The European Commission approved the creation of the new European research infrastructure - "http://www.eatris.eu/SitePages/home.aspx" EATRIS ERIC, of which "http://www.eatris.eu/sitepages/eventdetail.aspx?eventid=110" "http://www.eatris.eu/sitepages/eventdetail.aspx?eventid=110" Spain is a full membership. The director of Vall d'Hebron Institute of Research (VHIR), Dr. Joan X. Comella, is the Chair of the Board of National Directors of this consortium which aims to use close-knit European cooperation to turn the huge progress that has been made in the field of biomedical research into medical innovations with substantial benefit for patients.An ERIC is a specific European legal form to facilitate cross-border research through the joint establishment and operation of research infrastructures of European interest. This new legal framework will provide EATRIS with a legal personality recognised in all Member States. The benefit to EATRIS stakeholders will be the establishment of a legal framework under which cross border collaboration can take place with the aim of expediting the sharing of expertise and the faster and more efficient development of new drugs and therapies.More than 60 prominent academic institutions are involved in EATRIS, which in Spain are coordinated by VHIR, together with Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII). The EATRIS ERIC is only the third European research program and the first one in the Biological and Medical Sciences for which the European Commission has granted ERIC status – the other two are SHARE ERIC (Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe) and CLARIN ERIC (Common Language Resources and Technology Infrastructure).