CEICS, Campus of International excellence southern catalonia Coordinated by URV · Rovira i Virgili University

It's been almost 25 years, specifically in 1988, came to Tarragona Eudald Carbonell archaeologist with the idea of forming a research team that was world leader in the study of human evolution. As part of this process, "started as a dream," as he likes to tell the scientist said, the IPHES (Catalan Institute of Human Paleoecology and Social Evolution), he runs, he branded in the early days June his own building.

It is located on the campus Sescelades of the University Rovira i Virgili (URV) in Tarragona, the new building is strategically located next to the Scientific and Technical Services at the university, specifically on Marcelino Domingo Street (Building W3).

In the new building work 60 people. With a total area of 3,000 m2, three floors, the space is intended primarily for laboratories, offices, stores collections of fossils and classroom teaching. The architectural design and installation equipment has been drawn up by architects Javier Romero and Joan Batet and the engineer Miguel Portell.

The IPHES has become in recent years into one of three research centers with the highest scientific impact internationally in the field of Human Evolution. "The major effort in the field work, laboratory, and socialization to the academy, along with a strong public investment, have converged to fulfill a dream and aspirations of our own home and have structure," said Carbonell.

Born in 2006, the IPHES has a staff of 62 individuals between researchers, technical and administrative. The operating budget for the IPHES in 2012 is two million. Building has never owned up to date. For a time he was in a local URV in the heart of the city of Tarragona. In recent years, the spaces used for research were scattered among the municipal building of the Plaza Imperial Tarraco, and Technology Transfer Centre of the URV, Sescelades Campus.

New period of growth

"The own building which ended with the dispersal and respond to the needs of the research activities", says Carles Prats, the manager of IPHES. This process of completion of the work coincides with a new period of growth in the number of researchers and research projects. In addition, the own building will also constitute a stimulus for teaching activities and socialization, opening this center even more to society in general. The new facilities will also be a key element to promote the actions of patronage.

"Finally we have a decent place to study, learn, think and exchange scientific information," asserts Carbonell. For the director of the IPHES, the new building has become "a brain in critical thinking related to a beating heart knowledge on the road to building a new kind of consciousness”.

This work has involved a total investment of 6 million and was financed by 50% by Patrons Foundation (Generalitat of Catalonia, Rovira i Virgili University of Tarragona and City Council) and the other half by the European Regional Development Operational Program under the Objective 2 Regional Competitiveness and Employment ERDF Catalonia 2007-2013.