The Institute of Cosmos Sciences of the University of Barcelona (ICCUB) has received the prestigious María de Maeztu Unit of Excellence accreditation by the Spanish State Research Agency (AEI), under the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities.
 

The recognition was officially presented last Wednesday during a ceremony held at the University of Zaragoza, which was attended by the Minister of Science, Innovation and Universities, Diana Morant; the Minister of Education, Vocational Training and Sports, Pilar Alegría; the President of the Higher Council for Scientific Research, Eloísa del Pino; the Vice-Rector for Scientific Policy, Pilar Pina Iritia; the Vice-Rector for Innovation, Transfer and Continuing Education, Manuel Gonzalez Badía, both from the University of Zaragoza; and the Director of the State Research Agency, José Manuel Fernández de Labastida.
 

The accreditation includes a 2.25 million euro grant over four years, aimed at strengthening the institute’s strategic research programs and talent development.

Prof. Licia Verde, Scientific Director of ICCUB, accepted the award on behalf of the institute, underscoring the collective effort and dedication of the entire research team.
 

ICCUB is one of only eight research units across Spain to receive this distinction in 2024, which reinforces its role as a leading center for fundamental research and innovation in astrophysics, particle physics and cosmology, and supports its mission to advance knowledge and train the next generation of scientists.

“Severo Ochoa” Excellence Centres:

• Institut de Física d’Altes Energies (IFAE).
• Institut Català d’Investigació Química (ICIQ).
• Barcelona School of Economics (BSE).
• Instituto de Ciencias Fotónicas (ICFO).
• Instituto de Ciencias del Mar (ICM-CSIC).
• Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Oncológicas (CNIO).
•  Instituto de Ciencia de Materiales de Madrid (ICMM-CSIC).
• Fundación Donostia International Physics Center (DIPC).
• Estación Biológica de Doñana (EBD).
   

“María de Maeztu” Excellence Units:

• Departamento de Medicina y Ciencias de la Vida (MELIS), de la Universidad Pompeu Fabra.
• Institut de Ciencies del Cosmos (ICCUB), de la Universidad de Barcelona.
• Institut de Ciencia i Tecnologia Ambientals (ICTA), de la Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona.
• Institut Català de Paleoecologia Humana i Evolució Social (IPHES), de la Universidad de Barcelona.
• Centro de Investigación en Medicina Molecular y Enfermedades Crónicas (CIMUS), de la Universidad de Santiago de Compostela.
• Instituto de Ciencia Molecular (ICMOL), de la Universidad de Valencia.
• Instituto Universitario de Investigación de Matemáticas (IMUS), de la Universidad de Sevilla.
• Fundación IMDEA Software.

Key Figures from the 2024 Call:
 

• 17 institutions accredited: 9 Severo Ochoa Centers and 8 María de Maeztu Units
• 60% success rate for Severo Ochoa applications, 15% for María de Maeztu
• 35% of scientific directors and 32% of principal investigators are women
• Accredited institutions hold 88 National Research Awards, 20 active ATRAEs, and 40% of all ERC grants in Spain
• Catalonia leads in number of accredited institutions, followed by Madrid and Andalusia

For more information, visit the AEI website.

Since the announcement on July 1, 2025, of the discovery of a new interstellar object—the third of its kind known to date—astronomers from Michigan State University (MSU), along with an international team of researchers including Toni Santana-Ros from the Institute of Applied Physics to Science and Technology at the University of Alicante (UA) and the Institute of Cosmos Sciences of the University of Barcelona (ICCUB), have focused their efforts on collecting data about this exotic body.

The team has now published the first scientific article on what is currently known about the object named 3I/ATLAS, in honor of the telescope network that discovered it: NASA’s Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS). ATLAS consists of four telescopes—two in Hawaii, one in Chile, and one in South Africa—that automatically scan the entire sky several times each night in search of moving objects.

According to Santana-Ros, “the object is far from Earth, at 3 astronomical units, which is about 500 million kilometers, and its trajectory poses no risk of impact with our planet.”

