Eight institutions in France and Spain sign collaboration agreements to guarantee continuity of trans-Pyrenean research network
Navarrabiomed-Miguel Servet Foundation, which leads Refbio, gave an evaluation today of the results of the first work cycle in which 2,100 professionals from the biomedical sectors in Spain and France have taken part.
Navarrabiomed-Miguel Servet Foundation, which leads Refbio, gave an evaluation today of the results of the first work cycle in which 2,100 professionals from the biomedical sectors in Spain and France have taken part.
Tuesday, 24 March_
Refbio, the Trans-Pyrenean Biomedical Research Network, which was created with the aim of promoting cooperation in health sciences on both sides of the Pyrenees, closed its first cycle today with a conference in Pamplona organised by the network's leader Navarrabiomed – Miguel Servet Foundation.
The event took place in the assembly hall at Hospital Complex B and was chaired by the Regional Minister of Health, Marta Vera. Other participants included Cristina Igoa, Head of Communications of the Working Community of the Pyrenees (CTP), and representatives of the eight institutions involved in Refbio. They all supported the collaboration agreements to guarantee the network's sustainability and to start a new stage in the European research framework (Horizon 2020 programme).
The conference included an evaluation of Refbio's work, in which a total of 2,100 researchers from France and Spain have taken part.
Over two years and half, the network has established ten areas of strategic interest and has managed to develop seventeen transnational research projects, with an average of four institutions taking part in each project.
As regards research management and cross-border cooperation, Refbio also organised four specialised forums, two summer schools and a post-doctoral training course in innovation and entrepreneurship. All the events have promoted knowledge exchange and the strengthening of the biomedical sector, by looking for synergies between research centres, universities and companies.
Keynote speech
The event finished with a talk by Luis Enjuanes, Director of the Coronavirus Laboratory at the CSIC's National Centre for Biotechnology (CNB), entitled: “Emerging Viruses: Coronavirus and Ebola”.
Enjuanes, who is a renowned virologist and was part of the team of experts who advised the Spanish government during the recent Ebola crisis, talked about the viruses which have had the largest worldwide impact over the past few decades, and provided data that explained the management process for each one of them.
The researcher also shared the most effective lines of research that are being developed for antiviral therapy, and his research group's breakthroughs.
More information on Refbio
The main objective of Refbio, the Trans-Pyrenean Biomedical Research Network, is to promote excellence in research in strategic fields: oncology, haematology, cell therapy, neuroscience, epidemiology and public health, cardiovascular, infectious diseases, clinical trials, biobanks and health technologies.
The Refbio project is part of the France-Spain-Andorra Territorial Operational Programme (POCTEFA), as part of the Pyrenean strategy to create a cross-border framework for cooperation in health.
Refbio is made up of the following institutions: Navarrabiomed-Miguel Servet Foundation (leader) ,Institute National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM) from the Midi Pyrénées Limousin, Aragon Health Sciences Institute (IACS), Université Paul Sabatier de Toulouse ,(UPS), Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Toulouse (CHU), Basque Foundation for Health Innovation and Research (BIOEF), Center for Biomedical Research of La Rioja (CIBIR) and Health Research Institute (BIODONOSTIA).
