iMM-CARE: BOOSTING CLINICAL RESEARCH FOR THE BENEFIT OF SOCIETY

iMM-CARE will deliver a pioneering Centre of Excellence (CoE) in human-centred clinical and translational research in Portugal by teaming up Instituto de Medicina Molecular João Lobo Antunes (iMM) with Vall d'Hebron Barcelona Hospital Institute of Research (VHIR).

Having VHIR as a role model and strategic partner will create the framework and actions to have the best health care and research on a single campus – the Lisbon Academic Medical Centre (CAML) - catalysing a virtuous continuum across all stages of biomedical research, from bench to bedside and back again.iMM-CARE will develop and promote excellence in clinical and translational research, profoundly transforming how clinical and translational research is conceptualized, planned and implemented to deliver effective solutions to the most pressing health needs.

The CoE will have at its core a mission-driven, human-centred, data-driven research and innovation (R&I) model as a new way to engage all stakeholders – citizens, patients, healthcare professionals, scientists, entrepreneurs, industry, health authorities and government – in interdisciplinary, cross-sectoral collaborations to solve health challenges.

An articulated set of coordination and support actions will be driven by disease-specific missions, place people (citizens and patients) at the core of the R&I process, and leverage the power of new digital technologies and data to accelerate the path of R&I in broad collaborative efforts across the healthcare value chain.

The broad collaborative efforts will follow the quadruple helix approach, use open innovation and open science methods to develop and enhance R&I capacities and projects to facilitate a rapid uptake of advanced technologies and solutions by healthcare systems at national and international levels.

The upgraded CoE will act as a lighthouse and role model driving structural changes leading to a modernised and more competitive biomedical and health R&I system in Portugal and the EU.