As noted in the article, experts confirm that 3I/ATLAS is only the third interstellar object detected passing through the solar system. It may emit gas like other comets, although this is yet to be confirmed. Among other data, they also report that it is moving at a staggering speed of 216,000 km/h relative to the Sun and follows a boomerang- or hyperbola-shaped orbital path, which will lead it to exit the solar system and never return.

Astronomers hope that the James Webb Space Telescope and the Hubble Space Telescope will reveal more information about its size, composition, rotation, and how it reacts to the increasing solar radiation it will receive in the coming months.

UA and ICCUB researcher and co-author of the article, who has been actively involved in tracking 3I/ATLAS, explains that “studying interstellar objects that come from outside our solar system is an opportunity to advance our understanding of how planetary systems form and evolve.”

In addition to MSU and UA, the research and article involve collaboration from the European Space Agency’s Near-Earth Object Coordination Centre (Italy), NASA/Caltech’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (USA), University of Hawaii (USA), Auburn University (USA), University of Barcelona (Spain), European Southern Observatory (Germany), Villanova University (USA), Lowell Observatory (USA), University of Maryland (USA), Las Cumbres Observatory (USA), University of Belgrade (Serbia), Polytechnic University of Milan (Italy), University of Michigan (USA), Western University (Canada), Georgia Institute of Technology (USA), Diego Portales University (Chile), and Boston University (USA).

Reference:
Darryl Z. Seligman et al., “Discovery and Preliminary Characterization of a Third Interstellar Object: 3I/ATLAS”, arXiv (2025). DOI: 10.48550/arxiv.2507.02757

Source: Michigan State University / UA Communications Unit

Media Contact:
Toni Santana-Ros, researcher at the Institute of Applied Physics to Science and Technology at UA and ICCUB: antonio.santana@ua.es

The central event of the Maria Assumpció Català i Poch year, which commemorates the first female astronomy professor in the State, was held this Monday at the Montsec Astronomical Park with a round table that reflected on the state of women in the scientific sector. The event was organized by the Catalan Women's Institute, which promotes the commemoration; the University of Barcelona -where Català i Poch taught- and Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya (FGC), which manages the Astronomical Park, located in Àger (La Noguera).

The event aimed to remember the figure of Català i Poch through a traveling exhibition that the ICD has prepared to coincide with the 100th anniversary of her birth. The exhibition will be available on free loan to associations, local bodies and other institutions, as it is included in the ICD's catalog of traveling exhibitions with a gender perspective, with 50 titles that make visible the contributions of women to history.

The president of the Catalan Women's Institute, Sònica Guerra López, gave the institutional welcome together with the president of Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya, Carles Ruiz Novella, and the vice-rector of Culture, Memory and Heritage of the University of Barcelona, Agustí Alcoberro Pericay. The closing was given by the Minister of Equality and Feminism, Eva Menor Cantador.

During the event, hosted by journalist Mariví Chacón, three scientists from different generations debated the current situation of women in science: Nadejda Blagorodnova, professor at the Department of Quantum Physics and Astrophysics of the UB and member of the Institute of Cosmos Sciences of the University of Barcelona (ICCUB); Margarita Hernanz Carbó, professor at the Institute of Space Sciences of the CSIC, and Raquel Salvia Cos, member of the educational team of the Astronomical Park and master's student in Astrophysics.

Català i Poch's career was discussed by her nephew, Ramon Català i Pou; Francesca Figueras, professor at the Department of Quantum Physics and Astrophysics of the University of Barcelona and member of the Institute of Cosmos Sciences of the UB (ICCUB), and Dr. Trinitat Cadefau Surroca, who was her student. The event ended with a guided tour by the director of the Astronomical Park, Salvador Ribas Rubio, of the telescope named after Maria Assumpció Català i Poch. It is the largest in the park and was named after the astronomer in 2016.

Català i Poch (Barcelona, 14 July 1925 - 3 July 2009) was the first woman to obtain a doctorate in Mathematics at the University of Barcelona (UB) in 1970 and worked as a professor of Mathematics and Astronomy at the UB. She carried out systematic observations of sunspots for more than thirty years and represented the State in the International Astronomical Union.

