The Government of Catalonia recognises all 30 research groups at the UVic-UCC and provides funding for 6 of them

All the research groups at the UVic-UCC have obtained recognition from the Government of Catalonia in the last call of the SGR (Research Groups Support), which has just announced the final decision for its results. This is the first time the University has achieved recognition for one hundred percent of its groups. In total, there are 30 groups, of which 26 are at the UVic, 3 are at the UManresa and 1 is at the BAU University Design Centre. Fifteen of these have been accredited as consolidated groups, 13 as emerging groups and 2 as pre-consolidated groups.

In addition, funding amounting to a total of 147,552 Euros over the next three years was achieved in this SGR call. The groups that have obtained funds are the BETA Research Group (Biodiversity, Ecology, Technology and Environmental Management), coordinated by Dr Sergio Ponsá, and the SoPCI (Inclusive Societies, Policies and Communities) Research Group, coordinated by Dr Sandra Ezquerra, which are both consolidated, as well as four of the emerging groups: the Aquatic Ecology Research Group, coordinated by the ICREA research lecturer Sandra Brucet; the Quantitative Bioimaging Research Group, coordinated by the Ramon y Cajal researcher Dr Carlo Manzo; the Chronicity in Central Catalonia Research Group, an inter-institutional group with FORES and the Althaia Foundation, coordinated by Dr Jordi Amblàs, of the Hospital de la Santa Creu Foundation, and the M3O (Methodology, Methods, Models and Health and Social Outcomes) Research Group, coordinated by Dr Joan Carles Casas.

Consolidation of the UVic-UCC ecosystem model

"This result is a major breakthrough, based on a deserved and necessary recognition of the work done by teaching and research staff in recent years, support for the research policy and the work by various areas of the institution, and especially the TTO, on the enormous task of management and promotion of projects. Furthermore, and very significantly, it highlights the consolidation of the UVic-UCC ecosystem model, in which based on a complex but fluid relationship between diverse institutions, research and knowledge transfer are beginning to be perceived as core areas for a project with a great deal of potential," according to the Vice-Rector for Research and Knowledge Transfer, Jordi Villà.

In the last call, in 2014, the UVic-UCC obtained recognition for 19 research groups, or just over 80% of the total. One of those belonged to BAU and the other to the Hospital Consortium of Vic. At the time, that figure was an important quantitative leap compared to the 5 groups (19%) that had been accredited in 2009.

With the SGR calls, the Government of Catalonia supports groups that carry out research in Catalonia in various scientific fields. The objective is to enhance their activity and their scientific, economic and social impact, as well as to raise the international profile of their research. As a result, accredited groups are eligible for FI pre-doctoral calls and industrial doctorates.