The President of the Generalitat, Salvador Illa, has announced that the Catalan Government will launch the Catalonia Talent Bridge program to offer more than 70 positions to researchers from the United States. According to the head of the executive, the positions will be offered to those “who wish to apply, with a single requirement: a commitment to the highest level of excellence.” He stated that this program is being created “in response to the denialism we see in some countries, in this case the United States, for all those who may see their academic freedom curtailed or their research projects frustrated.”

The Catalonia Talent Bridge is a three-year program, endowed with 30 million euros, carried out in collaboration with the twelve public universities of Catalonia. He also explained that Catalonia “has 40 centers of research excellence” to offer positions to these more than 70 research professionals. “With this welcoming program, we want to strengthen Catalonia’s role in the international talent network,” he emphasized.

The announcement took place at the Recinte Modernista Sant Pau during the closing event of the Gran Encuentro Expansión Catalunya, which brought together political and business leaders to analyze the challenges and opportunities of Catalonia’s economic future and the strategy towards sustainable growth. During his speech, the head of the Government defended a “committed and responsible Catalonia within Europe.”