With the start of the 2024-2025 academic year on September 25th, the Vall d'Hebron Research Institute (VHIR), a center affiliated with the Autonomous University of Barcelona, reaffirms its commitment to training new talent in the fields of biomedical research and clinical trials, which will contribute to scientific and medical progress. This year marks a milestone with the launch of the Master’s in Clinical Trials Management and Coordination, which joins the Master’s in Translational Biomedical Research, a program with over a decade of experience.

The inauguration event welcomed the new students and featured a lecture by Dr. Josep Maria Martorell, director of the Barcelona Supercomputing Center (BSC), who highlighted how artificial intelligence and high-performance computing are transforming biomedical research and the healthcare industry.

Success of enrollments in the 1st edition of the Master’s in Clinical Trials Management and Coordination

The Master’s in Clinical Trials Management and Coordination, offered for the first time this academic year, has had an excellent reception. This program, developed in collaboration with the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB), was created to address the high demand for specialized profiles in the coordination and management of clinical trials, a growing need in the healthcare field. The program is coordinated by Dr. Inma Fuentes and Dr. Manuel Toledo and, for the 2024-2025 academic year, it will be sponsored by Lilly.

With 25 students from various nationalities, including Spain, Colombia, Venezuela, and Chile, this master’s offers practical and specialized training within the Vall d'Hebron Campus, a leading tertiary hospital in conducting clinical trials. The students will benefit from immersive training, allowing them to acquire the necessary skills to coordinate trials according to the highest quality standards.

Over a decade of the Master’s in Translational Biomedical Research

The Master’s in Translational Biomedical Research begins its 11th edition and continues to be a benchmark in the training of researchers. The program is designed for research careers and offers access to doctoral studies, with the possibility of specializing in various areas of biomedicine. This year, the program introduces new coordinators, Dr. Sunny Malhotra and Dr. Mar Hernández.

This year, 53 new students will start the master's degree, joining the more than 450 people who have studied this degree so far, a programme characterised by its close connection with the environment of the Vall d'Hebron Campus, a place where patients are the first and last target. In addition, for the third consecutive year, Nestlé Research is collaborating with the master's degree. This year, two students will benefit from the Nestlé Research Scholarship, which will allow them to do their internships and develop their Master's Thesis at Nestlé Research headquarters in Switzerland. In addition, one more year, we will also have the Roche scholarships.

Improvements in the educational experience and new proposals for the future

With the goal of enhancing the learning experience for both students and faculty, this year the Moodle eLearning platform has been updated. The new version features a more intuitive interface and new functionalities that will facilitate learning and interaction between students and professors.

Looking ahead, work is underway to develop a new academic program, the Master’s in Health Innovation and Entrepreneurship, which is expected to launch in the 2025-2026 academic year. This master’s, led by Dr. Josep Antoni Ramos Quiroga and Dr. Mariona Esquerdo, will focus on driving new solutions that impact the healthcare system, through the generation of knowledge and the development of new products, technologies, and services.