IMDEA () is a project founded by the
Madrid
Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the Largest cities of the Europ ...
Regional Government, included in the ''IV Regional Plan of Scientific Research and Technological Innovation 2005-2008 (PRICIT)'', for the purpose of setting up advanced research centers and higher education and training in the
Community of Madrid
The Community of Madrid (; es, Comunidad de Madrid ) is one of the seventeen autonomous communities of Spain. It is located in the centre of the Iberian Peninsula, and of the Central Plateau (''Meseta Central''). Its capital and largest munic ...
. Between 2006 and 2008 the project created nine IMDEA Institutes of which two (Mathematics and Social Sciences) were closed.
Organization
Each of the IMDEA Institutes is managed by an independent
foundation
Foundation may refer to:
* Foundation (nonprofit), a type of charitable organization
** Foundation (United States law), a type of charitable organization in the U.S.
** Private foundation, a charitable organization that, while serving a good cause ...
. There are currently seven, each specializing in an area of knowledge, as indicated by their names:
*
IMDEA Water Institute combines knowledge from experimental, legal and
social sciences
Social science is one of the branches of science, devoted to the study of societies and the relationships among individuals within those societies. The term was formerly used to refer to the field of sociology, the original "science of so ...
as well as
engineering
Engineering is the use of scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad range of more speciali ...
, to address a variety of water management concerns in the 21st century. Its research includes scientific and social aspects of water, including supply and demand; quality and quantity; physical, chemical and biological characteristics; time and space variability;
watershed processes; and economic, ecological, and equity considerations.
*
IMDEA Food Institute was initially set up to undertake research in food-related areas, such as
nutrition
Nutrition is the biochemical and physiological process by which an organism uses food to support its life. It provides organisms with nutrients, which can be metabolized to create energy and chemical structures. Failure to obtain sufficient ...
and
health
Health, according to the World Health Organization, is "a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease and infirmity".World Health Organization. (2006)''Constitution of the World Health Organiza ...
, or
food quality
Food quality is a concept often based on the organoleptic characteristics (e.g., taste, aroma, appearance) and nutritional value of food. Producers reducing potential pathogens and other hazards through food safety practices is another important fa ...
and
safety
Safety is the state of being "safe", the condition of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk.
Meanings
There are two slightly dif ...
. By agreement from the Scientific Council, it has increasingly focused research on Nutritional Genomics.
*
IMDEA Energy Institute was created to promote and undertake research and development in energy-related areas, principally
renewable energy and clean
energy technologies
Energy development is the field of activities focused on obtaining sources of energy from natural resources. These activities include production of renewable, nuclear, and fossil fuel derived sources of energy, and for the recovery and reus ...
, with the aim of developing a
sustainable energy system with little or no environmental impact.
*
IMDEA Materials Institute brings together researchers from around the world to Madrid to conduct research in
Materials Science and
Engineering
Engineering is the use of scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad range of more speciali ...
. The institute also focuses on
technology transfer
Technology transfer (TT), also called transfer of technology (TOT), is the process of transferring (disseminating) technology from the person or organization that owns or holds it to another person or organization, in an attempt to transform invent ...
to the industrial sector in order to increase business competitiveness.
*
IMDEA Nanoscience Institute, created jointly by the Community of Madrid and the
Spanish Ministry of Education and Science
gl, Goberno de España eu, Espainiako Gobernua
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, caption = Logo of the Government of Spain
, headerstyle = background-color: #efefef
, label1 = Role
, data1 = Executive power
, label2 = Established
, da ...
, organizes research groups of scientists, both local and international, to advance
Nanoscience
The nanoscopic scale (or nanoscale) usually refers to structures with a length scale applicable to nanotechnology, usually cited as 1–100 nanometers (nm). A nanometer is a billionth of a meter. The nanoscopic scale is (roughly speaking) a lo ...
and
Nanotechnology. The Institute also provides scientific and technical training, and promotes technology transfer and the creation of businesses in Madrid and Spain.
*
IMDEA Networks Institute's researchers study the emergent properties of today's
communication network
A telecommunications network is a group of Node (networking), nodes interconnected by telecommunications links that are used to exchange messages between the nodes. The links may use a variety of technologies based on the methodologies of circuit ...
s in order to be able to improve the
algorithms
In mathematics and computer science, an algorithm () is a finite sequence of rigorous instructions, typically used to solve a class of specific problems or to perform a computation. Algorithms are used as specifications for performing ...
and
protocols
Protocol may refer to:
Sociology and politics
* Protocol (politics), a formal agreement between nation states
* Protocol (diplomacy), the etiquette of diplomacy and affairs of state
* Etiquette, a code of personal behavior
Science and technology ...
that allow these networks to operate. They create
mathematical models
A mathematical model is a description of a system using mathematical concepts and language. The process of developing a mathematical model is termed mathematical modeling. Mathematical models are used in the natural sciences (such as physics, ...
and validate
theories
A theory is a rational type of abstract thinking about a phenomenon, or the results of such thinking. The process of contemplative and rational thinking is often associated with such processes as observational study or research. Theories may be ...
through
simulations
A simulation is the imitation of the operation of a real-world process or system over time. Simulations require the use of models; the model represents the key characteristics or behaviors of the selected system or process, whereas the s ...
and measurements in test beds and/or real-world deployments.