Year of Assumpció Català
 

As part of the milestones of the commemoration, the Park will also dedicate the Astronomy Festival to the astronomer, which this year reaches its 11th edition. In addition, the Catalan Women's Institute is preparing a publication on her career.

The centenary of the Catalan Assumption is part of the Government's commemorations for 2025, which annually agrees on the events and personalities that will be commemorated by the Generalitat de Catalunya. The objective is to highlight, recover and disseminate the memory of these events and personalities that have left their mark on the collective heritage of Catalans.

The telescope of the Montsec Astronomical Park
 

The largest telescope of the Montsec Astronomical Park, where this central event took place, has been named Assumpció Català since 2016, in homage to the astronomer who is a benchmark in research but also in scientific education. The Assumpció Català Poch telescope is a catadioptric telescope of Dall-Kirkham configuration with a diameter of 50 centimeters and is located in the Observatori-Aula, an area that combines observatory functions with a space equipped for 84 seated people to enjoy astronomical observation. This telescope is fully automated and contains the necessary equipment to obtain high-quality astronomical images.

Quotes

Minister for Equality and Feminism, Eva Menor Cantador

"The centenary of M. Assumpció Català is not just a commemoration: it is an act of reparation and of the future. It is an opportunity to look back with justice and look forward with responsibility. We must make her milestones visible, but we must also ensure that today's girls can write their own history, without the limits that she had to break."

President of the Catalan Women's Institute, Sònia Guerra Lopez

"At the Catalan Women's Institute we work to recover and make visible figures like Assumpció Català, a pioneering woman who history has silenced for too long. We claim her career not only as an act of justice, but as an essential pedagogical tool. Girls and young women need female role models to look up to, and Assumpció is light and inspiration for new scientific vocations."

President of Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya, Carles Ruiz Novella

"The Montsec Astronomical Park is an extraordinary center for observing the sky, possibly the best observatory in the world, and where its most important telescope is named after Dr. Català Poch, the first female astronomy professor in the State who achieved a very important challenge for science and for women".

Vice-Rector for Culture, Memory and Heritage of the University of Barcelona, Agustí Alcoberro Pericay

"Institutions must preserve our history, but also our memory, that is, the memory of those who have helped us to be who we are. Assumpció Català was a great example of work, dedication and perseverance put at the service of an enormous talent. And now that we are in the midst of preparing for the 575th anniversary of the University of Barcelona, we will vindicate the enormous human capital of the UB, where Dr. Català plays a prominent role".

A team of international astronomers has announced the discovery of a rare celestial visitor from beyond our solar system: 3I/ATLAS, the third known interstellar object ever detected. The discovery, made on July 1, 2025, by the ATLAS telescope in Chile, marks a major milestone in the study of cosmic bodies that originate outside our solar system.
 
3I/ATLAS joins the ranks of its famous predecessors, 1I/‘Oumuamua (2017) and 2I/Borisov (2019), but brings its own unique characteristics. Unlike ‘Oumuamua, which had an unsual shape and no visible activity, and Borisov, which behaved like a typical comet, 3I/ATLAS appears to be a large, faintly active object with a reddish surface and a relatively stable brightness.
 
With an estimated diameter of up to 20 kilometers, 3I/ATLAS is significantly larger than the previous interstellar objects. It is traveling at a blistering speed of 60 kilometers per second, confirming its origin from outside the solar system. Its trajectory and composition are already providing scientists with valuable clues about the diversity of planetary systems beyond our own.
 
“3I/ATLAS represents the best opportunity we've had to study an object formed outside our Solar System. It's large (and therefore bright), active, and will be visible for the next few months, ensuring we have plenty of time for observation” said Toni Santana-Ros, researcher at the Institute of Cosmos Sciences of the University of Barcelona (ICCUB) and the University of Alicante (UA) and co-author of the study. “We're all excited about this opportunity, as it's expected to generate a wealth of data. Even medium-sized telescopes will have the chance to study this fascinating object!”   

