ANNUAL REPORT 2023

Research

Excellent research at the service of society

Our research intends to go beyond the boundaries of the state of scientific and technologic knowledge relating to the full water cycle and its associated ecosystems

During 2023, IHCantabria has taken a major step in the spread of its research capacities with the creation of three new research groups. This strategic effort has allowed a more effective approach to contemporary scientific challenges and to the consolidation of our institute as a research leader. Besides, the Hydrobiology Laboratory has experienced a notable progress in genetics, thus promoting our capacities in this discipline, which is key to approaching environmental and marine challenges.

In 2023, IHCantabria has taken part in a total of 48 R&D projects, out of which 22 are national and 26 are international projects. This broad spectrum of projects proves our capacity to face challenges worldwide and contributes to the development of knowledge in various scientific areas. Amongst the most outstanding projects are those associated to the Marine Science Program (PCM, in its Spanish acronym) funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation, known by their crossdisciplinarity, their significant budget and the high number of Doctorate students involved. Additionally, we have managed to obtain funding in a sum near to 3 million euros to support our research initiatives.

In the area of scientific publications, we are proud to report that a total of 56 articles have been published in impactful scientific magazines. Some of them stand out for being contributions to prestigious journals such as Nature, Nature Climate Change and Nature Communications. This achievement reflects the commitment of IHCantabria with the creation of high-quality and relevance knowledge.

Our team’s efforts have not been ignored and have received recognition through various individual and collective awards. One that presents as an outstanding achievement is National Research Award in Engineering to Íñigo Losada, awarded by the Ministry of Science and Innovation. This recognition highlights the level of excellence and impact of our research work on the national scientific scenario.

Year 2023 has seen 6 Doctorate theses successfully defended, which is evidence of the commitment of IHCantabria with the training of new researchers and the contribution to knowledge development.

One more year, IHCantabria has positioned itself as a reference in applied research, with over 200 people committed to promoting innovation and contributing to sustainable development. This collective commitment promotes our mission to approach environmental and water challenges in an effective manner, thus consolidating our role as key actors in the international scientific community.