The project EIT Health Spain is set up with the aim of bringing quality of life to the ageing population
On Tuesday 10 March, the project EIT Health Spain was presented at the Barcelona Science Park (PCB). On the presentation of the Spanish co-location centre, the rector of the University of Barcelona (UB), Dídac Ramírez, affirmed: "The University coordinates the Spanish node of EITHealth; this represents one of the most important successes of the UB in the last five years, because it recognises its international excellence and scientific competitiveness in the field of health sciences". EIT Health, the Knowledge and Innovation Community (KIC) in health, is set up with a budget of 2.1 billion euros.
The UB professor Josep Samitier, interim director of EIT Health Spain and head of the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC), described the general aims of EIT Health on a European level and the specific goals of EIT Health Spain. He highlighted that the main objetive of the initiative is to is bring quality of life to the ageing population. Moreover, the director of the PCB and Biocat, Montserrat Vendrell, emphasized that "EIT Health allows us to search for global solutions to the great challenges facing Europe in terms of health, like the ageing population, rising healthcare costs and training the professionals of the future".
Then, Blanca Jordan, head of research and innovation at ATOS, explained the tools available for EIT Health; and Ramón Farré, professor in the Department of Physiology of the UB, pointed out the need to boost higher education programs geared towards innovation and entrepreneurship. The secretary of State for Research, Development and Innovation in the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, Carmen Vela, and the secretary for Universities and Research of the Government of Catalonia, Antoni Castellà, also participated in the presentation.
EIT Health is a consortium of more than 144 leading businesses, research centres and universities from fourteen European countries. With a total volume of 2.1 billion euros it is one of the largest public funded initiatives for health worldwide. In 2016, the consortium expects to incubate approximately eighty new business ideas, rising to 140 in 2018. It aims to create seventy start-ups per year and have one million students taking part in its educational programmes.
On Tuesday 10 March, the project EIT Health Spain was presented at the Barcelona Science Park (PCB). On the presentation of the Spanish co-location centre, the rector of the University of Barcelona (UB), Dídac Ramírez, affirmed: "The University coordinates the Spanish node of EITHealth; this represents one of the most important successes of the UB in the last five years, because it recognises its international excellence and scientific competitiveness in the field of health sciences". EIT Health, the Knowledge and Innovation Community (KIC) in health, is set up with a budget of 2.1 billion euros.
The UB professor Josep Samitier, interim director of EIT Health Spain and head of the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC), described the general aims of EIT Health on a European level and the specific goals of EIT Health Spain. He highlighted that the main objetive of the initiative is to is bring quality of life to the ageing population. Moreover, the director of the PCB and Biocat, Montserrat Vendrell, emphasized that "EIT Health allows us to search for global solutions to the great challenges facing Europe in terms of health, like the ageing population, rising healthcare costs and training the professionals of the future".
Then, Blanca Jordan, head of research and innovation at ATOS, explained the tools available for EIT Health; and Ramón Farré, professor in the Department of Physiology of the UB, pointed out the need to boost higher education programs geared towards innovation and entrepreneurship. The secretary of State for Research, Development and Innovation in the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, Carmen Vela, and the secretary for Universities and Research of the Government of Catalonia, Antoni Castellà, also participated in the presentation.
EIT Health is a consortium of more than 144 leading businesses, research centres and universities from fourteen European countries. With a total volume of 2.1 billion euros it is one of the largest public funded initiatives for health worldwide. In 2016, the consortium expects to incubate approximately eighty new business ideas, rising to 140 in 2018. It aims to create seventy start-ups per year and have one million students taking part in its educational programmes.