The biomedical research institutes of Tarragona, Girona and Lleida receive funding to maintain their joint project for the internationalisation of their research

The Pere Virgili Health Research Institute (IISPV), the Dr. Josep Trueta Biomedical Research Institute of Girona (IDIBGI) and the Dr. Pifarré Foundation Biomedical Research Institute of Lleida (IRBLleida) have received a total of 361,474 euros in the call for proposals in the Strategic Plan for Research and Innovation in Health (PERIS) 2022-2027 of the Department of Health, in order to maintain their joint internationalisation initiative, the Beyond GO_HERO project.

The Beyond GO_HERO (Health European Research Offices) project, coordinated by IDIBGI, began in 2023 and is scheduled to end on 31 December 2025. The proposal is presented as the consolidation of the international project units of the three centres, all of which are members of the CERCA system of the Government of Catalonia. The initiative seeks to empower the units with skills and knowledge to take the step towards increased leadership in proposals and in the number of proposals solicited at international level. Another objective of the project is to train the research staff of the institutes in different key areas for the preparation of highly competitive quality projects.

This new project is the continuation of the GO_HERO project, which enabled the professionalisation of the international project units of the three centres and their technical staff. The combined efforts yielded tangible results in all areas, such as an increase of more than 40% in international fundraising, a 25% increase in the number of international proposals submitted, a 5% increase in the success rate in calls for proposals, diversification of funding sources, an increase in the number of international projects and greater participation of the research groups of the three institutions.

The impact of the Beyond GO_HERO project will be significant as it will maintain the momentum for the three institutes to consolidate their presence in European and international research. This increase will contribute to strengthening Catalonia's position on the European biomedical and clinical map, in addition to the possible inclusion on the European agenda of the specific health needs of the region's citizens.

This initiative is part of the existing collaboration agreement between the three institutes. Apart from having similar scientific production indicators, the three regions share health challenges in providing coverage to a population that is geographically dispersed, older than that of the metropolitan areas and with less investment. This situation makes collaboration of vital importance, not only between the institutes but also with other European entities, to be able to offer solutions to existing health challenges, both regionally and internationally.

For Dr. Marga Nadal, Director of the IDIBGI, "the GO_HERO project proved to have an impact on the participating institutions in terms of the number of proposals submitted and funded. Now the GO_HERO project is seeking excellence, professionalisation and a leap towards the leadership of international proposals".

According to Dr. Joan Vendrell, director of the IISPV, "this continuity of the joint project will position the participating centres in a prominent place on the biomedical map of Catalonia with an outstanding and very valuable international projection for our territory".

For Dr. Diego Arango, director of IRBLleida, "thanks to the project we will boost the attraction of international funding through participation and leadership in competitive consortiums and strengthen institutional relations".