The Generalitat promotes the Institute for Research in Biomedicine through the constitution of a private foundation

On Tuesday 4th October, the Executive Council of the Generalitat de Catalunya approved the constitution of the Institute for Research in Biomedicine Foundation. This foundation seeks to strengthen and manage biomedical research performed at the Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona), which is located at the Barcelona Science Park (PCB, Parc Científic de Barcelona). The governing board of the new foundation will comprise the Generalitat de Catalunya, through the Dept. of Universities, Research and the Information Society (DURSI) and the Dept. of Health, the Universitat de Barcelona (UB) and the PCB.

With a budget of 41 million euros over 4 years, the IRB Barcelona Foundation’s main goals are to boost biomedical research, with special emphasis on oncology, and to strengthen relations with other entities and research groups, as well as to promote and coordinate interdisciplinary research in the field of biomedicine.

The new foundation will establish an ideal setting in which to strengthen activities involving innovation and the transfer of know-how and technology and will ensure, as maximum criteria, quality standards in all stages of investigation. Furthermore, the foundation will offer its scientific know-how and technological facilities to health institutes.

In addition, the establishment of the IRB Barcelona Foundation will allow the development of an oncological research line, which will be directed by the researcher Joan Massagué. This line will include the “Tumor Metastasis Research Laboratory” (METLAB). This facility will apply the knowledge generated by Joan Massagué in his cancer research line to the study of the causes behind metastasis and the mechanisms through which other organs are affected.