The ICMM Receives the Aspira-MaX Josefa Barba Seal of Excellence from CSIC

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José Ángel Martín Gago, as the director of the Institute of Materials Science of Madrid (ICMM-CSIC), received the Aspira-MaX Josefa Barba Seal of Excellence this week for surpassing the first phase of the MaX Project. This initiative promotes scientific excellence within the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC).

These ASPIRA-MaX CSIC seals of excellence were created to recognize the efforts toward excellence by research centers. Now, the institute faces the development phase of a Scientific Project and an Excellence Plan, which will be externally evaluated and will receive financial support for their implementation.

This program includes, among other proposals, the granting of financial aid to enable research centers to develop their own action plans, outlining actions aimed at strengthening areas needing improvement. To this end, an itinerary is established that involves the allocation of resources and excellence accreditations.

ASPIRA-MaX CSIC Seals of Excellence

Each seal is named after a female researcher who has developed her career in one of the three scientific areas of CSIC: Josefa Barba, a graduate in pharmacy and a PhD in sciences, had a prolific career in the field of neuroscience and learning processes; Sagrario Martínez-Carrera, a PhD in chemistry, worked in the Department of Crystallography of what is now the Blas Cabrera Institute of Physical Chemistry and is considered one of the exponents of mid-20th-century Spanish science; and Margarita Comas, a PhD in biology and writer, developed her scientific career in pedagogy, standing out for her work in introducing science didactics in Spain and promoting gender equality in academia.

Directorial Teams Meeting

The awarding of the seals took place within the framework of the annual meeting of the management teams of CSIC centers and institutes. The objective of this meeting is to share the strategic lines of the institution and to promote internal coordination.

The meeting was attended by the CSIC management team, including the president of the organization, Eloísa del Pino; the Vice President of Scientific and Technical Research, José María Martell; the Vice President of Organization and Institutional Relations, Carlos Closa; the Vice President of International Relations, Javier Moreno; the Vice President of Innovation and Transfer, Ana Castro; and the Secretary-General, Ignacio Gutiérrez Llano. The president of CSIC reviewed the most important strategic lines for the institution and gave way to the interventions of the vice presidents and the secretary-general, who elaborated on their respective areas of work.