The years go by and the facilities of the Sarrià Chemical Institute (IQS) needed updating to continue guaranteeing the service that has defined it for more than 100 years.
The center has invested a total of 10 million euros in the renovation of three laboratories, the campus reception, a new logo and the implementation of a single window system for student service. Most of the resources come from the religious order of the Jesuits, which controls the property of the IQS through a foundation, and around 1 million euros comes from the foundation of companies that support the IQS, among which BASF stands out. , Covestro, Almirall and Puig.
“We are decisively committed to research and teaching with the aim of putting the student at the center,” says Salvador Borrós, general director of this institute, which is part of the Ramon Llull University network.
Today, the IQS inaugurates the campus reception, the logo and the renovation of the Analytical Chemistry laboratory. “Student veterans would have a hard time recognizing the space, we’ve remodeled it from top to bottom and purchased new equipment,” he says. The project has been carried out in alliance with the companies PerkinElmer and Sciex. In a few months, it will be the turn of the nuclear magnetic resonance laboratory, which will be launched thanks to an alliance with a Japanese group, called Jeol, which has chosen the IQS to open its laboratory in Europe. “This is the most ambitious project that we have developed in collaboration with a company, a movement that reinforces our commitment to the business world,” celebrates Borrós, who hopes that this laboratory will train professional talent that adapts to the new needs of the market.
At the end of the year, a pilot plant will open its doors to investigate chemical engineering issues. And, for the coming year, the IQS hopes to expand its facilities by occupying the former Casa de Exercicis de Sarrià after reaching an agreement with the Jesuits of Catalonia, who until now controlled the space. “In these new facilities we will teach a new degree in Applied Mathematics and masters in cosmetics, perfumery and circular economy,” advances the director.
The IQS has closed 2023 in top form: it has invoiced 32 million, a record, and has achieved an Ebitda (gross profit) of 3.5 million. The staff has exceeded one hundred teachers, who in total have trained more than 2,700 students. The majority are national and have enrolled in degrees or masters related to chemistry, chemical engineering, pharmacy, biomedicine or business sciences.
