When the new Barcelona Biomedical Research Park (PRBB) Ciutadella opens its doors, presumably in 2028, nearly a thousand researchers from five major Catalan research centers will move there. But this ambitious project aims to become something more: its promoters claim it will be "the great hub in southern Europe". An aspiration shared by the President of the Generalitat himself, Salvador Illa, who this Thursday visited the works of the future building, underway a decade after its conception and after years of being stalled due to disagreements over funding and space allocation. "It symbolizes a determined commitment and an explicit demand for science to move the country forward and to place us in the [international] talent circuit from Catalonia," he argued from the grounds of the Old Fish Market of Pompeu Fabra University (UPF), where the new space will be located.In this facility dedicated to precision medicine, five major research centers will be located – all part of the Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology (BIST).

Rolf Tarrach Siegel (Valencia, 1948) is a professor of quantum physics. He has served as president of the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), rector of the University of Luxembourg, and president of the European University Association.

The disappearance of the Opium nightclub on Barcelona's seafront will not be as quick as announced this July, when the City Council presented an agreement sealed with the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) to make it possible for the premises to be used to expand the facilities of the Mediterranean Centre for Marine and Environmental Research (CMIMA) in the city. Although the plan was to immediately hand over the provisional use of the space while the project and the tender for the works progressed, they will now not be able to start before September next year. The State government, which is the owner of these premises on the seafront, has extended Opium's lease for another year, as confirmed by the owners of the nightclub, who had already announced that they planned to challenge the agreement in court. They considered that the decision was "unilateral" and "purely ideological" to "punish" nightlife venues in the area. They now know the business will be allowed to continue at least for another year.