The Innomed community visits the AstraZeneca Global Hub in Barcelona to strengthen public-private collaboration in health innovation
The visit was organised within the framework of the Innomed Program, led by the Germans Trias i Pujol Research Institute (IGTP), and brought together innovation and research professionals from institutions that form part of the Innomed network: Josep Carreras Leukaemia Research Institute, Consorci Sanitari del Maresme, Germans Trias i Pujol University Hospital, Institut Català d'Oncologia and IrsiCaixa.
Nearly one hundred professionals from these institutions took part on 5 February in a visit to the AstraZeneca Global Hub in Barcelona, with the aim of gaining first-hand insight into its scientific activity and exploring new opportunities for collaboration.
The day began with an institutional welcome and several presentations on science, innovation and AstraZeneca's model of cooperation with research centres and healthcare institutions at a global level. This session provided an opportunity to delve into the company's strategic priority areas and its long-term vision in the field of biomedical innovation.
The program also included an open discussion entitled "The Can Ruti ecosystem: science and innovation that connect", in which professionals from the different Innomed institutions shared experiences and common challenges in research and health innovation. Among the invited speakers, representatives of IGTP's strategic projects, the Comparative Medicine and Bioimage Centre of Catalonia (CMCiB) and GCATlGenomes for Life, were able to showcase their capabilities. This was followed by a round-table discussion focused on public-private collaboration, which explored new models of cooperation between research centres, hospitals and industry.
During the visit, priority fields such as oncology, autoimmune diseases, cardiovascular health and respiratory diseases were addressed, with the aim of identifying points of connection between the research carried out by Innomed institutions and AstraZeneca's strategic areas. The day concluded with a tour of the Global Hub facilities.
The Innomed Program, led by IGTP, has given a very positive assessment of the initiative. As highlighted by Juan Carrillo, project manager of IGTP's Innovation and Business Development Unit, "these meetings allow us to gain a closer understanding of the pharmaceutical industry's priorities, create spaces for high-value dialogue and help us identify real opportunities for collaboration aligned with the needs of the healthcare system".
This visit strengthens one of Innomed's strategic priorities: connecting the region's scientific and clinical talent with industry in order to enhance innovation, knowledge transfer and impact on clinical practice.
