On Monday, the University of Barcelona, the Barcelona Provincial Council and the Government of Catalonia presented the project to rehabilitate the former theatre at Mundet Campus to house the future research centre, the Barcelona Centre for Applied Neurosciences (BCAN), a high-level scientific facility that aims to position Catalonia as an international benchmark in neuroscience applied to health. The project is led by the UB through the Institute of Neurosciences (UBneuro) and is supported by the Provincial Council and the Government of Catalonia.
The refurbishment works, which are scheduled to be completed by the end of 2028, represent an investment of approximately €12 million. The project will be funded equally by the Provincial Council and the Government of Catalonia through ERDF funds. The Provincial Council will cover 50% of the total project cost to secure European co-financing and ensure the viability of the building's transformation.
Towards personalized brain medicine
The BCAN represents the Catalan research system's most ambitious initiative to lead the transition towards personalized brain medicine and technological innovation with a significant social impact. It will act as a driving force for research, development and innovation in the field of neuroscience applied to healthcare, offering tangible solutions to the health and wellbeing challenges of the 21st century. It will focus on areas such as mental health in adolescence and the digital age, conditions linked to neurodegeneration and ageing, and illnesses such as depression and anxiety, amongst others.
The centre will feature technological infrastructure that is unique in Spain, positioning Barcelona as a magnet for international talent and an economic driver based on neurotechnology. The BCAN will integrate disciplines such as computational neuroengineering and neuroscience, and is conceived as a highly specialized hub with state-of-the-art facilities and laboratories on an international level, with equipment available only in a very small number of research centres worldwide.
A science centre housed in a building of heritage and artistic value
The BCAN will be located in the former theatre on the Mundet Campus, a building owned by the Barcelona Provincial Council and placed at the disposal of the UB. Built in 1957, the theatre was, at the time, the largest auditorium in Barcelona, with a capacity of 1,300 people, and formed part of the cultural life of the Llars Mundet care complex.
The refurbishment project, led by Barceló Balanzó Arquitectes and Scob Arquitectura i Paisatge, will preserve the building's original architectural structure and its distinctive features, such as the tiered seating and the spatial layout. The artworks incorporated into the building will also be preserved and restored, notably pieces by Josep Guinovart, Armand Olivé and Julio Bono. This artistic heritage will remain visible within the new project, ensuring symbolic continuity between the cultural memory of the space and its new scientific use.
The project will incorporate criteria relating to energy efficiency, environmental sustainability and functional flexibility to ensure that the facilities can be adapted to future research needs
