FUNDACIO INSTITUT CATALA DE NANOCIENCIA I NANOTECNOLOGIA

Their core work

ICN2 is a leading nanoscience research centre near Barcelona that develops advanced nanomaterials — especially graphene and 2D materials — and engineers them into functional devices such as biosensors, phononic circuits, and brain-computer interfaces. Their work spans from fundamental physics (spintronics, optomechanics, topological matter) to application-ready technologies in healthcare diagnostics, environmental monitoring, and next-generation electronics. They also operate as a training hub, running multiple COFUND doctoral and postdoctoral programmes that attract international researchers to Catalonia's BIST ecosystem.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In the early H2020 period (2015–2018), ICN2 focused on foundational nanoscience — sensors, graphene materials research, nanoelectronics roadmapping, and establishing its role in large infrastructure projects like NFFA-Europe and the Graphene Flagship. From 2019 onward, their work shifted decisively toward application-specific nanoscience: biosensors for clinical diagnostics (MICROB-PREDICT), topological matter for information transfer (TOCHA), and spintronics — reflecting a maturation from materials discovery toward engineered devices with clear end-use targets. The training programmes also intensified in the later period, with multiple COFUND fellowships running simultaneously.

ICN2 is moving from fundamental nanoscience toward translational applications — particularly clinical biosensing and spin/topological device engineering — making them increasingly relevant for industry-facing health and electronics partnerships.

How they like to work

ICN2 operates as both a project leader and a trusted specialist partner: they coordinated 17 of their 53 projects (32%), often on focused physics topics they champion (phononics, flexoelectricity, cortical implants), while joining large flagships and infrastructure consortia as a contributing expert. With 475 unique consortium partners across 37 countries, they function as a high-connectivity hub rather than a closed-circle collaborator. Their mix of coordination and participation suggests they are comfortable both setting the research agenda and delivering specialised nanoscience contributions within broader consortia.

ICN2 has collaborated with 475 distinct partners across 37 countries, giving them one of the denser collaboration networks among European nanoscience centres. Their geographic reach spans all of Western and Southern Europe, with strong ties to the Graphene Flagship community and Barcelona's BIST research ecosystem.

What sets them apart

ICN2 occupies a rare position as a nanoscience institute that bridges fundamental physics (optomechanics, spintronics, topological matter) with device-level applications (biosensors, cortical implants, phononic circuits) — most centres lean one way or the other. Their deep Graphene Flagship involvement gives them access to Europe's largest materials-to-applications pipeline, while their BIST-embedded training programmes ensure a steady flow of international talent. For consortium builders, ICN2 brings both the physics depth to solve hard materials problems and the engineering capacity to prototype functional nanodevices.

Highlights from their portfolio

• BrainCom
  EUR 1.4M coordinated project developing graphene-based cortical implants for speech rehabilitation — an ambitious cross-disciplinary effort combining nanomaterials with neuroscience.
• GrapheneCore2
  Largest single EC contribution (EUR 1.49M) as part of the billion-euro Graphene Flagship, Europe's most prominent materials research initiative.
• TOCHA
  EUR 1.3M coordinated project on dissipationless topological channels — positions ICN2 at the frontier of topological matter applications for energy-efficient information transfer.