The Católica Biomedical Research Centre (CBR), the new research centre of Católica Medical School, will be inaugurated tomorrow, October 24, on the campus of the Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência Campus.
According to Pedro Simas, director of the CBR, the new centre will "develop fundamental, multidisciplinary biomedical research, guided by the interests of its researchers". This is driven by "talented researchers who combine innovative technologies that unite medicine, biology and engineering, with the aim of understanding complex systems and finding solutions to current and future social challenges, both in terms of human health and the planet", he emphasised.
Also in the words of the President of Católica, Isabel Capeloa Gil, "the CBR is a contribution to Portugal's competitiveness in science and was created to make a difference". And in this sense, the CBR is part of an ecosystem that aspires to promote human health through research and innovation in teaching and medical practice.
Regarding the new research centre, the Director of Católica Medical School, António de Almeida, says that "in order to train doctors for the medicine of the future, with an inquisitive and critical culture, mastery of the scientific method and close collaboration with researchers is essential".
In cooperation with the Católica Medical School, Hospital da Luz Lisboa and União das Misericórdias Portuguesas, the CBR is participating in the first non-governmental Clinical Academic Centre (CAC) in Portugal - the CAC Católica-Luz.
The CBR is currently based on the campus of the Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência, in Oeiras, to benefit from its privileged research environment, highly qualified resources and specialised infrastructures, in a collaboration between Universidade Católica and the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation.
Created in 2021, the CBR currently has eight research groups led by researchers Cláudio Franco, Luís Teixeira, Maria João Amorim, Raquel Oliveira, Pedro Simas, Sara Silva Pereira, José Lourenço and João Raimundo, who study the most diverse aspects of biomedicine, from infection and immunity, epidemiology, angiogenesis, regulation of gene expression and cell division, among others.
The commitment to diverse lines of research will allow to analyse and solve complex problems using complementary approaches. The current researchers have competitive national and international funding, namely from various European Commission programmes (including several European Research Council grants), the La Caixa Foundation, the US National Institutes of Health and the Foundation for Science and Technology. Over a period of 10 years, CBR hopes to bring together a total of 20 leading researchers.
In close collaboration with Oeiras City Council, the CBR is establishing a strong relationship with society, namely with students and secondary school teachers in the municipality, and playing an active role in building scientific and health literacy skills in the general population.
Photo by Grumpy Panda