look into the annual report 2020 future The future is unpredictable but we can be ready to change it. 4 Ikerbasque annual report 2020 5 Ikerbasque 2020

In 2020, the world awoke from a dream in which we felt safe, at least from a virus that would upset our lives so much.

This has focused all our attention on science. For all of this, Ikerbasque provides a comprehensive We have asked for immediate answers and solutions, offer that has long term stability, covering the different but during this past year it has become clear that time stages of the researcher’s career. Our researchers is an ally of science. develop their work in the different universities and Without various steps there are no tests. research centers of the Basque Country. It is all about Without processes there is no evidence. our allies, those who make it possible for us to achieve Without mistakes there are no correct answers. our goals and who allow us to see ourselves as an organization unrestricted by our physical boundaries. The calm and attention to detail with which scientists work is what this report represents, as well as their Since Ikerbasque’s creation, we have sought steadfast vision of the future. to be a stable yet motivating platform from which scientists and scientific institutions in the Basque The Basque Government created Ikerbasque to Country can continue asking themselves new reinforce the Basque scientific system through the questions and contributing to the challenge attraction, recovery and retention of researchers from of generating new knowledge all around the world. Science as hope The Basque Foundation for Science is a consolidated And the dream of a better future organization with 290 researchers from 36 different countries, from all fields of knowledge and with a firm commitment to the hiring of female researchers, as well as to promoting the return of Basque researchers who are currently working outside of the Basque Country. 6 Ikerbasque annual report 2020 7 New Incomers

Joxe Aizpurua Stefano Balbi Michael Barton Ana Beloqui Lorea Blázquez Sandra Camarero Montserrat Casas Miguel Cazalilla BC3 BCAM Polymat Biodonostia Polymat CIC energiGUNE DIPC Detect, diagnose and predict Development of models for the New models of industrial Design and the use of polymers Editing the hidden messages in Smart materials for tissue New materials to build more Looking for new alloys with power and energy component analysis of ecosystems. production for manufacturing. to improve the stability our genes. regeneration. efficient batteries. interesting electrical properties. and system failures. of proteins, mainly enzymes.

Bo Chen Adai Colom Irene de la Cruz Lionel Dupuy Borja Erice Luca Fanelli Joan Fernández Paula Jauregui DIPC Biofisika Institute UPV/EHU Neiker Mondragon University UPV/EHU Mondragon University AZTI High-pressure chemistry, The forces involved in different Development of grammatical Interactions between plants materials and structural Mathematical theory: Spectral Circular Economy and Food bioprocessing and nanothread chemistry cell and tissue process, structures across the lifespan with their environment. components subjected to Theory, Harmonic Analysis and Sustainable Development. valorisation of agri-food and physics, carbenes and in both monolingual and extreme loading conditions. Dispersive PDE’s. by-products. diradicals. multilingual populations.

Gonzalo Jiménez-Osés Marina Kalashnikova Catarina Lopes Isabel Mendizabal Jone Michelena Vladimiro Mujica Ernesto Panadero Martin Ramstedt CIC bioGUNE BCBL CIC energiGUNE CIC bioGUNE UPV/EHU DIPC International Institute for the Sociology Computer simulations to un- Environmental and Functional materials for energy Analysis of DNA regulation in Cell cycle control and genome Nanoscience. Educational assessment and of Law (IISL/IISJ) derstand biological phenomena neurobiological precursors of storage applications. populations and diseases. integrity maintenance. self-regulated Learning. Law & Society: Socio-legal such as host-pathogen interac- language development in the studies. tions and protein function. first years of life.

Mikel Sanz Martin Schnell Valentina Shevtsova Unai Silván Igor Tascón Ignacio Torres Irune Villaluenga Qi Zhang UPV/EHU CIC nanoGUNE Mondragon University BCMaterials Biofisika Institute Achucarro Polymat BCMaterials Quantum computing. Development of infrared Fluid behaviour in microgravity. Cell-material interactions for the Molecular mechanisms of Neurobiology of insulin Design of new materials Functional materials imaging to detect cancer design of functional biomaterials that membrane proteins involved in peptides. for batteries. for energy. automatically. promote optimal biological responses. human diseases. 8 Ikerbasque annual report 2020 9 Researchers Profile

290 Researchers

170 Research Professors Senior independent researchers in all areas of knowledge with extensive research experience and leadership skills. They are assigned permanently to Basque universities and research centers. –

42 Research Associates Researchers with an established scientific career in all areas of knowledge. They have demonstrated maturity, intellectual independence and leadership ability. Ikerbasque offers them permanent research positions. –

78 Research Fellows Young researchers with a promising scientific career and international experience. Ikerbasque offers them 5— year research positions with the aim of establishing a track towards an independent research career. – 10 Ikerbasque annual report 2020 11 Researchers Profile

Distribution Distribution Life & Medical Sciences Social Sciences & Humanities Total by sex by knowledge field

219Men Women71 65 34 Experimental Sciences Engineering & Technology 290 153 38

Nationality Distribution of Researchers by age 120

36Nationalities 75 73

22

Age 30 / 40 41 / 50 51 / 60 61 / 65 12 Ikerbasque annual report 2020 13 Relevants Publications

