The renovation project for the Theatre building at the University of Barcelona’s Mundet Campus, future home of the Barcelona Centre for Applied Neurosciences (BCAN), was presented on 23 March in an institutional event that brought together representatives from the University of Barcelona, the Barcelona Provincial Council, the Government of Catalonia and the European Commission.
The session highlighted the strategic importance of the BCAN, a project led by the University of Barcelona through the Institute of Neurosciences (UBneuro) and supported by the Barcelona Provincial Council and the Government of Catalonia. Conceived as a major hub for applied neuroscience, the centre is set to strengthen Catalonia’s position in research and innovation in neuroscience and health-oriented neurotechnologies.
The event featured the participation of Joan Guàrdia, rector of the University of Barcelona; Lluïsa Moret, president of the Barcelona Provincial Council; Núria Montserrat, minister for Research and Universities of the Government of Catalonia; Jordi Alberch, director of the Institute of Neurosciences of the University of Barcelona; and Manuel Szapiro, director of the European Commission Representation in Barcelona. During the presentation, the architectural teams Barceló Balanzó Arquitectes and Scob Arquitectura i Paisatge shared the main features of the renovation proposal for the historic building.
In his speech, Rector Joan Guàrdia described the BCAN as a particularly meaningful project for Mundet Campus and stressed that it is the result of sustained collaboration between institutions. He recalled the long path behind the initiative and underlined that neuroscience requires long-term commitment, shared effort and major investment in a fast-changing field. He also defended the idea that studying the brain is ultimately linked to defending human dignity, and emphasized that science must be understood as a collective journey, open to and built for everyone.
From the architectural perspective, the proposal was presented as a way of connecting the building’s past and future. The architects highlighted their intention to remain aligned with the original vision of the Theatre building while adapting it to the needs of a cutting-edge research centre. The project includes a rational and flexible organization across six levels, an open configuration designed to accommodate future changes, and a central bioclimatic atrium that will function as an auditorium and meeting space. Sustainability, energy efficiency and principles of neuroarchitecture were also identified as key elements of the design.
Jordi Alberch framed the BCAN as the materialization of a long-standing ambition and as the beginning of a new era for neuroscience in Catalonia. He noted that Barcelona already has a strong neuroscience ecosystem, but argued that emerging neurotechnologies are reshaping the field and creating an international race to lead the next generation of brain research. In this context, he presented the BCAN as a centre that will span the full range of neuroscience and as a space devoted to studying one of the great wonders of the world: the brain. He also highlighted the role of UBneuro´s Cognitive Neuroscience Unit as an important first step and pointed to the BCAN’s future as a technological hub connected to collaborating companies and innovation partners.
Manuel Szapiro emphasized the project’s value as an example of multilevel collaboration with positive innovation and social impact. In this sense, he pointed to the BCAN as a project that covers the full innovation cycle, from knowledge generation to application and territorial impact.
Minister Núria Montserrat stressed that the BCAN was the first project presented in the framework of the Ajuts Singulars programme and underlined the importance of research that delivers real impact. She highlighted the value of transdisciplinary initiatives that are sustained over time, and recalled that, out of 38 projects submitted, only 14 were selected, reinforcing the significance of the BCAN and the shared responsibility required to bring it forward.
For her part, Lluïsa Moret described the day as historic and highlighted the convergence of multiple forms of heritage in the project: historical, artistic, architectural and scientific. Her intervention reinforced the idea that the BCAN is not only a new research infrastructure, but also a way of reactivating an emblematic space and placing it at the service of science and society.
With this presentation, the BCAN takes another visible step forward in a long-term project that aims to transform the Theatre building into a landmark space where science, innovation, heritage and public value come together.
