Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia

What Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia does

The Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC) is a non-profit, public research institute headquartered within the Barcelona Science Park in Barcelona, Spain, founded in 2005 by the Generalitat de Catalunya, the University of Barcelona (UB), and the Technical University of Catalonia (UPC). IBEC conducts interdisciplinary bioengineering and nanomedicine research across 21–25 research groups and six core facilities (BioSpace, ChemSpace, MicroFabSpace, Microscopy Characterization, BioImaging, and a High Performance Analytical Platform), with strategic focus areas spanning Active Ageing, Future Medicine, and Regenerative Therapies. The institute has been recognized as a Severo Ochoa Research Centre by Spain's Ministry of Science and holds HR Excellence in Research accreditation from the European Commission since 2015.

IBEC's technical portfolio includes intelligent enzyme-powered nanobot swarms developed through the EU-funded i-NANOSWARMS project, scalable human kidney organoid production integrated with ex vivo pig kidneys, chitosan-based wet-strengthening biomaterials with dynamic nickel coordination bonds, organ-on-chip and body-on-chip platforms, graphene oxide microbots for water remediation, and structural biology research targeting bacterial transcriptional regulators such as NrdR. Proprietary technology is commercialized through the Nanobots Therapeutics spin-off and its MotionTx platform, alongside licensing, industrial collaborations, and clinical translation partnerships.

The institute operates as a private, non-profit entity with an annual budget of approximately €21–22M, funded primarily through competitive public research grants from Horizon Europe, the European Research Council, the Spanish Ministry of Science, and the Generalitat de Catalunya. IBEC supplements grant income through paid access to its core facilities, technology transfer and licensing, and spin-off commercialization. Its go-to-market motion is community-led, prioritizing scientific publication, conference presence, alumni engagement, and structured technology transfer to industry and hospitals rather than direct product sales.

Name

Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia

Legal name

Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia

Website

https://ibecbarcelona.eu

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

The Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC) is a non-profit, publicly funded research institute in Barcelona conducting interdisciplinary bioengineering and nanomedicine research across 25 groups, serving academic, pharmaceutical, and clinical translation partners through grants, licensing, and spin-offs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Biomedical Research Services

NAICS

Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714), Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services (54169), Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing (334516)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731), Laboratory Analytical Instruments (3826), Services-Engineering Services (8711)

akta.pro primary industry

Instrumentation, Controls & Automation Engineering Consulting (BPAHAIAM)

Keywords

• Bioengineering research
• Nanomedicine platforms
• Regenerative medicine
• Organ-on-chip technology
• Technology transfer services

Headquarters

HQ city

Barcelona

HQ country

Spain

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Public research funding: IBEC is a public research institute funded primarily through competitive European, national, and regional research grants. Major funding sources include Horizon Europe, European Research Council (ERC), Spanish Ministry of Science, and Generalitat de Catalunya. The institute does not generate commercial revenue from product sales.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

IBEC is a multidisciplinary research institute that conducts bioengineering and nanomedicine research at the intersection of engineering and life sciences, organized across 21-25 research groups. It provides access to six core facilities (BioSpace, ChemSpace, MicroFabSpace, Microscopy Characterization, BioImaging, and a High Performance Analytical Platform), licenses proprietary technologies, operates PhD and training programs, and transfers research outcomes to industry and hospitals through spin-offs (e.g., Nanobots Therapeutics), licensing, and collaborative research programs.

Product overview

IBEC is a multidisciplinary bioengineering research institute organized around 25 research groups and six core facilities. The portfolio includes organoid production technologies, nanobot platforms, organ-on-chip systems, sustainable biomaterials, and advanced imaging/analytical services. Technology transfer is managed through spin-offs (Nanobots Therapeutics), licensing, and industrial collaborations. Educational offerings include PhD programs, postdoctoral fellowships, and professional training. The institute operates as a Severo Ochoa recognized research center with focus areas in Active Ageing, Future Medicine, and Regenerative Therapies.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• MotionTx: Platform for therapeutic nanorobot technology developed by Nanobots Therapeutics spin-off from IBEC.

Products and services

• Core Facilities (BioSpace, ChemSpace, MicroFabSpace, Microscopy Characterization, BioImaging, High Performance Analytical Platform) Six specialized core facilities providing shared equipment and services for internal researchers and external partners, covering microfabrication, chemical and biological analysis, microscopy, bioimaging, and nanoparticle/macromolecule characterization.
• PhD and Training Programs Doctoral and postdoctoral training programmes, including the IBEC International PhD Programme, la Caixa INPhINIT fellowships, and Marie Sklodowska-Curie SPM4.0 Doctoral Network, together with professional development tracks.
• Technology Transfer Services Market-driven technology transfer, including licensing opportunities, spin-off formation (e.g., Nanobots Therapeutics), industrial collaborations, and clinical translation partnerships managed by a dedicated Technology Transfer team.
• Nanobots Therapeutics Spin-off (MotionTx Platform) IBEC spin-off company commercializing therapeutic nanorobots using the MotionTx platform for clinical applications, including bladder cancer treatment. IBEC provides the foundational research, and Samuel Sánchez serves as CSO.
• Kidney Organoid Production Technology Scalable method for producing human kidney organoids by combining them with ex vivo pig kidneys connected to perfusion machines, enabling real-time monitoring of integration for transplantation research.
• Organ-on-Chip Platforms Organ-on-chip and body-on-chip platforms including heart-on-a-chip for Duchenne muscular dystrophy, muscle-on-chip for fibrotic processes, and intestine and blood disease models.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 90% tumor reduction in bladder cancer mouse models using therapeutic nanorobots
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability7 records

Feature7 records

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• EU (i-NANOSWARMS project)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020EU-funded project coordinated by IBEC (Samuel Sánchez) developing intelligent enzyme-powered nanobot swarms for biomedical applications since 2020. Key achievements include 3D collective nanomotor motion, interaction with biological fluids, and significant tumor reduction in bladder cancer models.
• University of Barcelona (UB)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounding partner of IBEC established in 2005, collaborating on interdisciplinary bioengineering research
• Technical University of Catalonia (UPC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounding partner of IBEC established in 2005, providing academic and research collaboration
• Generalitat de CatalunyacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounding partner of IBEC established in 2005, providing regional government support
• Nanobots TherapeuticsflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerSpin-off company from IBEC and ICREA founded by Samuel Sánchez, translating therapeutic nanorobot technology into clinical applications through the MotionTx platform. Samuel Sánchez serves as CSO.
• Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated with IBEC researchers to develop chitosan-based biomaterial that strengthens when wet, incorporating nickel ions for dynamic coordination bonds
• ICREAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInstitución Catalana de Investigación y Estudios Avanzados - partnered in founding Nanobots Therapeutics and hosting ICREA research professors like Samuel Sánchez
• EMBLcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-organizer of the EMBL-IBEC Conference series; Barcelona hosted the fourth edition
• West China HospitalminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThird joint conference on precision medicine held in Barcelona; ongoing collaboration in medical research
• Barcelona Science Park (PCB)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIBEC is located within the Barcelona Science Park, facilitating collaboration with other research institutions including IRB Barcelona
• IRB BarcelonacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated on the ORFEU COVID-19 mass testing program at Barcelona Science Park facilities
• CRG (Centre for Genomic Regulation)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated on ORFEU COVID-19 mass testing program; jointly coordinated testing at Barcelona Science Park
• CNAG-CRG (National Centre for Genomic Analysis)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in ORFEU COVID-19 mass testing program, providing computational data analysis capabilities
• Molecular Biology Institute of BarcelonacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated on research determining the three-dimensional structure and mechanism of NrdR bacterial transcriptional regulator
• BIST (Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIBEC is a founding member of BIST, a collection of seven cutting-edge research centers in Barcelona

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona): Co-located at the Barcelona Science Park and partner in the ORFEU COVID-19 mass-testing programme, IRB Barcelona is a Severo Ochoa biomedical research institute focused on fundamental and translational biology — directly comparable in mission, scale (~400-500 staff), and funding profile to IBEC.
• Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG): Barcelona-based Severo Ochoa centre also founded under BIST and located at the Barcelona Science Park, CRG conducts fundamental research in genomics, regulatory biology, and computational biology — overlapping with IBEC in life-sciences infrastructure, talent pool, and joint EU funding access.
• Department of Bioengineering, Imperial College London: A leading European academic bioengineering department with parallel focus on biomedical engineering, biomaterials, and synthetic biology — directly comparable research portfolio and translational orientation, and a natural academic peer for talent competition.
• Institute of Molecular Biology (IMB) Mainz: German research institute of similar size and age (~250-400 staff, founded mid-2000s) focused on quantitative and molecular biology with strong competitive-grant capture — directly comparable in scale, founding-era ambition, and EU funding profile.

Broad incumbents

• Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering (Harvard): A larger, US-based bioengineering research institute with similar technology-transfer and spin-out ethos (organ-on-chip, nanorobotics, biomaterials), making it the closest international benchmark for IBEC's commercialisation-oriented research model.
• Max Planck Institute for Medical Research: Part of the Max Planck Society, this institute conducts fundamental biomedical and bioengineering research at significantly greater scale and longer time horizons — comparable in scientific excellence tier and competitive-grant capture to IBEC.
• Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research (MIT): MIT-integrated cancer bioengineering institute combining nanomedicine, engineered therapeutics, and organ-on-chip platforms with deep industry partnerships — directly comparable to IBEC's therapeutic-nanorobot and cancer-translation focus.
• European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL): Intergovernmental molecular-biology research organisation co-organising the EMBL-IBEC Conference with IBEC; operates a distributed multi-site model with broader life-sciences scope but a closely aligned EU funding and talent-recruitment profile.

Others

• Barcelona Biomedical Research Park (PRBB): The umbrella biomedical-research campus adjacent to IBEC's Barcelona Science Park location, hosting CRG, EMBL Barcelona, and other life-sciences groups — overlapping ecosystem peer for talent, infrastructure, and joint translational programmes.
• Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology (BIST): BIST is the consortium of seven Barcelona research centres of which IBEC is a founding member; functions as a strategic alliance and shared-infrastructure peer rather than a competitor, but defines IBEC's primary collaboration and funding-multiplier network.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/ibecbarcelona
• Xx.com/IBECBarcelona
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ibecbarcelona

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia