The mission of the CRG Administration is to create a professional and supportive environment for world-leading research by providing dedicated, timely and effective services to the scientific community. The activities of the CRG Administration include budgetary, financial, purchasing and administrative matters, communication, human resources, grants and legal services, as well as facility management and IT.

Last year was marked by a leadership transition in the Administration. Marian Marrodán retired at the beginning of 2015 after fourteen years at the helm. Building on her accomplishments and after a smooth transition of day-to day operations, the priorities of the new Managing Director, Bruna Vives, were as outlined below:

We have shaped an Administration strategy for the coming period in the framework of the institute’s Strategic Plan 2017-2021 and renewed mission and vision. Our efforts for the next period will be focused on implementing long-term structural changes. At the institutional level, we will strengthen transparency and good governance, while promoting a collaborative, merit-based, inclusive and diverse culture within the Action Plan of the HR Excellence Award given by the European Commission, whose first two years were successfully completed in 2015. At the Administration level, we will develop HR policies and other actions to work towards a service-oriented culture in Administration, that will be focused on efficiency, sustainability and best practice sharing, supported by advanced metrics.

In particular, initial steps have been taken through HR policies, efficiency improvements and community engagement activities towards a cultural change in the Administration. Some initiatives that have been started in 2015 include the establishment of a performance management system to reward merit and achievements, skill development and training activities, simplification and streamlining of transversal processes, paperless Administration initiative and development of new institute-wide tools and IT improvements (e.g. preparatory phase for a fully enhanced and user-friendly Intranet and the pilot stage of the Electronic Laboratory Notebooks). Activities to bring science closer to the Administration have been intensified, such as lab tours and easy science talks, which have been continued, and the first edition of a workshop in the lab for the Administration staff have been launched. As for scientific facilities, we have begun the refurbishment project of cell culture rooms at the CRG to meet European standards of maximum quality. A total of three rooms will be fully remodeled by the end of 2016.

Achieving the successful administrative integration of National Institute for Genomic Analysis (CNAG) on the 1st of July 2015 was another key accomplishment. It was made possible thanks to a collective effort by the Administration team through the planning and implementation of all financial, legal, funding, technical and administrative aspects, while ensuring the continuity of daily activities.