RIMLS institute and the Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB, www.irbbarcelona.org) in Barcelona have officially agreed to collaborate in each other's research and educational programs. On the 3rd June 2015, Prof. Paul Smits, Dean Radboudumc, signed an agreement with Joan Guinovart, Director of IRB. This umbrella agreement paves the way for further strengthening of existing exchanges and exploring new opportunities for collaboration.
High-quality research is a corner-stone of the Radboudumc covering research from molecule to man to population. It is within this academic hospital setting that RIMLS works to further our understanding of the molecular mechanisms of disease and ultimately to develop tools for “Personalized Healthcare”. In his opening speech, Paul Smits noted the motto of IRB, ‘The medicine of the future starts here’. “I presume ‘here’, could also mean Nijmegen and not just Barcelona!” Present-day science tackles the most complex problems that usually cannot be solved by single researchers or even single institutions. Forming sustainable, interactive networks of scientists across international borders is indispensable for conceptual breakthroughs and translation of fundamental findings into clinical practice.
Confirmed in a second contract signed by the directors of the programmes, from next year, IRB Masters students will be able to participate in our Molecular mechanisms of Disease (MMD) training. It is a huge boost that a third party institute has such confidence in the quality of our research and education. Furthermore, PhD students will visit be able to visit each other’s centers, and PIs will be invited for seminars. We will also look at the possibility of joint grant applications. Finally, we intend to invite IRB top researchers to apply for the RU Excellence program and/or Radboudumc Hypatia fellowship programme.
The visit of the IRB delegation was very positive, setting a concrete basis for further cooperation between our institutions.