ICREA is an institution created by the Catalan government in 2001 to meet the specific needs of our research system.

ICREA’s mission is to attract outstanding researchers from all over the world to increase the impact and global visibility of Catalan universities and research centres.

Science is a universal human enterprise, and each research system must find its own path to success.

ICREA has succeeded in bringing together one of the most influential research communities in the world.

ICREA brings together a global community of more than 300 researchers and empowers them to strive for excellence, free from political pressures or external influences.

Throughout their careers, these researchers are regularly evaluated by an external, independent promotion committee.

ICREA Research Professors

in universities

in CERCA centres

in CSIC centres

in other institutions

ICREA is an institution committed to diversity and inclusion, increasing opportunities for women in science and welcoming researchers from all backgrounds to foster a diverse, equitable and inclusive research system.

Every year, ICREA offers tenured positions to talented researchers from all over the world to come and work in Catalonia.

In fields ranging from philosophy to astrophysics, these positions have become benchmarks of global academic excellence.

ICREA researchers are able to pursue their work at the host institutions that best match their research interests. Full respect for freedom of research allows ICREA scientists to push back the frontiers of knowledge and find new paths to progress.

One third of publications by ICREA researchers rank in the top 10% of the most cited.

ICREAs ranked among the top 1% most cited researchers worldwide by Clarivate

There is no dividing line between pure and applied science; there is only science, which changes the way we understand ourselves and the universe – and transforms the way we live.

These are some of the ICREA Research Professors who received awards in 2025

Consolidator grants

Advanced grants

Synergy grants

One in four ICREA Research Professors has an active ERC grant

Our funding comes entirely from the Catalan government.

We are proud of our transparent track record of using these funds in a careful and considered way to ensure that resources are channelled into what matters most: outstanding science.