IRB Barcelona’s research purpose is to address fundamental biological questions in order to provide groundbreaking solutions to unmet medical needs. Our institute is organised around three major research challenges: Cancer Science, Aging and Metabolism, and Mechanisms of Disease, with the aim to decipher why diseases develop and find new ways to diagnose, prevent and treat them. Approximately 400 scientists, technical and administrative staff from 29 countries currently work at IRB Barcelona. IRB Barcelona's ultimate objective is to translate research results to the clinic and has already established three biotechnology spin-off companies to this end. The institute was created by the Catalan government in October 2005 and is located at the Barcelona Science Park. In 2011, IRB Barcelona is a CERCA center and was named a "Severo Ochoa Centre of Excellence" by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation. Since 2015, IRB Barcelona is a member of The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology (BIST).