CiQUS, 10 years at the forefront of biological chemistry and molecular materials research

The Center for Research in Biological Chemistry and Molecular Materials (CiQUS) of the USC celebrates 10 years positioning itself at the forefront of science in the international level. To commemorate its 10th Anniversary, it will hold the 1st Symposium Chemistry on the Frontier on 30th, 31th March and 1st April, and the symposium will have as guests renowned world leaders from several areas of chemistry, including the 2021 Nobel Prize laureate in Chemistry, David MacMillan, who travels to Europe for the first time, hand in hand with CiQUS, since he was awarded the Nobel Prize. Professor MacMillan will also participate in the USC science outreach program "Conciencia".

Innovation model
The main mission of CiQUS is to develop science at the frontier of knowledge and to provide high-level training to scientists and professionals in the field of chemistry and biomedicine. It has an innovative organizational and management structure and a multidisciplinary team. The operating model includes a continuous and demanding evaluation by an external commission of high prestige including a Nobel Prize laureate Jean-Pierre Sauvage. As a result, the center has made remarkable progress, as shown by objective indicators, such as the number of projects funded by the European Research Council (ERC), which has increased from 1 to 11 in 10 years. In this decade it has obtained numerous patents, four of which have already been licensed, and four spin-offs have been created, companies which born under the protection of technology developed in the center.

Main advances at the service of science and society
The research carried out at the Center is organized into three thematic areas: Biological and Medicinal Chemistry; Functional Materials with Technological Applications; and Synthetic Technologies for Sustainable Development. These areas, however, interact with each other in order to approach far-reaching scientific challenges from a multidisciplinary perspective. Among the many ongoing objectives are the development of therapies against Covid19, the creation of new technological materials or the discovery of artificial enzymes, for example. More than 180 people of different nationalities work at the Center, with a total of 18 research groups with different projects within these areas.

The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2021 at the 1st CiQUS Symposium
In order to commemorate the 10th anniversary, the center has organized the first symposium "Chemistry at the Frontier", a scientific meeting that will bring together top scientists from different countries.
One of the highlights will be the presence of the 2021 Nobel Laureate in Chemistry, David MacMillan(link is external), from Princeton University (USA). MacMillan is a British-American chemist who was awarded the 2021 Nobel Prize, together with Benjamin List, for the development of asymmetric organocatalysis, a tool that has had a great impact on the manufacture of medicines and other molecular materials.
For three days, Santiago de Compostela will become an international scientific focus thanks to the symposium that will take place on 30th, 31th March and 1st April. Accompanying the Nobel Laureate, leading global scientific personalities, such as Helma Wennemers from the University of Zurich or Harry Anderson from the University of Oxford, will meet at the Fontán Building of the City of Culture(link is external). The invited speakers are leaders in the strategic research areas of CiQUS and represent the Center's commitment to young talent and gender balance.