Javier Aramayona has been director of ICMAT since 2022. Image: Álvaro Minguito/ICMAT.
(Source: SOMMa)
On Friday, 27 February 2026, during an extraordinary General Assembly, a change in the presidency of the SOMMa Alliance took effect. The Alliance brings together centres and units accredited with the Severo Ochoa and María de Maeztu programmes of excellence, including the ICMAT.
“The SOMMa Alliance is a key instrument for structuring the Spanish scientific system and highlighting the social and economic contribution of the excellent research carried out in our country. It promotes active dialogue within the scientific sector, as well as with the business sector, public policy makers and society, to ensure that science is connected to the major collective challenges,” explains Javier Aramayona, director of the ICMAT and newly appointed first vice-president of the Alliance.
Isabel Márquez, scientific director of the Severo Ochoa project at the Institute of Astrophysics of Andalusia (IAA-CSIC), takes over as president of SOMMa, replacing Antonio Molina, who is ending his term at the helm of the Alliance. Amparo López, director of the Institute of Agrochemistry and Food Technology (IATA-CSIC), joins as second vice-president.
‘Our goal is to continue promoting proposals that reinforce research excellence, improve the structural conditions of the centres and contribute to social and economic progress through knowledge,’ said Márquez. ‘The value of SOMMa lies in the collaboration between centres and units from different disciplines, in the shared intelligence of its working groups and in the commitment of its researchers,’ she added.
The SOMMa Alliance currently brings together 70 Severo Ochoa Centres of Excellence and María de Maeztu Units of Excellence, which carry out cutting-edge research in all areas of knowledge. Its mission is to strengthen and raise the profile of scientific excellence in Spain, enhance its international leadership and contribute to the improvement of the scientific system through strategic proposals and coordinated work among its members.
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