VHIO’s Scientific Coordination Area has consolidated itself as a Unit to support VHIO’s (Scientific) Direction, and research groups for the development and implementation of their research lines. We aim to optimize opportunities for the internationalization of groups through a personalized plan for VHIO groups, centralize ideas from taskforces and match selected research priorities with competitive calls. We support highly innovative project proposals to increase VHIO’s success rate in most competitive calls at international (mostly EU) level, including Horizon Europe Framework Program and Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan.
We achieve this through a proactive search and evaluation of opportunities, as well as a continuous adaptation of our area’s organizational structure and the optimization of our project management processes. Our Unit provides value to VHIO projects integrating them as team members and filling project’s gaps through the expertise of the Unit’s members.
Our management tasks include:
- Assessment in the preparation and writing of competitive project proposals or monitoring and coordination of the execution of the awarded research projects.
- Management, monitoring, and follow up of institutional programs.
- Implementation of institutional needs related to key areas like education, ethics & regulatory issues, scientific dissemination, and tasks related to consortia and coordinated research.
- Support of competitive grant application processes.
- Provide scientific and financial expertise towards the development of successful proposals.
- Dissemination among researchers of national and international funding opportunities.
We also provide support to our various Task Forces, a very important tool to strengthen and promote multidisciplinary connectivity and spur joint research programs with other Oncology teams at the Vall d’Hebron University Hospital, Vall d’Hebron Barcelona Hospital Campus.
Chief Scientific Officer
Alejandro Piris Giménez
Senior Project Managers
Javier Carmona
Neus Bayó
Elena Chavarria
Javier Gonzalo
Sandra Porta
Xenia Villalobos
Clinical Senior Manager (Advanced Therapies)
Silvia Martin-Lluesma
Junior Project Managers (Task Forces)
Mireia Sanchís (Colorectal Cancer)
Project Manager Technicians
Sara Belón (Junior)
Berta Colldeforns (Junior)
Mireia Monrás (Junior)
Isabel Vallvé (Senior)
Masters Student
Marc Lopez
- Identify and promote new research opportunities involving academic and industry partners.
- Promote intramural research through education and networking.
- Promote and manage high-end collaboration networks and consortia aligned with VHIO collaborative strategy.
- Support VHIO scientific Direction to accomplish our Mission and Vision.
- In 2020, we maintained a good track record with a success rate of 29%, out of 205 grant (competitive) applications.
- This year, our Area managed more than 9.2 million EUR obtained from competitive funds.
- Our research support to VHIO groups has been recognized through our co-authorship of three publications – see our Paper pick.
- We supported the preparation and management of our Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) virtual meeting.
- Our Unit co-leads major EU consortia, including MoTriColor (H2020), page 177, COLOSSUS (H2020), page 175, the Basket of Baskets trial (Cancer Core Europe – CCE, page 175), and participates in numerous project boards and work packages. This year we compiled the CCE-DART project application, the first H2020 grant to be awarded to the Cancer Core Europe Consortium (see page 179), as well as the application for an ISCIII grant that will spur our cell-based therapy program led by VHIO’s Elena Garralda and Alena Gros. This research focuses on TIL therapy targeting neoantigens for immune checkpoint blockade-resistant tumors.
- This year we received funding through a MINECO European Networks and Management grant to support the internationalization of our activities, expand our personnel, and organize educational and dissemination activities to improve our researchers’ knowledge surrounding European funding programs.