 
Early observations suggest that 3I/ATLAS has a reddish hue similar to ‘Oumuamua and shows faint signs of comet-like activity. However, its light curve—how its brightness changes over time—is remarkably flat, indicating a more spherical or much lower spin than its predecessors.

The observations of 3I/ATLAS were carried out using the Joan Oró Telescope (TJO), located at the Montsec Observatory (OdM) in Catalonia. This facility, operated by the Institute of Space Studies of Catalonia (IEEC), was instrumental in detecting and tracking the interstellar object, contributing crucial data to its discovery and characterization.
 
The object will be observable from Earth until September 2025, after which it will pass behind the Sun. It will reappear in November, offering astronomers another chance to study it before it leaves the solar system forever.
 
Scientists are calling on the global astronomy community to conduct further observations using telescopes and spacecraft, including those orbiting Mars, which 3I/ATLAS will pass near during its closest approach to the Sun.

Reference

Seligman, D. Z., Micheli, M., Farnocchia, D., et al. (2025). Discovery and Preliminary Characterization of a Third Interstellar Object: 3I/ATLAS. arXiv:2507.02757 [astro-ph.EP]. https://arxiv.org/html/2507.02757v1

Professor Joan Solà Peracaula, senior researcher at ICCUB, has been awarded the Universe Best Paper Award 2023 for his co-authored publication, “Running Vacuum in the Universe: Phenomenological Status in Light of the Latest Observations, and Its Impact on the σ₈ and H₀ Tensions.”

The award, granted annually by the journal Universe (MDPI), recognizes two outstanding papers—one research article and one review—published during the last two years.

The award-winning paper, co-authored by Adrià Gómez-Valent (ICCUB), Javier de Cruz Pérez (U. of Córdoba), and Cristian Moreno-Pulido (U. of Girona)—all former PhD students of Professor Joan Solà at the University of Barcelona—explores a new idea in cosmology called the Running Vacuum Model (RVM). This model offers a fresh way to think about dark energy, the mysterious force believed to be driving the accelerated expansion of the universe.  It is based on quantum field theoretical calculations in curved spacetime. The team tested this model using a wide range of the latest astronomical data, including observations on distant supernovae, the distribution of galaxies, and the cosmic microwave radiation left over from the Big Bang. The winning papers have been selected from a pool of 467 publications, based on scientific merit, originality, clarity, and impact, including citations and downloads.

What makes the RVM special is that it treats dark energy not as something fixed (such as the “cosmological constant”), but as something dynamical that evolves with time.  In addition, it treats dark energy as quantum vacuum energy, a fundamental concept. This helps explain some puzzling differences in current measurements of how fast the universe is expanding and how structures like galaxies grow. The model even suggests a new way the universe might have rapidly expanded in its earliest moments (i.e. a new model of inflation)—without needing assumptions about exotic particles called “inflatons”.  The idea of dynamical dark energy is very fashionable nowadays after the latest observations of the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI). The RVM aligns with these observations and may provide a quantum field theoretical basis for them.

This award highlights the growing importance of RVM in helping scientists better understand the universe. The first comprehensive tests of the RVM suggesting the existence of dynamical dark energy were performed just 10 year ago (Astrophys.J.Lett. 811 (2015) L14).

As part of the recognition, the authors receive a 500CHF cash prize, a certificate, and a voucher to publish future research for free.
The full announcement by Universe can be viewed here, and the awarded paper is available here.

Reference

Solà Peracaula, J., Gómez-Valent, A., de Cruz Pérez, J., & Moreno-Pulido, C. (2023). Running Vacuum in the Universe: Phenomenological Status in Light of the Latest Observations, and Its Impact on the σ₈ and H₀ Tensions. Universe, 9(6), 262. https://doi.org/10.3390/universe9060262

The Solar Orbiter mission, a joint initiative between the European Space Agency (ESA) and NASA, has captured the first detailed images of the Sun’s south pole — a region previously unexplored. These groundbreaking observations were possible thanks to the spacecraft’s inclined orbit and its advanced instrumentation, which allows scientists to study the different layers of the solar atmosphere and measure the magnetic field at the Sun’s surface.
The Sun has a highly dynamic magnetic field that follows a cycle of approximately 11 years. During this period, solar activity — such as sunspots, solar flares, and coronal mass ejections — increases and decreases. At the midpoint of the cycle, a fascinating phenomenon occurs: the reversal of the Sun’s magnetic field polarity. This means that the magnetic north pole becomes south, and vice versa.

