i3S joins EATRIS

The i3S recently joined the European Advanced Translational Research Infrastructure in Medicine (EATRIS) together with 13 other Portuguese translational research institutions. These research institutes and hospitals will now be able to benefit from membership in collaborative projects and apply for funding under this network. Joining EATRIS satisfies a long-held hope supported by the national scientific community and the subscription by the Portuguese State through Infarmed - Ministry of Health, with the Health Cluster Portugal (HCP), through the TRIS-HCP network.

According to André Albergaria, coordinator of the Translations and Industry Partnership Research Office, which prepared the process of joining EATRIS, the integration of Portugal in this highly visible and excellent network “is an important step for clinical and translational research, as it will enhance the active participation of Portuguese research centers, hospitals and clinical academic centers in large-scale and networked projects".

This participation is expected to yield positive results in building the capacity of these national institutions, in their promotion to entities linked to the industrial health sector, and at the international academic level. For Portuguese institutions, this means a multiplication of opportunities to integrate European projects and access new sources of funding. Another very positive aspect, says André Albergaria, "is the potential improvement in citizens' access to health innovation, as the scale of the projects carried out within this network will certainly have a significant impact on translational research in medicine and consequently in the attraction of studies and clinical trials to Portugal".

For the i3S scientific community, André Albergaria stresses, "this is very positive news since inclusion in this European structure is absolutely strategic for our mission of Innovation and Translation in Health. It will facilitate communication between clinical and academic communities, with the pharmaceutical industry, donors, and regulators - working together to promote translational research".

EATRIS has more than 80 members from European research institutes and its main mission is to contribute to a faster and more efficient transformation of scientific knowledge into new health solutions. To this end, the network provides specialized support and promotes the increased capacity of research infrastructure in its members' countries, as well as also constituting a network of scientific and technological services to external clients and partners - be they from industry or academia. The process of joining i3S to EATRIS began in 2018 with integration into the National Hub of the EATRIS-PT Network, a structure made up of a selection of national translational research institutions.

Short- and medium-term benefits are expected for the institutions participating in this network, including increased provision of science and technology services, access to international R&D funds and improved access by citizens to innovative therapies.

In this context the European Commission-funded EATRIS-Plus project under INFRADEV-3 has recently been approved. It aims to build capacity and provide innovative scientific tools to support the long-term sustainability of the EATRIS network as one of the main research infrastructures of the European Union. Infarmed is one of 19 partners in the four-year project representing the national network. National institutions that are part of the EATRIS-PT National Hub are expected to actively participate in the project, promoting and developing their technological capabilities.