*
IMDEA Software Institute devises rigorous methods that allow cost-effective development of practical
software
Software is a set of computer programs and associated software documentation, documentation and data (computing), data. This is in contrast to Computer hardware, hardware, from which the system is built and which actually performs the work.
...
products with high-quality, sophisticated functionality, i.e., safe, reliable, and efficient. The focus of the Institute includes all phases of the
software development cycle (
analysis
Analysis ( : analyses) is the process of breaking a complex topic or substance into smaller parts in order to gain a better understanding of it. The technique has been applied in the study of mathematics and logic since before Aristotle (3 ...
,
design
A design is a plan or specification for the construction of an object or system or for the implementation of an activity or process or the result of that plan or specification in the form of a prototype, product, or process. The verb ''to design' ...
,
implementation
Implementation is the realization of an application, or execution of a plan, idea, model, design, specification, standard, algorithm, or policy.
Industry-specific definitions
Computer science
In computer science, an implementation is a real ...
,
validation and verification
Verification and validation (also abbreviated as V&V) are independent procedures that are used together for checking that a product, service, or system meets requirements and specifications and that it fulfills its intended purpose. These are ...
), as well as
methods
Method ( grc, μέθοδος, methodos) literally means a pursuit of knowledge, investigation, mode of prosecuting such inquiry, or system. In recent centuries it more often means a prescribed process for completing a task. It may refer to:
*Scien ...
,
languages, and
tools.
Each of the Institutes is governed and administered by a Board of Trustees, who may be appointed or elected, and who choose a Director. Some of the trustees are well-known scientists, and others are experts in areas related to the foundations' goals, working at universities and other research centers on the Board. Trustees with business experience or recognized professional prestige in the sectors related to the foundations' goals may also be appointed.
Each institute also has a Scientific Council, or Scientific Advisory Board, composed of researchers in the areas related to each Institute's goals. These scientists advise the Director in the development of the annual action plan and the four-year plan of objectives; evaluating the results of both of these plans; advising the Council on all scientific work submitted for its approval; and making proposals to the Council for the renewal and appointment of trustees.
Closures
* IMDEA Mathematics, directed by
Enrique Zuazua was closed the first.
* IMDEA Social sciences started its closure in Jan 2012, after its subsidies were withheld.
Controversies
* In 2014, COLT TECHNOLOGIES SERVICES SAU denounces IMDEA Materials Institute for fraud in using the communication system, asking for a compensation of 149.487,5 euros.
* In Feb, 2016 the
Camara de cuentas de Madrid publishes how IMDEA Water Institute created fictitious contracts.
* In April 2016, the European Union stops the payments on the IMDEA Energy Institute building for "severe deficiences in the management and tracking".
* In April 2017, the current Scientific Director and founder of IMDEA Materials Institute explains in an interview how he proselytizes in the Institute, and how researchers are instructed against divorce and abortion.
* IMDEA institutes promise tenure positions to their workers when promoted to senior researchers, but only offers 'contrato de investigador distinguido', a Spanish position that is not equivalent to the Anglo-Saxon term 'tenure' and allows the easy firing of employees. Also, according to a report and documents shown by El Confidencial. IMDEA Materials proactively includes a clause in the so-called 'tenured' researchers to allow annual evaluation that leads to their firing when not passed.
* According to a report and documents shown by El Diario,
El Diario
Un centro público de la Comunidad de Madrid colocó a un investigador fantasma para cobrar una beca europea IMDEA Materials requested more than 36000 euros to the European Union for a non existing work in a project that was justified by including a researcher that confessed not having performed any essential contribution.
References
External links
IMDEA Water Institute
IMDEA Food Institute
IMDEA Energy Institute
IMDEA Materials Institute
IMDEA Nanoscience Institute
IMDEA Networks Institute
IMDEA Software Institute
Report of the Madrid Institutes for Advances Studies (IMDEA)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Instituto Madrileno de Estudios Avanzados
Research institutes in the Community of Madrid
Science and technology in Spain
Non-profit organisations based in Spain