"La Caixa" promoting biomedical research

Today in the CosmoCaixa of Barcelona, the Social Programme of “La Caixa” has presented the 40 fellowships corresponding to the third edition of the “La Caixa” International PhD Programme, which seeks to attract talented young students to do a PhD in one of four selected reference centres in biomedicine in Spain, among these the Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona). The other beneficiary centres are the “Centro Nacional de Biotecnología” (CNB-CSIC), the “Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Oncológicas Carlos III” (CNIO) and the “Centro de Regulación Genómica” (CRG).

The event was attended by the Minister of Science and Innovation, Cristina Garmendia, the Director General of “La Caixa”, Juan María Nin, the directors of the four beneficiary centres of the programme, and the 40 awardees. "These fellowships allow young researchers to come to the forefront of our society, with their dedication, commitment and passion for science. We need you now more than ever," declared Garmendia during the ceremony.

Last September, 10 students from 8 countries (Germany, Colombia, France, Iran, Italy, Poland, Portugal and Spain) joined IRB Barcelona to carry out their PhD studies over the next four years. “We appreciate the opportunity we have received to undertake our doctoral degrees in a center of excellence. We will take full advantage of it to fulfill the expectations of those who have put their trust in us”, said Constanze Braasch on behalf of these awardees during presentation ceremony.

Through this programme, “La Caixa” consolidates its commitment to research in health and health sciences. The generous funding of the fellowships, together with the scientific excellence of the Spanish centres selected, places these awards on a competitive footing with other prestigious international grants destined to predoctoral students.