Strong coupling Mechanism to obtain metal The Languages of Early The genetic characteristics A blue spark to shine on the Life after death (of neurons) between propagating “nanoscrews” Medieval Charters that affect the origin of the Universe Amanda Sierra, Ikerbasque Researcher at phonon polaritons and Led by the Ikerbasque professor Luis Liz-Marzán Francesca Tinti, Ikerbasque researcher at UPV/ development of COVID-19 An interdisciplinary team of scientists led Achucarro Has led a study that shows that organic molecules CIC biomaGUNE has developed a mechanism EHU has published a new volume with Brill. Jesús Bañales (Ikerbasque researcher by Juan José Gómez Cadenas (DIPC) and microglia act as a sensor for the death of observed for the first time by which gold atoms are deposited by means of The book is the first major study of the interplay at Biodonostia) Fernando Cossio (UPV/EHU) Has demonstrated newborn cells, contributing to the balance chemical reduction onto previously formed gold between Latin and Germanic vernaculars in Has led an international study in which it has that it is possible to build an ultra-sensitive between life and death. When the microglia Five Ikerbasque Researchers have participated nanorods to produce a quasi-helicoidal structure. early medieval records. The contributions in this been described that the vulnerability of certain sensor based on a new fluorescent molecule detect a lot of newborn cell death, they signal in an ambitious project led by Alexey Nikitin This geometry enables these “nanoscrews” volume bring to the fore the crucial question of people to developing severe clinical reactions able to detect the nuclear decay key to knowing to the neuron production system that there (DIPC) and Rainer Hillenbrand (CIC nanoGUNE to interact with circularly polarized light much language choice in the documentary cultures from the SARS-COV-2 virus may be influenced whether or not a neutrino is its own antiparticle. is a surplus being generated and it must stop BRTA). The scientific team has employed more efficiently than what is achieved with any of early medieval societies. Specifically, they by their genetic characteristics for the first time. The results of this study, published in the production. In contrast, when death is low, the a spectroscopic nanoimaging technique to other known object. These properties could examine the interactions between Latin and This work, published in the New England Journal prestigious journal Nature, have great potential hippocampus can permit more new neurons study how infrared nanolight - in form of phonon lead to the detecting of biomolecules in a very Germanic vernaculars in the Anglo-Saxon and of Medicine, indicates that variants of two regions to determine the nature of the neutrino and thus and the brake must be released. The results polaritons - and molecular vibrations interact with selective and very sensitive way. This piece of eastern Frankish worlds and in neighbouring of the human genome are associated with an answer fundamental questions about the origin published in the Journal of Neuroscience each other. The images reveal that vibrational research was echoed by the prestigious scientific areas. The chapters are underpinned by an increased risk of developing respiratory failure in of the Universe. may have important implications for the strong coupling can be achieved, which is journal Science. important comparative dimension on account patients with SARS-COV-2 infection. understanding of neurodegenerative diseases. a phenomenon that has recently attracted of the two regions’ shared linguistic heritage and wide attention for its potential use to control numerous cross-Channel links. fundamental physical and chemical material properties. The work has been published in Nature Photonics 14 Ikerbasque annual report 2020 15

Relevant Data

€ 35 Million 14 +200,000 Return ERC Citations of investment Ikerbasque researchers are Ikerbasque has obtained more than leading 14 ERC grants. The ERC 200,000 citations since its creation (European Research Council) is the Total funds that Ikerbasque main European organization that researchers obtained promotes research projects based from competitive calls in 2020 on scientific excellence

1,345 812 h-Index Articles Projects 155 published by Ikerbasque with external funding in which Ikerbasque Correlation between productivity researchers in indexed publications researchers participate and quality

1,190 290 € 19 Million People Researchers Annual working in research groups Budget of Ikerbasque led by Ikerbasque researchers 16 Ikerbasque annual report 2020 17

“Science is always worth it because its discoveries, sooner or later, are always applied Severo Ochoa 18 Ikerbasque annual report 2020 19 Host Centers

Ikerbasque researchers have joined the following centers in the Basque Country.

Achucarro Biofisika Institutua Globernance Basque center for neurosciences Basque centre for biophysics Institute for democratic governance

Azti CIC energiGUNE IISL/IISJ Marine and food innovation Energy cooperative research center Law&Society: Socio-legal studies

BC3 CIC bioGUNE Neiker Basque centre for climate change Center for cooperative research Basque Institute for Agricultural Research in biosciences and Development BCAM Basque center for applied CIC biomaGUNE Polymat mathematics Center for cooperative research Basque center for macromolecular in biomaterials design and engineering BCBL Basque center on cognition brain CIC nanoGUNE Tecnalia and language Nanoscience cooperative Technology corporation research center BCMaterials Tecnun Basque center for materials, applications CFM-MPC University of Navarra & nanostructures Materials physics center Mondragon Unibertsitatea Biocruces Bizkaia Deusto University of Mondragon Health Research Institute University of Deusto UPV/EHU Biodonostia DIPC University of the Basque Country Health Research Institute Donostia international physics center