Ignasi Belda takes over as deputy director of Barcelona Science Park

Ignasi Belda Reig (Cocentaina, Alacant, 1979) graduated in Computer Engineering from the Ramon Llull University and holds a doctorate in Artificial Intelligence applied to the design of drugs from the Polytechnic University of Catalonia (UPC). His doctoral thesis –which he carried out at the Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona), at the Urban-Champaign Illinois University (United States) and AstraZeneca (Sweden)– was chosen by the UPC as one of the 10 best theses on Information Technology of the decade. Dr. Belda also completed the Ignite Program on Management and Business Administration taught by the University of Cambridge and has a Masters Degree in Tax Law by the Open University of Catalonia.

In 2007, a year before completing his PhD, and with the aim of transferring his scientific and technical knowledge to the market, Dr. Belsa participated in the launch of the biotech, Intelligent Pharma (IP), dedicated to the development, commercialization and use of new computational technologies for drug discovery. Three years later, he launched an ambitious plan of international projection, setting up five affiliate branches in five years in: Germany (Heidelberg and Munich), UK (London); United States (Cambridge); and Canada (Calgary). In 2009, the journal of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) recognized Intelligent Pharma as one of the leading companies worldwide in the field of computational chemistry.

Ignasi Belda –who has also been involved in the creation of cutting-edge biotech companies- is a member of the executive board of several start-up companies-, and has received more than fifteen awards for his entrepreneurship and innovation capacity, including the EntrepreneurXXI award, promoted by “la Caixa” and ENISA; BioEntrepreneur XXI award, promoted by Barcelona Activa, Biocat and Fundació "la Caixa”; the Princesa de Girona Empresa award and the Recognition to Innovation award from CECOT.

As a scientist, Dr. Belda has published about ten articles in the most prestigious journals in his field of knowledge. He has actively participated in more than fifty international conferences and has written two dissemination books on artificial intelligence, which have already been translated into six languages.

Image: Ignasi Belda (Photo: Barcelona Science Park, Daniel Portales).