Barcelona Funding at the Frontier: hosted by ARIA, Nucleate Spain, and ATG SynBio Spain
We're gathering Barcelona's leading scientists, engineers, founders, and technical leaders pursuing research at the edge of what is possible.
Join us for an evening exploring how ambitious science gets funded, and how exceptional technical leaders can shape entirely new research directions.
We'll begin with a short introduction to ARIA, followed by lightning talks from researchers and founders working on ambitious technical problems, before continuing the conversation over food and drinks.
Please note this is a register-of-interest event. Registration does not guarantee attendance, and places are limited and subject to approval.
What is ARIA?
The Advanced Research and Invention Agency (ARIA) is the UK's high-risk, high-reward R&D funding agency, created to unlock scientific and technological breakthroughs by supporting research that is too ambitious, speculative, or interdisciplinary to pursue elsewhere.
ARIA operates through Programme Directors: exceptional scientific and technical leaders who spot overlooked opportunities, define bold technical visions, and bring together the people and projects needed to pursue them.
ARIA is now recruiting its third cohort of Programme Directors for a May 2027 start.
Who should attend?
This event is intended for deeply technical people who:
Have experience leading ambitious, outcome-driven scientific or technical work
Enjoy uncovering non-obvious approaches to difficult problems
Care about shaping the future of science and technology
May be interested in becoming a future ARIA Programme Director or applying for ARIA's funding
Schedule
16:00-16:30. Arrival, food & drinks
16:30-16:35. Welcome from Nucleate Spain by Carlos Navarrete, Co-Managing Director.
16:35-16:40. Introduction from ATG SynBio Spain by Fran Antequera, Founder & President.
16:40-17:10. Lightning talks from researchers and founders based in Barcelona
17:10-17:30. What is ARIA? Programme Directors and funding opportunities
17:30-19:00. Food, drinks & networking
Speakers
Lightning talks include scientific and technical leaders working on ambitious scientific and engineering challenges in the Barcelona ecosystem.
Brian Wang (ARIA Programme Director leading the Sustained Viral Resilience programme).
Marc Güell (ICREA Research Professor and Head of the Synbio Lab at the Pompeu Fabra University; Co-Founder and Scientific Head at Integra Therapeutics).
Daniela Pamias (PhD Candidate in Biotechnology and Venture Scientist at Deep Science Ventures).
All speakers to be announced soon.
About Nucleate
Nucleate is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering the next generation of biotech leaders. With chapters spanning 41 geographic regions and participation from over 280 academic institutions, Nucleate sparks new intellectual communities and embeds emerging talent within a global biotech community. Through open-access educational programming, Nucleate helps democratize biotech innovation — removing barriers and helping founders concentrate on building transformational technologies. Visit www.nucleate.org for more information, and visit https://nucleate.org/privacy-policy/ to read our privacy policy.
We want to thank our HQ supporters for championing our open-access mission and empowering the next generation of biotech entrepreneurs! https://nucleate.org/sponsors/