Condensed Matter Physics Center (IFIMAC)

What Condensed Matter Physics Center (IFIMAC) does

IFIMAC (Condensed Matter Physics Center) is an academic research center hosted at the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid in Spain, founded in 2015 and accredited as a María de Maeztu Unit of Excellence by the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities. The center concentrates 64 permanent researchers and a rotating cohort of up to 90 postdoctoral researchers and PhD students around five core research areas: Advanced Materials, First Principles Simulations, Nanophysics, Nano and Quantum Optics, and Soft Matter and Biophysics. Its core "products" are peer-reviewed scientific publications in top-tier venues such as Nature, Science, and Physical Review Letters, trained early-career researchers, and specialized instrumentation and computational infrastructure (including ab initio and DFT modeling capabilities) hosted at the Nicolás Cabrera campus.

IFIMAC operates as a non-commercial public research center rather than a revenue-generating business. Its economic model is built on competitive government grants (notably the María de Maeztu program, which provides €500,000 per year for four years), European framework funding such as M-ERA.NET and ERC grants, public-private partnerships including a BBVA Foundation collaboration, and fellowship programs (e.g., la Caixa). The recently established IFIMAC Foundation acts as the legal vehicle for managing these funds and accepting private donations. There are no disclosed commercial products, pricing models, or paying customers; the center's "clients" in a functional sense are the global scientific community, its host institution (UAM), and the public funders and foundations that underwrite its research program.

The center pursues an externally-oriented growth posture anchored in international collaborations (including a longstanding relationship with the University of Michigan), pan-European consortium participation, a recurring International Summer School, and a Master Grants recruitment programme. Strategic emphasis is on reinforcing Spain's research excellence footprint, broadening the funding base beyond the national excellence-unit envelope, and embedding IFIMAC within transnational materials and quantum-optics research networks.

Name

Condensed Matter Physics Center (IFIMAC)

Legal name

IFIMAC - Condensed Matter Physics Center

Website

https://ifimac.uam.es

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

IFIMAC is a non-commercial academic condensed matter physics research center at Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, employing 64 permanent researchers plus up to 90 postdocs and PhD students across five lines including advanced materials, nanophysics, and quantum optics. It is funded by Spanish and European research grants and serves the global scientific community through publications and training.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Academic Physics Research

NAICS

Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Nanotechnology and Biotechnology) (541715), Scientific Research and Development Services (5417)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Research Universities with National Laboratories/Big Science Facilities (EDAHAAAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Research & Lab-Based Short-Term Programs (Undergraduate/Graduate) (EDAIAIAF)

Keywords

• Condensed matter physics
• Quantum materials research
• Nanophysics research
• Academic scientific research
• Physics publications and seminars

Headquarters

HQ city

Madrid

HQ country

Spain

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Government Research Funding: IFIMAC receives government funding through the María de Maeztu Unit of Excellence programme, receiving 500,000€ per year for four years, as well as funding from the Ministry of Science and Innovation, Agencia Estatal de Investigación, and various national and European research grants (M-ERA.NET, ERC, etc.).
2. Research Grants and Contracts: The center receives funding through various competitive research grants including M-ERA.NET consortium projects and fellowship programmes such as 'la Caixa' Junior Leader Fellowships.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

IFIMAC is a María de Maeztu Excellence Research Unit located at Universidad Autónoma de Madrid that conducts theoretical and experimental condensed matter physics research across five main areas: Advanced Materials, First Principles Simulations and Modeling, Nanophysics, Nano and Quantum Optics, and Soft Matter and Biophysics. The center comprises 64 permanent researchers plus up to 90 postdoctoral researchers and PhD students, publishes findings in leading peer-reviewed journals, and disseminates knowledge through seminars, summer schools, and conferences. The center also offers Master Grants providing tuition reimbursement and monthly allowances to selected students.