This process is neither instantaneous nor uniform. It begins with a reorganization of the magnetic field at mid-latitudes and eventually affects the poles. That’s why observing the Sun’s poles is key to understanding how this reversal happens and how it influences the Sun’s behavior and space weather.
The images reveal a “messy” magnetic field at the south pole, with both positive and negative polarities present. This phenomenon is linked to the fact that the Sun is currently at the peak of its activity cycle, a phase during which the polarity of its magnetic field reverses.
“The new data provided by Solar Orbiter give us more insight into how the Sun’s magnetic field polarity reversal occurs, especially in regions for which we previously had no data. This is crucial for improving current models of the solar activity cycle and, consequently, for enhancing long-term predictions of solar storms,” explains Dr. Àngels Aran, researcher of the Institute of Cosmos Sciences of the University of Barcelona and the Institute of Space Studies of Catalonia (ICCUB-IEEC).
 

The ICCUB-IEEC has played a key role in this scientific milestone. A team led by Dr. José Maria Gómez-Cama, ICCUB-IEEC researcher and member of the Department of Electronic and Biomedical Engineering at the University of Barcelona (UB), was responsible for developing and implementing the Image Stabilization System (ISS) of the PHI (Polarimetric and Helioseismic Imager) instrument. This system compensates for spacecraft motion to ensure high-quality imaging, such as the recent captures of the Sun’s south pole.

Additionally, the Heliospheric Physics and Space Weather group at ICCUB and the Department of Quantum Physics and Astrophysics has provided scientific support to the team behind the Energetic Particle Detector (EPD) instrument, developing models to predict particle radiation levels during solar storms — a key factor for mission safety.
Launched in February 2020, Solar Orbiter aims to study the Sun up close and from unique perspectives, particularly its poles, to better understand its magnetic behavior and its influence on the interplanetary environment. In the coming years, the spacecraft’s orbital inclination will gradually increase thanks to gravity-assist maneuvers around Venus. This will allow for even more detailed imaging of the solar poles, opening a new chapter in our understanding of the solar cycle and space weather.
 

A new international report has taken a major step toward understanding how some of the heaviest particles in the Universe behave in extreme conditions, similar to those just after the Big Bang. The team published their results in Physics Reports.
 

Physicists from the Indian Institute of Technology Goa, the Institute of Cosmos Sciences of the University of Barcelona (ICCUB), and Texas A&M University have published a comprehensive review exploring how particles containing heavy quarks (known as charm and bottom hadrons) interact in a hot, dense environment called hadronic matter. This environment is created in the last stage of high-energy collisions of atomic nuclei, such as those at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) and the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC).

Recreating the Early Universe

When two atomic nuclei collide at near-light speeds, they generate temperatures over 100,000 times hotter than the center of the Sun. These collisions briefly produce a state of matter called the quark-gluon plasma (QGP), a soup of fundamental particles that existed microseconds after the Big Bang. As this plasma cools, it transitions into hadronic matter, a phase made up of particles like protons, neutrons, as well as other baryons and mesons. 

The study focuses on what happens to heavy-flavor hadrons (particles containing charm or bottom quarks, such as D and B mesons) during this transition and in the hadronic phase expansion that follows.

Heavy Particles as Probes

Heavy quarks are like tiny sensors. Because they are so massive, they are produced right after the initial nuclear collision and move more slowly and interact differently with the surrounding matter. By studying how they scatter and diffuse, we can learn about the properties of the medium they travel through.

