger given its coherence and thematic coincidence; with the vision of creating a reference research centre in nanoscience and materials at the highest level. The merger was consolidated on 16 July 2020 with the publication in the Official State Gazette of the Agreement between the University of Zaragoza and the Spanish National Research Council, for the regulation of the Institute of Nanoscience and Materials of Aragon (INMA).
The present of INMA
INMA promotes a multidisciplinary approach and its objectives include promoting collaboration with public and private entities to contribute to progress and increase the competitiveness of the productive sector, and encourage scientific culture, disseminating its activities to society.
“This institute, which combines the capabilities and experience of the ICMA and INA institutes, will become a research centre in nanoscience and materials of reference, with wide national visibility, and with a growing international projection, with the ability to attract the best young research talent with a dynamic, flexible and collaborative organisation,” said the director of INMA, Conrado Rillo.
In this regard, the Chancellor of the University of Zaragoza, José Antonio Mayoral, pointed out that “Aragon deserves to occupy the top international positions thanks to research centres of excellence such as the one we are presenting today”, to which he added that “from our institution we will continue to work tirelessly to position ourselves in high quality research and thus fulfil our commitment to provide innovative solutions to the constant and multiple demands of today’s society”.
The Vice-President for Organisation and Institutional Relations of the CSIC, Rosina López Fandiño, pointed out that, “This new centre brings together the capacity and experience of two leading centres, the ICMA and the INA, to promote research into new materials and nanoscience, two fields that have numerous applications for transferring basic research to the business sector in crucial areas such as biomedicine, energy and information technologies”.
For her part, the Regional Minister of Science, University and Knowledge Society, Maru Díaz, highlighted the wisdom of the merger, which will allow the new Institute “to gain size and transversality in its research and to opt for new funding and recognition of research excellence” at a time when nanotechnology and materials science are set to play a “key role in the Fourth Industrial Revolution”. In this regard, Díaz recalled the Government’s commitment to both disciplines and said that nanotechnology will continue to be one of the transversal tools for making Aragon an intelligent and sustainable territory in the new Aragonese Strategy for Specialisation in Research and Innovation, which is already being drawn up.
Six research areas
The research carried out at INMA is organised into six research areas: two cross-cutting and four applied. The two transversal research areas have been defined by focusing on tools for the design, synthesis, manufacture and characterisation of materials. These areas are: Synthesis, Processing and Scaling of Advanced Functional Materials (based on the design, synthesis, processing and scaling of new functional materials for different applications such as energy and environment, biomedicine, electronics, communication and information) and Singular Experimental Technologies (development of singular experimental technologies; neutronics techniques, including the scientific coordination of the collaborative research groups (CRG) of the Institute Laue Langevin (ILL); new techniques and/or data analysis in nanofabrication, advanced microscopy, and electron paramagnetic resonance; development of on-chip micro- and nano-sensors and chemical microsensors; and development of new helium liquefaction and purification technologies).
INMA’s applied research areas have been established based on the functionality of the materials and the resulting nanoscale phenomena. These areas are: Materials for Energy and the Environment (development of new materials for efficient energy use and environmental conservation), Materials for Biomedicine (development of tools for nanodiagnosis, drug delivery, tissue engineering and antimicrobial and oncological therapies), Materials for Information Technologies (study of materials and devices aimed at improving the performance of information technologies, optimising their energy efficiency, developing more environmentally friendly components or opening the door to new applications, and exploring new paradigms, such as quantum technologies) and New Phenomena at the Nanoscale (study of physical phenomena and new states of matter that are associated with nanometric size, as well as surface and low dimensionality effects).
Contact:
Beatriz Latre
blatre@unizar.es
646196596
Full video of the presentation
24/03/2021
