Biomedical research centres from either side of the Pyrenees strengthen their collaboration in the Basque Country

  • Refbio, the Trans-Pyrenean Biomedical Research Network, is strengthening its collaboration by promoting 17 collaborative projects in 10 areas of strategic interest in Biomedicine.
  • The session had institutional support from the Head of Health Research and Innovation from the Basque Government’s Health Department, María Aguirre Rueda, and the Director of the Navarrabiomed-Miguel Servet Foundation, José María Roig Aldasoro.

(Bilbao, 24 January 2014).- Biomedical research centres from either side of the Pyrenees got together on Wednesday 22nd and Thursday 23rd at Bilbao Exhibition Centre (BEC) to strengthen their collaboration and promote joint projects. The gathering took place in the framework of Refbio, the Trans-Pyrenean Biomedical Research Network, made up of entities from the Basque Country, Navarre, La Rioja, Aragon and Midi Pyrénées, with the aim of promoting 17 collaborative projects in 10 areas of strategic interest in the field of Biomedicine, such as oncology, cardiovascular health and neuroscience, amongst others

The Head of Health Research and Innovation from the Basque Government’s Health Department, María Aguirre, and the Director of the Navarrabiomed-Miguel Servet Foundation, José María Roig, took part in the event during the workshop yesterday.

Both María Aguirre and José María Roig agreed that this Refbio meeting had been very satisfactory because it was a “good opportunity to move forward in future research projects and to extend the network”. “All this will help to improve translational research in the heart of society,” they added.

It is the third partnership meeting held by Refbio, which is funded by the Spain-France-Andorra Territorial Cooperation Operational Programme 2007-2013 (POCTEFA), and gives continuity to the previous meetings, held in 2013 in Toulouse and San Sebastián. The collaborative projects with half a million euros in funding were approved at the latter. The collaborative projects are being carried out following the established work plan and the researchers are highly interested and involved. Thus, Refbio is a very successful network and aims to make the most of the high number of participants in order to continue to grow.

As well as boosting cross-border collaboration between Biomedicine professionals through collaborative projects, Refbio will provide resources and means so that the collaborative projects can be presented in European programmes (Horizon 2020).

At this meeting the biomedical research centres taking part in Refbio evaluated the exchanges and joint projects, established the work methodology for joint research and planned the next joint workshop in Logroño in May, and the summer school which will take place in September in Pamplona. Plans were also made to create a network of the researching infrastructures of each entity, and joint training proposals were discussed.

Information on Refbio

Refbio is a project to create a Trans-Pyrenean Biomedical Research Network, with the aim of becoming a benchmark network in the areas on either side of the Pyrenees to promote competitive research projects at a European level.

Refbio is an initiative that is part of the 2007-2013 Spain-France-Andorra Territorial Cooperation Operational Programme (POCTEFA), which will be extended to November 2014, when the network will be formalised. It includes eight biomedical research bodies from five regions on either side of the Pyrenees: