cicCartuja - Scientific Research Centre

What cicCartuja - Scientific Research Centre does

cicCartuja (Centro de Investigaciones Científicas Isla de la Cartuja) is a public, non-profit scientific research center located on Isla de la Cartuja in Seville, Spain, jointly operated by the Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), the Junta de Andalucía, and the University of Seville. The center hosts three CSIC institutes — IBVF (plant biochemistry and photosynthesis), ICMS (materials science), and IIQ (chemical research) — and operates as a multi-disciplinary research hub sharing advanced scientific services including transmission electron microscopy (TEM), nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), the Biomolecular Interactions Platform (BIP), spectroscopy, and biological culture facilities among the institutes and partner researchers.

The center's research output spans plant biochemistry, materials science, and chemistry, with notable technical achievements including a PtCuK@Ti catalyst achieving 35.7% CO2-to-CO conversion with 60+ hour lifetime and 8 regeneration cycles, and HiPiMS plasma coating technology producing biocompatible titanium alloy coatings for 3D-printed bone implants that reduce corrosion current density by 81%. Active research collaborations extend internationally to the University of California Santa Cruz and Beijing Forestry University on CO2 recycling, and domestically to the University of Valladolid and Polytechnic University of Catalonia on bone implant coatings.

cicCartuja's revenue model is primarily grant-based, drawing on public funding from CSIC, Junta de Andalucía, the University of Seville, the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation, and European programs (European Social Fund Plus via EMERGIA 2021 and SMART FTS), supplemented by ancillary earned income from space rental (assembly hall and lecture hall events), reprography services (€35.83–€48.24 per unit), and corporate sponsorship of the Ebro Foods Research Award. The center's go-to-market is event-driven and relationship-based, targeting academic researchers, K-12 students (via 30+ annual school visits, Science Fair, Science Week), industry partners in chemical and materials sectors, and external event organizers. Recruitment is conducted through the CSIC Employment Exchange, and the center maintains an active outreach and science communication program including the annual Future Scientists Award and nano-stories competition for students.

Name

cicCartuja - Scientific Research Centre

Legal name

Centro de Investigaciones Científicas Isla de la Cartuja

Website

https://ciccartuja.es

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

cicCartuja is a Spanish public research center jointly operated by CSIC, Junta de Andalucía, and the University of Seville, hosting three institutes specializing in plant biochemistry, materials science, and chemistry, primarily serving academic researchers, K-12 students, and industry partners in Andalusia.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Scientific Research Services

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services (54169)

SIC

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

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEDAHAGAI

Biomedical Sciences & Medical Research Institutes (University-Based)

Education/Higher Education (Colleges & Universities)/Medical & Health Sciences Universities

Keywords

• Scientific research services
• Materials science research
• Biochemistry research
• Chemical research
• Research infrastructure access

Headquarters

HQ city

Seville

HQ country

Spain

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Government Funding: Public funding from CSIC (Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas), Junta de Andalucía, and the University of Seville as a joint research center.
2. Reprography and Poster Services: Printing services for doctoral theses, scientific documents, and posters in various formats on paper, photographic paper, fabric, and vinyl.
3. Space Rental: Rental of assembly halls, lecture halls, and exhibition spaces for meetings, events, and conferences to external parties.
4. Research Awards Sponsorship: The cicCartuja Ebro Foods Research Award is sponsored by the Ebro Foods Foundation, providing prize money for young researchers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

cicCartuja is a public scientific research centre that operates shared research infrastructure and technical services for the scientific community. It hosts three CSIC institutes (IBVF, ICMS, IIQ) and provides access to advanced instruments such as electron microscopy, NMR, and spectroscopy, along with biological cultures, library, reprography, space rental, and science outreach programs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Premio cicCartuja Ebro Foods: Annual research award organized by cicCartuja and Ebro Foods to promote scientific excellence among young researchers under 31 who have published in prestigious international journals.
• Premio cicCartuja de Ciencia Joven

Products and services

• Electron microscopy services Access to electron microscopy instruments and technical support for researchers and industrial clients performing high-resolution imaging and microstructural analysis.
• NMR spectroscopy services Access to Nuclear Magnetic Resonance spectroscopy equipment for molecular structure determination and chemical analysis, available to researchers and external clients.
• Spectroscopy services General spectroscopy analytical services offered to research groups and industrial users requiring material or chemical characterization.
• Biological cultures service Provision of biological culture facilities and support for life sciences research conducted at the IBVF institute and by external users.
• Library services Scientific library and documentation services supporting researchers and students across the centre's institutes.
• Reprography services Reprography and document production services for resident research staff and visiting users.
• Space rental Rental of laboratories, offices, and meeting spaces on the Seville campus to research groups and partner organizations.
• Science outreach programs Public engagement and science outreach activities designed to communicate scientific research to the broader community and schools.

Quantifiable outcome

• 81% reduction in corrosion current density with new TNZT coating for bone implants
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability4 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered major, core and minor.

• University of ValladolidmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Collaborating university in the multidisciplinary consortium for bone implant coating research. Part of strategic collaboration initiated in 2023 for developing advanced titanium alloy coatings using HiPiMS technology.
• Polytechnic University of Catalonia (UPC)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Partner providing unique 3D printing equipment for fabricating scaffolds with complex geometries needed for bone regeneration. Critical for the HiPiMS coating research collaboration.
• Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCSIC is the parent research organization overseeing cicCartuja as a joint research center with Junta de Andalucía and University of Seville. Provides institutional framework, funding, and access to CSIC Employment Exchange for recruitment.
• University of Seville (US)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint research partner maintaining cicCartuja as a mixed center. Faculty members from US participate in research groups alongside CSIC scientists. Professor Yadir Torres coordinates research collaborations across institutes.
• University of California Santa CruzmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational research collaborator on CO2 recycling catalyst development project. Contributed to the Surface Chemistry and Catalysis Group's work on PtCuK@ catalyst technology.
• Beijing Forestry UniversitymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational research partner collaborating on the CO2 recycling catalyst project, contributing expertise in catalysis and materials characterization.
• Delegación del CSIC en AndalucíaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional CSIC office collaborating on science outreach initiatives including the nano-stories competition organized by ICMS.
• Centro de Investigación, Tecnología e Innovación de la Universidad de Sevilla (CITIUS)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity research technology center providing support and infrastructure for the CO2 recycling catalyst project.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red (CIBER): Spanish network of biomedical research consortia. Partially comparable to cicCartuja's life-sciences research at IIQ and IBVF, with overlapping public funding mechanisms and shared infrastructure model.

Direct peers

• Institut Català de Nanociència i Nanotecnologia (ICN2): Severo Ochoa Center of Excellence in nanoscience and nanotechnology with multi-disciplinary research programs and shared instrumentation. Comparable to cicCartuja's ICMS in materials science, applied chemistry, and platform-based research.
• Institut de Ciència de Materials de Barcelona (ICMAB-CSIC): Sister CSIC institute focused on materials science with Severo Ochoa recognition. Comparable to ICMS in scope, instrumentation, and research domains; competitor for similar grants and collaborations.
• Instituto de Investigaciones Químicas (IIQ) — Parent within CSIC network: Actually a constituent institute of cicCartuja, listed here for context. Functions as a peer/competitor for collaborative chemistry grants and serves as a comparable unit within the CSIC network.
• Instituto de Ciencia de Materiales de Madrid (ICMM-CSIC): Sister CSIC institute focused on materials science. Directly comparable to cicCartuja's ICMS, sharing institutional parent (CSIC), instrumentation model, and research domains.
• IMDEA Materials Institute: Madrid-based public research institute focused on materials science with industry partnerships and shared instrumentation. Comparable to cicCartuja's ICMS in scale, funding model, and applied research focus.
• Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares (CNIC): Spanish national research center under joint government and private funding (CNIC Foundation, Carlos III Institute) operating in life sciences with shared scientific platforms. Highly comparable to cicCartuja as a multi-institute, publicly funded Spanish research hub with core facility and IP profile.

Broad incumbents

• Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB): Large-scale German research center with multi-disciplinary research, shared synchrotron and analytical facilities, and government funding. Comparable as a publicly funded multi-disciplinary research hub with shared scientific services, though much larger.
• Max Planck Institute for Chemical Energy Conversion: Large-scale publicly funded German research institute working on catalysis and energy conversion. Comparable as a publicly funded, internationally networked research hub focused on chemistry and sustainability, though structurally larger and better resourced.

Regional players

• ALBA Synchrotron (CELLS): Spanish synchrotron light source providing advanced analytical infrastructure to research institutions. Comparable as a publicly funded scientific service provider in Spain, with shared-instrumentation model similar to cicCartuja's TEM and NMR facilities.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ciccartuja

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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