Where Ideas Grow

i3S joins IACOBUS program

Six new institutions, two from the University of Porto (the i3S and the ICBAS-CHUP Clinical Academic Center) - one from the University of Minho and three from Spain, recently joined the IACOBUS program, an agreement for Cultural, Scientific and Pedagogical Cooperation between the Universities of Higher Education and Higher Education Centers in the Euroregion Galicia - Northern Portugal. The signing of the protocol, where researcher Ana Paula Pêgo was present on behalf of i3S, took place last week in Vigo.

According to the Northern Regional Development Coordination Commission (CCDR-N), the i3S, the ICBAS Clinical Academic Center - Porto University Hospital Center (CHUP), the Academic Clinical Center - Braga (2CA-Braga), the Fundación Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria de Santiago de Compostela (FIDIS), the Fundación Profesor Nóvoa Santos, and the Fundación Biomédica Galicia Sur are part of the IACOBUS Program in the “Research Stays” modality. These new clinical and research centers will join the 11 higher education institutions and 22 technological centers that were already part of the Program. The objective is to promote the development of pre and postgraduate higher education, scientific and technological research and, in particular, to promote learning, the training of students and teachers, as well as the dissemination of culture, in the Euroregion Galicia-Northern Portugal.

“This incorporation of new entities into the IACOBUS Program emerges as a response to the pandemic caused by COVID-19, with the objective of promoting research in the health area”, says CCDR-N in a statement. “The institutions of the North and Galicia, in collaboration with the linked universities, the Regional Health Administration of the North (ARS Norte) and the Galician Health Service (SERGAS) are called to play a prominent role in the development of the Euroregion as a shared territory - also within the scope of scientific research - especially health research”.

Specifically, the IACOBUS Program aims to foster cooperation and exchange between the human resources of Institutions in the Euroregion Galicia-North of Portugal, aiming at the joint development of training, research and dissemination activities, in favor of building an integrated Euroregional space.

According to the director of i3S, Claudio Sunkel, “with the participation in this system of cross-border exchange of professors, researchers, administrative and service personnel, innovation managers and research, development and innovation technicians, we intend to contribute to boost cooperation between the institutions of the Euroregion Galicia - North of Portugal, promoting the construction of networks and R&D&I projects, and thus strengthening the competitiveness of both territories”.

The signing of this protocol preceded the opening of the 8th IACOBUS Call for Research Stations and the 3rd IACOBUS Call - Scientific Publications (PAPERS), with an application period between 14 December and 1 February 2021, with a total financial allocation for the two types of 250 thousand Euros. More than 1755 candidates have already participated in the seven previous editions, with 964 research projects covering multiple areas of knowledge having been selected, with a total funding of more than 1 million euros. The program is co-financed by the INTERREG VA Spain-Portugal Program (POCTEP) 2014-2020. To participate in this project, please consult https://iacobus.gnpaect.eu/en.