Written by Andrés García Higuera
The European Parliament’s Panel for the Future of Science and Technology (STOA) has a mission to bridge the gap between science and policy. To further this understanding, four Members of the STOA Panel visited leading research institutions in Barcelona on 27 June 2025. Ivar Ijabs (Renew, LV; Vice-Chair of STOA), Laura Ballarín Cereza (S&D, ES), Herbert Dorfmann (EPP, IT) and José Cepeda (S&D, ES) visited the Barcelona Supercomputing Center (BSC-CNS), the ALBA Synchrotron and the Institute for Photonics (ICFO).
With a staff of over 1 000 scientists and an overall budget of €70 million, the BSC specialises in high performance computing (HPC) and provides support services within the AI Factory EU programme to over 2 000 EU companies. The ALBA Synchrotron is a unique scientific infrastructure exploring the details of matter in a wide range of scientific fields. The Institute for Photonics (ICFO) conducts wide-scope, basic and applied research at the highest international level in several branches of the sciences and technologies of light.
The delegation was hosted by the Department of Research and Universities of the Local Government of Catalunya under counsellor Núria Montserrat, who was represented by General Manager Josep-Oriol Escardíbul Ferra. Eva Ortega-Paíno, General Manager at the Ministry of Science, Research and Universities represented the Central Government of Spain.
The delegation had the opportunity to engage with top-level scientists from all three institutions. The Members were particularly interested in funding needs and sources, as well as in new developments in software, hardware (from chips to quantum and photonics) and third-country competition. The EU’s quantum and AI strategies and the development of dual-use technologies were addressed, together with green tech, regulatory initiatives and the need for policy to consider the flexibility required for research and development. The requirements of fundamental research and plans for keeping and attracting talent in the EU were also discussed. The STOA Panel Members gained a first-hand understanding of the issues at stake for scientists and experts, who shared their ideas in the spirit of contributing to the policy-making process.
Comments are closed for this post.