Product overview

IFIMAC is an academic research center (María de Maeztu Excellence Research Unit) at Universidad Autónoma de Madrid focused on cutting-edge condensed matter physics research. It is not a commercial product company but rather a research organization comprising 64 permanent researchers and up to 90 postdoctoral researchers and PhD students. The center conducts theoretical and experimental research across five main areas: Advanced Materials, First Principles Simulations and Modeling, Nanophysics, Nano and Quantum Optics, and Soft Matter and Biophysics. IFIMAC organizes seminars, workshops, summer schools (Nicolás Cabrera International Summer School series), conferences, and publishes research highlights through its website. The center has made pioneering contributions in quantum photonics, quantum materials, quantum computation, and hosts the IFIMAColloquium and various seminar series.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Master Grants Programme

Quantifiable outcome

• Heat dissipation in atomic-scale junctions understanding with potential for Peltier effect at atomic scale and thermal transport studies
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature8 records

Partnerships

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

• M-ERA.NET ConsortiummajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 May 2026Participation in the M-ERA.NET consortium project ALTMAG (Altermagnets: From Theory to Reality) focusing on altermagnetic materials research with European collaboration partners.
• BBVA FoundationminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 25 October 2024Collaboration with BBVA Foundation for the organization of the Nicolás Cabrera International Summer School, providing support for expert discussions on energy storage challenges and innovations.
• Segainvex (UAM)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 November 2022Technical support partnership for home-built scientific equipment. Segainvex helped prepare experiments and infrastructure including liquid Helium handling for the superfluid Helium demonstration on El Hormiguero.
• University of MichiganmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 June 2013Collaboration on atomic-scale heat dissipation research resulting in Nature publication. Researchers Pramod Reddy and colleagues fabricated novel scanning thermal probes with integrated nanothermocouples for the joint study of Joule heating in atomic and molecular junctions.
• University of KonstanzmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 June 2013Long-standing collaboration on molecular electronics, quantum transport, and atomic-scale devices. Joint publications include work on single-atom memory devices and thermal transport through atomic junctions with researchers including Fabian Pauly, Peter Nielaba, and Elke Scheer.
• Universidad Autónoma de MadridcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIFIMAC is located in the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid campus and comprises researchers from several university departments. The host institution provides infrastructure, administrative support, and academic framework for the center's operations.
• Nicolás Cabrera InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint organization of the International Summer School Nicolás Cabrera series, a prestigious annual event addressing cutting-edge topics in materials science and condensed matter physics since 1990s.
• ICMM-CSIC (Institute for Materials Science, Madrid)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on spintronics and nanomagnetism research, including joint organization of summer schools with researchers like Leni Bascones participating in the International Summer School Nicolás Cabrera.
• IMDEA NanoscienceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic collaboration in nanoscience research, with joint participation in conferences and educational activities including summer schools.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Donostia International Physics Center (DIPC): Spanish Basque Country-based research center in fundamental and applied physics. Comparable María de Maeztu-style excellence designation with overlapping condensed matter and quantum materials research.
• ICMM-CSIC (Materials Science Institute of Madrid): Spanish national research institute focused on materials science, including spintronics and nanomagnetism. Listed as a direct IFIMAC collaboration partner with joint summer school participation.
• Institut de Ciència de Materials de Barcelona (ICMAB-CSIC): Spanish national research center for materials science. Operates as a Severo Ochoa center (the institutional equivalent of MdM) and conducts comparable research in functional materials, nano, and quantum systems.
• ICFO (Institut de Ciències Fotòniques): Barcelona-based photonics and quantum optics research center. Comparable Spanish excellence designation (Severo Ochoa) and directly overlapping research agenda in nano and quantum optics, polaritons, and quantum light-matter interactions.
• IMDEA Nanoscience: Madrid-based research institute focused on nanoscience and nanotechnology. Listed as a current IFIMAC collaboration partner and operates an overlapping mandate in advanced materials and nanophysics research.

Broad incumbents

• Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge: Historic condensed matter and semiconductor physics laboratory within Cambridge. Much larger institution, but operates as a university-affiliated physics research center publishing in the same top-tier journals as IFIMAC.
• Max Planck Institute for Solid State Research: Stuttgart-based flagship German research institute in condensed matter physics and solid-state chemistry. Larger scale and broader scope, but directly comparable research in quantum materials and nanophysics.
• Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI): Swiss multidisciplinary research institute for natural and engineering sciences. Operates large-scale user facilities (synchrotron, neutron sources) supporting condensed matter and materials research comparable to IFIMAC's domain.

Emerging players

• University of Konstanz (Physics Department): German university physics department with which IFIMAC has long-standing collaboration on molecular electronics and quantum transport. Comparably scoped research group with overlapping expertise in atomic-scale devices.
• L2C / Laboratoire Charles Coulomb (Université de Montpellier): French condensed matter physics laboratory with comparable focus on soft matter, nanophysics, and quantum materials. Comparable scale and research profile within the European academic physics ecosystem.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/condensed-matter-physics-center-ifimac

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Condensed Matter Physics Center (IFIMAC)