Catalonia has become the center of excellence in southern Europe in terms of research and development in nanoscience. The recent addition of the Alba synchrotron to Spain’s list of major scientific and technological facilities places Barcelona in a leading position in the international nanotechnology scene. All these reasons have contributed to the Catalan capital hosting the GENNESYS 2010 Congress, an international meeting on nanotechnology, on May 27 and 28.

A conference organized by the Center for Advanced Studies of Blanes, Santa Susanna (Catalonia, Spain) discussed the need to rethink the value of biodiversity in the media and how to bring science closer to the world of communication during the first week of May.

Last Thursday, the second edition of ICREA Academia program awarded 30 Catalan researchers for their excellence and leadership. The objective of this program is to motivate, attract and retain faculty at public universities in Catalonia.