The overall vision of the PRBB Intervals programme is to help staff in centres of the Barcelona Biomedical Research Park (Parc de Recerca Biomedica de Barcelona - PRBB) develop their skills for working in complex spaces and across boundaries - in science and beyond. The basis of learning is systems focused and interdisciplinary, seeking to promote adaptability, flexibility and resilience in the face of constant change. 

The programme has two aims:

1. To provide high quality, innovative interdisciplinary education for PRBB staff
   

   Development of interdisciplinary skills can help people become more rounded professionals and can empower them to become more effective as leaders and change-makers in today’s uncertain world. Professionals who demonstrate strong interdisciplinary skills are increasingly sought after by employers and also have more options open to them as they progress through their careers, whether in science or other disciplines.

2. To contribute to the process of community building in the PRBB

   The Intervals programme is part of a raft of initiatives organised by the PRBB Consortium to help PRBB staff feel a sense of belonging to an ethical and caring, local scientific community. The programme aims to promote inclusiveness and networking across the community by ensuring as fair a representation as possible from all PRBB Centres, staff groups and career stages. Many of our courses mix junior with senior staff, and scientists with non-scientists. 

You can read more about the Intervals programme here:

Finding levers for culture change in science – the power of glocal

Any member of staff of any of the PRBB Centres is eligible to participate in the programme free of charge. Some courses have restricted registration depending on career experience, specific skill levels and other considerations. These criteria are specified in each course description but if you are in doubt as to your eligibility please do not hesitate to contact us.

Please note: PRBB Intervals courses are only open to staff affiliated to PRBB Centres.

We stipulate as a condition of registration that participants must commit to giving at least 72 hours notice of cancellation to give us time to find a replacement. Intervals programme events are free of charge to participants and as such are a privileged opportunity for PRBB staff.

Given high demand for places we operate a waiting list system so that if someone has to cancel, there is always someone to take their place. For the waiting list system to work it is essential that people communicate in a timely manner with the organisers if they need to cancel a place. Participants who do not respect the cancellation notice period may be placed on a black list and not permitted to participate in further courses.

We regret that due to funding conditions we are unable to accept non-PRBB staff to PRBB Intervals courses.

All our trainers are carefully selected from amongst the best in their field, often on the basis of personal recommendations from senior PRBB staff. We aim to maintain a broad portfolio of trainers from international, national and local arenas as well as from amongst PRBB senior staff. In 2019, 15 of our 34 trainers were members of staff from PRBB Centres.

The focus of PRBB Intervals courses is on participative and interactive learning so we keep the numbers in our workshops low – usually 15 participants or fewer.

The majority of PRBB Intervals courses are held in English. We also offer a small number of courses in Spanish, in particular those that are of general interest to the whole PRBB community.

One of the two aims of the Intervals programme - see above - is to help to support community spirit in the PRBB building. We therefore aim to provide opportunities for staff from different PRBB Centres to mix and make informal links while learning and we distribute places on each course as fairly as possible between the Centres.

PRBB Centres have different staff sizes, so for every course, each Centre has an allocated number of places roughly equivalent to their staff size as a proportion of the total PRBB community - the larger Centres having more places. As places get taken up, we sometimes withhold accepting registrations from one Centre to enable people from other Centres to catch up and fill their apportioned places. As the course date approaches however, we waive this process to ensure that all places are filled. Within each Centre’s registrations, places are allocated on a first come, first served basis.

You can have a certificate if you attend to minimum 75% of a course.

The PRBB Intervals programme is funded entirely by the Consorci PRBB from public money. All programme courses and workshops are free of charge to professionals working in any of the PRBB Centres irrespective of their institutional affiliation. We do not accept sponsorship from any private or industry sources.

An interval [interval (Cat), intervalo (Sp), intervalle (Fr), intervall (Ger)], has many shades of meaning depending on the context, but all derive from the Latin term intervallum meaning the space between the ramparts (vallum). In ancient Roman cities the space between the inner ramparts of the city wall and the front facades of nearby buildings was referred to as the intervallum. This space allowed the troops to move around easily and to access the rampart itself, as well as offering an additional space in which missiles hurled from outside would fall without hitting the buildings of the city itself.

The term “interval” is used in music, mathematics and exercise training to refer to the idea of the importance of space, of rest, of distance or of time, between or within one event and another.

The notion of focus on the space in-between, reflects the essence of our programme.

The Intervals programme gives space for reflection and discussion of ideas that lie on the borderlands between:

• natural sciences and humanities
• the rigour of the scientific method and the flexibility needed for working with others
• the objectivity of science and the subjectivity of our perceptions and experience

All participants on our courses are asked to complete a course Reaction Sheet to give us feedback on the course contents, trainers and other relevant aspects of the organisation. These sheets are summarised and then used to help us work with our trainers to modify and develop future editions to accommodate participants’ suggestions. We always welcome more general feedback on the programme as well as suggestions and ideas for courses and events.

Read our recent annual reports.