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The Fundació Catalunya La Pedrera awards 33 Talents Grants to retain medical and research talent in Catalonia

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  • The Fundació Catalunya La Pedrera is firmly committed to promoting research through programmes such as the Talents Grants, which foster health research and innovation
  • The Talents Grants are the result of a collaboration with Germans Trias i Pujol University Hospital, Hospital Clínic Barcelona, Vall d'Hebron Institute of Oncology and Bellvitge University Hospital
  • Since the Talents Programme began, the Fundació Catalunya La Pedrera has invested €2.2 million, awarding grants to around 200 professionals

Yesterday, La Pedrera hosted the award ceremony for the 2024 and 2025 editions of the Talents Grants, attended by the Honourable Ms Olga Pané, Catalan minister of Health; Mr Germán Ramón-Cortés, president of the Fundació Catalunya La Pedrera; and Ms Marta Lacambra, director general of the Fundació. Representatives of the partner hospitals also took part: Ms Silvia Cordomí, managing director of Bellvitge University Hospital; Dr Josep Maria Campistol, director general of Hospital Clínic Barcelona; Dr Jordi Ara, director of clinical research at the Germans Trias i Pujol University Hospital; and Dr Elena Élez, medical oncologist and clinical researcher at the Vall d'Hebron Institute of Oncology (VHIO). During the ceremony, Ms Pané highlighted: "Catalonia is a benchmark in biomedical research thanks to initiatives like this one. Collaboration between institutions is key to advancing medicine and improving people's quality of life".

The Talents Grants Programme

The Talents Grants were created by the Fundació Catalunya La Pedrera with the aim of retaining talent in Catalonia and promoting research. Together with the Germans Trias i Pujol Research Institute and University Hospital, the programme established post-residency grants for young specialist doctors and healthcare professionals considered excellent and prominent in their respective fields. The grants support them in carrying out a research project with the aim of completing a doctoral thesis. Over the years, other leading hospitals have joined the initiative, including Hospital Clínic Barcelona, Vall d'Hebron Institute of Oncology and Bellvitge University Hospital.

Since 2012, the Fundació Catalunya La Pedrera has funded around 200 professionals, supported more than 170 research projects and contributed to over 150 scientific publications across 30 different medical specialties. In total, the Fundació has allocated €2,225,000 to the programme, with contributions to the collaborating hospitals as follows:

  • Germans Trias i Pujol University Hospital (HUGTP): €825,000
  • Hospital Clínic Barcelona (HCB): €650,000
  • Vall d'Hebron Institute of Oncology (VHIO): €400,000
  • Bellvitge University Hospital (HUB): €350,000

These figures underscore the Fundació's commitment to research and to the people who make it possible. As Marta Lacambra, director general of the Fundació Catalunya La Pedrera, states: "With the Talents Grants we want to ensure real opportunities for talent to grow and contribute to a stronger public healthcare system for everyone".

In the same vein, Germán Ramón-Cortés, president of the Fundació Catalunya La Pedrera, emphasises: "This programme is a strategic commitment to retaining talent and generating knowledge. Every project we support is an investment in health, innovation and the future".

Awarded research projects

During the event, a series of 'Elevator Pitches' was held in which four former awardees presented their research projects. The work of Dr Elena Élez (VHIO), patron of the 2024 cohort, and Dr Jordi Bruna Escuer (Bellvitge University Hospital), patron of the 2025 cohort, was also recognised. A symbolic role that follows in the footsteps of other prominent researchers such as Dr Cristina Vilaplana, Dr Aleix Prat, Dr Mònica Povedano, Dr Josep Maria Campistol, Dr Manel Puig, Dr Miguel Àngel Peinado, Dr Eva Martínez-Cáceres and Dr Bonaventura Clotet, among others. Of all the awardees from the 2024 and 2025 editions, four presented their projects:

  • Dr Francesc Franquesa - Doctor in the Ophthalmology Department at the Germans Trias i Pujol University Hospital, with the project Time is Retina. Inspired by the established principle of 'Time is brain' used to reduce the therapeutic window in stroke care, this project proposes improvements in diagnostic pathways for ophthalmological emergencies to maximise visual recovery in the largest possible number of patients who suffer retinal stroke due to central retinal artery occlusion.
  • Dr Maria José Moreta Saá - Doctor in the Hepatology Department at Hospital Clínic Barcelona, with the project "Characterisation of the PD-L1 pathway in decompensated cirrhosis. Relationship with disease progression and the development of complications, and evaluation as a prognostic biomarker". This study explores how a key immune pathway, known as PD-1/PD-L1, influences the course of decompensated cirrhosis. Understanding its role may help identify new biological markers and pave the way for treatments that strengthen immune defences and improve survival in people with advanced liver disease.
  • Dr Vittoria Barberi - Oncologist and researcher at VHIO, with the project "Identification of predictive biomarkers of response to chemotherapy and immune checkpoint inhibitors in early triple negative breast cancer: A study of T lymphocyte immunodynamics". PORTRAIT is a multi-omic platform aimed at identifying predictive biomarkers of response and toxicity to chemotherapy combined with pembrolizumab in early triple-negative breast cancer. The project analyses tumour dynamics and the immune response to understand how patients react to treatment and to predict potential side effects. By integrating these data, PORTRAIT aims to develop clinical tools to personalise treatments, improving outcomes and reducing healthcare costs.
  • Dr Sara Bertolin Triquell - Psychiatrist at Bellvitge University Hospital, with the thesis "Brain alterations described through different magnetic resonance imaging techniques in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder and their implications for treatment". The research identifies brain markers that may help predict which people with OCD respond best to cognitive behavioural therapy, the first-line psychological treatment. The study reveals that the volume of specific areas of the prefrontal cortex is associated with greater symptom reduction. It also identifies differences in connectivity between these regions and midbrain structures involved in key neurotransmission circuits. This interaction between brain areas may help explain the mechanism through which therapy leads to clinical improvement in certain patient profiles.