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From left to right:J. Alberch, vice-rector for Research, Innovation and Transfer at the UB; M. Vendrell, CEO of Biocat and PCB; D. Ramírez, rector of the UB; C. Vela, secretary of state for R&D+i; A.Castellano, secretary of Universities and Research; J. Samitier, interim director at EIT Health Spain and director of IBEC; and J. M. Martorell director general of Research.
 11.03.2015

El PCB hosts the presentation of EIT Health Spain, the Spanish node of the most important European initiative in health innovation

Parc Científic de Barcelona hosted yesterday the public presentation of the Spanish node of the Knowledge and Innovation Community (KIC) in Health or EIT-Health. Constituted by the European Institute of Technology (EIT), it is the most ambitious project ever carried out with public funds in Europe in the field of health innovation to foster healthy lifestyles and active ageing. With headquarters at PCB, EIT Health Spain –led by the University of Barcelona (UB) with the support of Biocat– is made up of 25 leading public and private organizations in their respective sectors and is committed to health innovation. 

 

 

On the presentation of the Spanish co-location centre, the rector of the University of Barcelona (UB), Dídac Ramírez, affirmed: “The University coordinates the Spanish node of EITHealth; this represents one of the most important successes of the UB in the last five years, because it recognises its international excellence and scientific competitiveness in the field of health sciences”. 

Josep Samitier, interim director of EIT Health Spain and director of the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC), highlighted that one of the main aims of the initiative is to “bring quality of life to the ageing population” in order to respond to increased life expectancy in Europe, where estimates say one in three citizens will be over 65 by 2060.  

“Now we’re joining the Premiere League of health research, education and innovation in Europe.”  With this football metaphor, CEO of Biocat and Parc Cientific de Barcelona (PCB) Montserrat Vendrell summed up the importance of EIT Health Spain. “EIT Health will allow us to search for global solutions to the great challenges facing Europe in terms of health, like the ageing population, rising healthcare costs and training the professionals of the future, by combining public and private resources and with a horizon of 7-10 years, which will allow us to plan where we want to reach in the short term,” highlighted Montserrat Vendrell.

For his part, Government of Catalonia Secretary General for Universities and Research Antoni Castellà stated that “EIT Health is a great project extending beyond borders to generate and bring knowledge to the market”. After Castellà provided data on the Catalan R&D+i system, he further noted that the co-location center “noted that the co-location center “will take Barcelona’s capacities in innovation and education to an even higher level.” “We are absolutely convinced that the successful model of research of Barcelona and Catalonia provides a very suitable environment to host this project”. 

On behalf of the Government of Valencia, Teresa de Rojas Galiana, general director of Planning, Assessment, Research, and Patient Care Quality for the Valencian Ministry of Health.noted that “we are facing new trends to make use of research, education and innovation (the knowledge triangle) to turn inventions into products, students into entrepreneurs and business ideas into market opportunities in order to improve the quality of life of citizens. “

The event also featured Blanca Jordan, head of research and innovation at ATOS, explained the tools to be used for EIT Health, like multidisciplinary collaboration projects, a business accelerator and an educational campus of excellence. Additionally, Ramón Farré, professor in the department of physiology at the University of Barcelona, spoke about one of the other aims of EIT Health, EIT Alumni, to boost higher education programs geared towards innovation and entrepreneurship. 

The event was closed by Carmen Vela, Secretary of State for Research, Development and Innovation, who emphasized the main goals of EIT Health, both at an European and at a national level: “EIT Health has some very ambitious goals but with the talent concentrated in the project, they will be achieved,” said Vela.

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