The researchers reviewed a wide range of theoretical models and experimental data to understand how heavy hadrons, like D and B mesons, interact with light particles in the hadronic phase. They also examined how these interactions affect observable quantities like particle flow and momentum loss.

Key Findings

“To really understand what we see in experiments, it’s crucial to look at how heavy particles move and interact also during the later stages of these nuclear collisions,” said Dr. Juan M. Torres-Rincon. “This phase, when the system has cooled down, still plays a sizable role in shaping how particles lose energy and flow together. We also need to address the microscopic and transport properties of these heavy systems right at the transition point to the quark-gluon plasma. That’s the only way we can reach the level of precision that today’s experiments and simulations demand.”

To better understand these findings, one can use a simple analogy: imagine dropping a heavy ball into a crowded swimming pool. Even after the biggest waves settle, the ball keeps drifting and bumping into people. In a similar way, the heavy particles created in nuclear collisions continue to interact with other particles around them, even after the hottest and most chaotic phase has passed. These ongoing interactions subtly change how the particles move, and studying these changes helps scientists better understand the conditions of the early universe. Ignoring this phase would mean missing an important part of the story.

The study highlights the importance of including hadronic interactions in simulations to accurately interpret data from RHIC and LHC experiments.

Looking Ahead

Understanding how heavy particles behave in hot matter is crucial for mapping the properties of the early universe and the fundamental forces that govern it. The findings also pave the way for future experiments at lower energies, such as those planned at the CERN SPS and the upcoming FAIR facility in Darmstadt (Germany).

This work brings us closer to a complete picture of how matter behaves under extreme conditions and to answering some of the biggest questions about the origin of our Universe.

A study led by Paolo Padoan, research professor at the Institute of Cosmos Sciences at the University of Barcelona and currently on leave at Dartmouth College (USA), is challenging long-held beliefs about the formation of planetary disks around young stars. The research, which was published on April 21st in Nature Astronomy, reveals that the environment plays a crucial role in determining the size and lifespan of these disks, which are the birthplaces of planets.

When a star forms, it is surrounded by a spinning disk of gas and dust. Over time, this material coalesces into planets. Traditionally, scientists believed that once a disk forms, it simply loses mass over time as it fuels the growing star and planets. However, Dr. Padoan's research introduces a new perspective, showing that young stars actually gain mass from their surroundings through a process known as Bondi-Hoyle accretion. This process helps "refuel" the disk, making it larger and longer lasting than previously thought.

"Stars are born in groups or clusters inside large gas clouds and can remain in that environment for a few million years after their birth," said Dr. Padoan, first author of the study. " After a star is formed, its gravity can capture more material from the parental gas cloud, not enough to change the star’s mass significantly, but more than enough to restructure its disk. To understand how much mass a star can attract with this Bondi-Hoyle accretion, and the disk spin and size induced by the new material, we needed to model and understand some fundamental properties of the chaotic motion of the interstellar gas, known as turbulence. "

The study demonstrates that Bondi-Hoyle accretion can supply not only the mass but also the angular momentum necessary to explain the observed sizes of protoplanetary disks. This revised understanding of disk formation and evolution alleviates several longstanding observational discrepancies and compels substantial revisions to current models of disk and planet formation.
The research also addresses several puzzles in star and planet formation, such as why more massive stars have larger disks, why some planetary systems are unexpectedly massive, and why some disks last longer than expected. By shifting the focus from the star itself to the wider environment, this research provides a fresh perspective on the cosmic recipe for star and planet formation.

Dr. Padoan's team used advanced computer simulations and analytical modelling to explain the size of protoplanetary disks measured by ALMA, the world's most powerful radio telescope. The combination of theoretical models and empirical data provided a robust framework for understanding the complex interactions between young stars and their environments.

