Mission & History
The International Centre for Numerical Methods in Engineering (CIMNE) is a research organization created in 1987 at the heart of the prestigious Technical University of Catalonia (UPC) as a partnership between the Government of Catalonia and UPC, in cooperation with UNESCO. The aim of CIMNE is the development of numerical methods and computational techniques for advancing knowledge and technology in engineering and applied sciences. The ultimate goal of CIMNE is to become an international reference centre and leader in computational mechanics, through achieving excellence in all the activities carried out by the centre.
In December 2019 became one of the six “Centre for Excellence Severo Ochoa” accredited by the Spanish State Research Agency (attached to the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities).
CIMNE’s headquarters are located at the heart of the Technical University of Catalonia (UPC) in Barcelona. CIMNE has also premises at different buildings in several campus of the UPC. CIMNE has also offices in Spain (Madrid, Castelldefels, Terrassa and Lleida). In 2005 CIMNE started its international expansion and since then has created the international branches CIMNE Iber (Non-profit Foundation in Salta, Argentina) and CIMNE USA (Non-profit Corporation in Washington DC, USA). The centre has also strong links with the most renowned scientific institutions in Singapore and China.
CIMNE employs some 250 scientists and engineers who work in the different offices of CIMNE around the world. CIMNE has also established a network of 30 Classrooms in partnership with Universities in Spain and 9 Latin American countries.
The research and technology development (RTD) activities of CIMNE cover a wide spectrum of topics ranging from classical engineering fields such as civil, mechanic, environmental, naval, marine and offshore, food, telecommunication and bio-medical engineering, computer sciences and applied sciences such as material sciences bio-medicine, computational physics, nature, social and economic sciences and multimedia sciences, among others.
Over its history, CIMNE has taken part in over 2,000 RTD projects in cooperation with some 500 companies, universities and research Centres worldwide.
The RTD activities of CIMNE are complemented by education and training activities via Master Courses, short courses and seminars and CIMNE Coffee talks. CIMNE scientists supervise doctorate students in cooperation with several universities in Spain and worldwide.
CIMNE has an own Publications Department in charge of publishing books, monographs, research reports and technical reports. Besides, CIMNE also has a Congress Department that organizes international conferences and workshops in the different areas of CIMNE. It has organized 150 conferences since 1987.
CIMNE has a vocation for transferring the scientific and technical outputs from RTD projects to the industrial sector. This is effectively carried out in cooperation with companies from different sectors that exploit and market the CIMNE technology. CIMNE has actively promoted the creation of spin-off companies, some of them totally or partially owned by CIMNE, which play an important role in the industrialization and exploitation of CIMNE technology.
CIMNE maintains close cooperation links with many universities and RTD Centres in the field of computational engineering and sciences worldwide. CIMNE has access to the computing facilities of several supercomputer Centres in Spain and Europe.
CIMNE has been identified as one of the International Centres of Excellence on Simulation-Based Engineering and Sciences in a recent National Science Foundation (NSF) report [Glotzer et al., WTEC Panel Report on International Assessment of Research and Development in Simulation Based Engineering and Science. World Technology Evaluation Centre (wtec.org), 2009].