The Centre for Advanced Studies of Blanes (CEAB) has been awarded the ASPIRA-CSIC “Sagrario Martínez Carrera” seal, a recognition granted by the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) to centres that stand out for their contribution to the advancement of knowledge and their ability to achieve the highest standards of scientific excellence. This distinction includes a €300,000 grant to implement key measures within the centre’s excellence plan, allowing it to obtain the highest existing accreditations in this field.
The Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), under the Ministry of Science, Innovation, and Universities, has announced the results of the second call for the MaX-CSIC Project, an initiative aimed at promoting excellence in its research centres and institutes. In this phase, 29 CSIC centres, including CEAB, have been awarded the ASPIRA-CSIC “Sagrario Martínez Carrera” distinction, enabling them to progress to the second phase of the MaX Project. This achievement comes with a grant of up to €300,000, intended for the implementation of key aspects of their excellence plans.
To obtain this distinction, the centres had to present a Scientific Centre Project and design an Excellence Plan, based on the self-assessment questionnaire they completed to join the first phase of the programme. The evaluation of the scientific project considered aspects such as the state of the art of the proposed topics, the centre’s ability to carry it out, the identification of mechanisms to promote the coordination of research lines and internal synergies, strategies to enhance international scientific leadership, those aimed at fostering collaboration, initiatives to increase knowledge transfer, and actions to maximise scientific, social, and economic impact.
With this initiative, the CSIC aims to expand opportunities for its centres and institutes to advance towards scientific excellence (and obtain accreditation seals such as Severo Ochoa or María de Maeztu).
MaX-CSIC Project
This programme is divided into three phases:
– First phase: Centres that pass this phase, which includes a self-assessment and an external evaluation by a committee, will receive the ASPIRA-MaX “Josefa Barba” Excellence Seal, along with a €20,000 grant to develop a scientific project and become part of the MaX-CSIC Project.
– Second phase: Selected centres will develop a three-year scientific project and an excellence plan. A committee will evaluate these projects and plans, and centres that successfully complete this phase will receive the ASPIRA-MaX “Sagrario Martínez Carrera” Excellence Seal and a grant of up to €300,000 to implement their excellence plan.
– Third phase: The CSIC Scientific Advisory Committee will evaluate the impact of the DEEP-MaX programme at each centre, and those that receive a positive assessment will be awarded the ASPIRA-MaX “Margalida Comas” Excellence Seal, the highest recognition for scientific excellence granted by the CSIC Presidency.
About Sagrario Martínez Carrera
Sagrario Martínez Carrera (Madrid, May 10, 1925 – December 18, 2011) was a renowned Spanish chemist and crystallographer. She earned her degree in Chemical Sciences in 1948 from the Complutense University of Madrid and obtained her PhD in 1955. Her professional career was closely linked to the Department of Crystallography at the Institute of Physical Chemistry “Rocasolano” of CSIC, where she served as a Research Professor.
Martínez Carrera undertook postdoctoral research at the University of Amsterdam and the University of Pittsburgh, where she deepened her expertise in electronic computation applied to the study of crystalline structures. She played a crucial role in introducing computer programming in crystallography in Spain, significantly contributing to the automation and advancement of the discipline. Throughout her career, she published more than 100 articles in international journals and supervised numerous PhD theses, leaving a lasting impact on the scientific community.
Her contributions to science have been internationally recognized, with mentions in works such as “Women of Science, Righting the Record” and “Notable Women Scientists”. Her dedication and excellence in research have inspired generations of scientists.
For more information about this recognition and the other distinguished research centres, visit this link
L'entrada CEAB receives the “Sagrario Martínez Carrera” distinction ha aparegut primer a CEAB.