The Institute of Biomedical Research (IRB) is an independent, non-profit research institution that is engaged in basic and applied biomedical science. Its aim is to improve quality of life through the application of advances in this field. It was founded in October 2005 by the Catalan government (Generalitat de Catalunya), the University of Barcelona (UB) and Barcelona Science Park (PCB).
The IRB aims to promote multidisciplinary research of excellence at the interface between biology and chemistry, and to foster collaboration between local organisations and international research institutes, and thus boost and coordinate interdisciplinary research in biomedicine.
The IRB is located in Barcelona Science Park (PCB), a centre in which first-class public research converges with the private sector in a stimulating, excellent scientific environment.