Institute of Evolutionary Biology

The Institute of Evolutionary Biology (In Spanish ''Instituto de Biología Evolutiva'' IBE (CSIC-UPF) is a joint research center of Pompeu Fabra University (UPF) and the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) founded in 2008. IBE is the only research center in Catalonia and the rest of Spain that is entirely dedicated to evolutionary biology and natural resources.

The research carried out by IBE focuses on the study of the processes and mechanisms for the generation and maintenance of biodiversity and its conservation. This is one of the most important scientific challenges of the 21st century, as evidenced by new global initiatives to sequence the genomes of all known species and discover the remaining 80 percent of currently unknown species, including the Earth BioGenome Project. To meet this global challenge requires the methods and concepts of evolutionary biology; and in particular, the understanding of the bases of the differences between organisms, both between species and within them, and how these differences produce new functions and interactions, which will determine the basic mechanisms of life and place biodiversity in a robust evolutionary framework. To this end, IBE research uses the new tools available, experimental and computational, to understand the basic functioning of life, discover the mechanisms for generating biological innovations and preserve biodiversity and promote its management in a sustainable way.

In July 2008, Dr. Xavier Bellés was appointed director of the IBE. In February 2017 he was succeeded in office by Dr. Tomàs Marquès-Bonet as director of the center. Since May 2020, the IBE has been headed by Dr. Salvador Carranza. Provided by Wikipedia