"Comparing the observable data from simulations to the actual observations is essential in validating the simulations, " said Dr. Veli-Matti Pelkonen, ICCUB researcher and member of the team. "However, simulations allow us to go beyond the observables to the underlying density, velocity and magnetic field structures, as well as following them in time. In this study, using the simulation data, we were able to show that the Bondi-Hoyle accretion plays an important part of the late-stage star formation, increasing the lifespan and the mass reservoir of the protoplanetary disks. With the increase of the computing power of supercomputers, we will be able to model even more complex physical processes in the simulations, further increasing the fidelity of the simulations. Combined with the new, powerful telescopes such as the James Webb Space Telescope and ALMA doing unparalleled observations of newly forming stars, these advances will continue to increase our understanding of star formation."

The implications of this study extend beyond just the formation of stars and planets. Understanding the role of the environment in disk formation could also shed light on the conditions necessary for the formation of habitable planets. This could have profound implications for the search for life beyond our solar system.

Reference: Padoan, P., Pan, L., Pelkonen, VM. et al. The formation of protoplanetary disks through pre-main-sequence Bondi–Hoyle accretion. Nat Astron (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41550-025-02529-3 https://doi.org/10.1038/s41550-025-02529-3

We are thrilled to announce that the Institute of Cosmos Sciences of the University of Barcelona (ICCUB) has been accredited as a María de Maeztu Unit of Excellence in the 2024 Call by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation. This prestigious recognition marks the third time ICCUB has been honored with the María de Maeztu accreditation, following its initial award in 2014. 

This distinction highlights organizations with highly competitive research programs that are among the best in the world in their respective scientific areas. The evaluation and selection process are conducted independently by an international scientific committee of widely recognized researchers, who select both Severo Ochoa centers and María de Maeztu units under the same rigorous criteria. ICCUB is one of the 17 organizations (9 Severo Ochoa centers and 8 María de Maeztu units) selected in this annual competitive call. 

"It is the third time the ICCUB has obtained the Maria de Maeztu award, not an easy feat," says Xavier Luri, director of the ICCUB. "It is not only an acknowledgement of the outstanding science produced by our researchers, but also of the long-term vision and the continuous search of excellence at the ICCUB. This award will allow us to expand our contributions to many key scientific challenges." 

The accreditation provides funding to research organizations that demonstrate international scientific impact and leadership, actively embrace knowledge transfer, and collaborate with the business sector. Efforts in open access policies to scientific publications, outreach, and knowledge diffusion are also recognized.  

The María de Maeztu recognition is valid for four years and provides more than 500.000€ annually. This funding will allow the ICCUB to realize its strategic Research Plan, attract scientific talent and foster our outreach and communication initiatives. 

"This award provides ICCUB the means to realize its ambitious scientific vision over the next 4 years," says Licia Verde, scientific director of the ICCUB. "To me this represents a strong vote of confidence in the quality and impact of past work and the potential of the institute to push the frontiers of the science of the cosmos. I am excited for what the next 4 years will bring. ICCUB team, our best work is yet to come!" 

As a Unit of Excellence, ICCUB will remain in the SOMM Excellence Alliance, which promotes Spanish Excellence in research and enhances its social impact at national and international levels. 

The Institute of Cosmos Sciences Strategic Plan 

The funding will be used to address several scientific challenges:  

• Exploring physics beyond the current standard models of particles and cosmology: This involves a coordinated approach that integrates theoretical modeling, precision measurements, and sophisticated data analysis techniques to uncover new physics. 

• Studying the physics involved in producing gravitational wave sources: By researching the origins and processes of gravitational wave events, ICCUB seeks to provide novel insights into the strong gravity regime and the nature of compact binary coalescences. This research will be supported by ICCUB's active participation in major collaborations and surveys, enhancing our understanding of the universe's constituents. 

• Exploiting quantum resources for science and technology: This includes advancing quantum communication, computation, and hardware development. The goal is to harness quantum entanglement and superposition to drive innovations in communication security and computational capacity, positioning ICCUB at the forefront of the second quantum revolution. 
   

In addition to these scientific endeavors, the funding will support various institutional activities, including:  

• Boosting recruitment strategies and talent acquisition with a focus on gender balance. 

• Providing comprehensive training programs for doctoral and postdoctoral researchers. 

• Expanding the Mental Health and resilience program. 

