RefBio, a new trans Pyrenean network to promote biomedical research.

-its objective is to erect reference in the cross-border space of the Pyrenees to promote competitive research projects at European level

– the process of creating the network is carrying outon 21 and 22 February in the framework of a working day which was held in Toulouse (France). This network will be definitively in December 2014

Pamplona, February 2013.- a total of 8 biomedical research bodies in five regions on both sides of the Pyrenees, Aragon, La Rioja, Navarre, Basque country and Midi Pyrénées initiated the establishment of a cross-border network of biomedical research in the Pyrenees (RefBio), with the aim of promoting competitive research projects at European level.

Last on 21 and 22 February, the starting gun was given to this project of Constitution of the cross-border network of biomedical research, in the course of a working day that has taken place in the French city of Toulouse, and who has served so specialists in each subject area to interact and define the framework for the establishment of this network.

RefBio is an initiative that is part of the Territorial cooperation operational programme Spain-France – Andorra 2007-2013 (POCTEFA), which will last until November 2014 – date which will formalize is the network- and the same 8 public biomedical research organizations come together: the Foundation Miguel Servet (FMS) – leader of the partnership, the Institute National de la santé et de la Recherche médicale (INSERM) Midi Pyrénées Limousin, the Instituto Aragonés Sciences of health (IACS), the Université Paul Sabatier of Toulouse, (UPS), the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Toulouse (CHU), the Fundación Vasca de Innovación and health research (BIOEF)the center of biomedical research of La Rioja (CIBIR) and the Biomedical Research Institute (BIODONOSTIA).

The draft Constitution of the network is based on three strands of action: the interconnection of research tissue, the optimization of the shared use of infrastructure and the creation of a joint framework for training. In this sense, network will define scientific areas of common interest, identify synergies and as a result will develop collaborative research projects of scale and impact to present to European competitive calls.

in particular, in the event of Toulouse, which was organized by the Institute National de la santé et de la Recherche médicale (INSERM) Midi Pyrénées Limousin, were conducted workshops relating to the 8 main research areas of this project: ‘ Oncology ’, ‘ Cardiovascular and metabolic diseases ’, ‘ Neuroscience ’, ‘ inflammatory and infectious diseases, Immunology ’, ‘ biobanks ’, ‘ cells mother and therapeutic innovation ’, and ‘ technology applied to the health ’.

The aim of the working time of Toulouse has been to promote the interconnection of the tissue researcher bio on both sides of the Pyrenees to foster synergies and collaborations that promote biomedical research, impacting on an improvement of translational research in the framework of the society.

Challenges in biomedical research

RefBio is a project that has a direct impact on the challenges at European level in the field of biomedical research, such as the improvement of interconnection and complementarities of tissue researcher bio, strengthening of research capacities in health of the cross-border space, improving the relationship and strengthening the link between hospitalsresearch centres, universities and companies, or the stimulation of private investment in r & d in the short and medium term.

Also included among these challenges are the contribution to the development of new activities with great added value, the possibility of emergence of innovative companies of technological base (main), the implementation and consolidation of poles of training and biomedical research in the regions of the project, and the contribution to the development of cross-border training topics biosanitary.

Project network

The network project will last for 30 months and was launched last June in Pamplona by the head of rows of the project, the Foundation Miguel Servet. The first two years will allow, firstly, identify stakeholders of each of the partners of the project with the aim of advancing the mutual knowledge of the centers, later giving rise to the development of cooperation between the centres of the network by stays and exchanges of personnel, as well as through collaboration in research and training activitiesJoint n. Also intends putting in common high-impact scientific infrastructure available at the centers.

The network will be formally in the last months of the project, through the development of a Plan of cooperation and the signing of the agreements of collaboration between the centres.

In the final phase, the project includes the extension of the network through the participation of other actors (public and private) that have been previously identified and invited as potential partners for the added value it can bring to the network. In this way, the continuity of the network is guaranteed over time and increases the impact on the cross-border space like the rest of Europe.

National and international cooperation

National and international cooperation is essential for the achievement of important results in the field of biomedical research. Therefore, the RefBio project partners considered operational programme of Territorial cooperation France-Spain – Andorra 2007-2013 (POCTEFA) as the optimum framework for promoting cooperation in biomedical research between the two slopes of the Pyrenees.

The RefBio project fits clearly within the strategy of the Pyrenees create a cross-border framework for cooperation in the field of health, responding to the objectives set by the POCTEFA.