• Attracting diverse funding sources, fostering international leadership, and enhancing knowledge and technology transfer. 

• Prioritizing diversity, equity, and inclusion programs to ensure a supportive and inclusive environment. 

• Expanding outreach and communication efforts to new formats and activities to reach wider audiences, while increasing inclusivity by adapting materials and workshops. 

This recognition is a testament to the collective effort and unwavering commitment to excellence of all our researchers, as well as an inspiration for future scientific achievements. 

Awarded Severo Ochoa Centers and Maria de Maeztu units 

The centers and units that have received the María de Maeztu accreditation are: the Universitat Pompeu Fabra's Department of Medicine and Life Sciences, the Universidad de Barcelona's Institut de Ciències del Cosmos, the Universidade de Santiago de Compostela's CIMUS - Centro de Investigación en Medicina Molecular y Enfermedades Crónicas, the Universidad de Valencia's Instituto de Ciencia Molecular, the Fundación IMDEA Software's IMDEA Software Institute, the Fundación Privada Institut Català de Paleoecologia Humana i Evolució Social's Institut Català de Paleoecologia Humana i Evolució Social, the Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona's Institut de Ciencia i Tecnologia Ambientals (ICTA), and the Universidad de Sevilla's Instituto Universitario de Investigación de Matemáticas de la Universidad de Sevilla (IMUS). 

The Severo Ochoa accreditations have been awarded to: the Institut de Física d'Altes Energies, the Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Oncológicas Carlos III, the Instituto de Ciencia de Materiales de Madrid (ICMM), the Fundació Institut Català d'Investigació Química (ICIQ), the Barcelona Graduate School of Economics, the Instituto de Ciencias Fotónicas, the Fundación Donostia International Physics Center, the Instituto de Ciencias del Mar (ICM), and the Estación Biológica de Doñana (EBD). 

Acknowledgements
 

Grant CEX2024-001451-M funded by MICIU/AEI/10.13039/501100011033.

The 2025 Jocelyn Bell Burnell Inspiration Medal recognizes arXiv's significant contributions to astrophysical research through its open, free, and global distribution of scientific articles. Since its inception in 1991, arXiv has revolutionized the dissemination of scientific knowledge, breaking down barriers imposed by costly journals and championing open access by providing unrestricted access to all users.

Licia Verde, ICREA researcher and ICCUB's Scientific Director, will represent arXiv at the upcoming European Astronomical Society (EAS) award ceremony, where the organization will receive the prestigious Jocelyn Bell Burnell Inspiration Medal for its revolutionizing impact on astrophysical research. Verde, who has been an advisor to arXiv since 2016, will accept the award together with Ralph Wijer (University of Amsterdam) on behalf of the organization.

Licia Verde expressed her admiration for arXiv, stating, “Arxiv is an incredibly successful and inspiring story. To me it is an ideal (open science) that became a reality, and a community of researchers. Arxiv relies on a small, highly effective and extremely dedicated team and a much larger body of volunteers. I am honoured to have had the opportunity to contribute to this community in an advisory role, to the arXiv mission and to the global process of democratisation of knowledge."

This recognition highlights the international presence and impact of ICCUB researchers, showcasing their contributions to global scientific advancements. It also underscores ICCUB's commitment to open science, a principle that promotes transparency, accessibility, and the democratization of knowledge. By actively participating in initiatives like arXiv, ICCUB demonstrates its dedication to making scientific research more inclusive and equitable, ensuring that valuable knowledge is accessible to researchers worldwide, regardless of financial barriers.

As the leading open-access preprint repository for physics, astronomy, and related disciplines, arXiv plays a fundamental role in ensuring that scientific knowledge is rapidly disseminated, openly accessible, and freely available to all. This democratization of knowledge allows researchers from different institutions and countries to engage with the latest findings without financial barriers.

By fundamentally changing how astronomical knowledge is shared, arXiv exemplifies the spirit of the Jocelyn Bell Burnell Inspiration Medal, celebrating contributions that extend beyond traditional research to inspire and enable progress in astronomy and empower the global scientific community.