The Vall d'Hebron Research Institute (VHIR) and the Instituto de Medicina Molecular João Lobo Antunes (iMM) have joined forces in the iMM-CARE project. iMM-CARE is a roadmap to promote clinical and translational research at the Lisbon Academic Center of Medicine (CAML), made up of iMM, the Centro Hospitalar Universitário Lisboa Norte (CHUL) and the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Lisbon (FMUL). The VHIR will serve as a model of success and a strategic partner to guide the transformation process that will allow iMM to fully develop its potential as a leading center of biomedical innovation in Europe.

The project was presented in Lisbon on June 19 and 20 at an institutional event in the presence of the director of iMM, Dr. Maria Mota, and that of VHIR, Dr. Begoña Benito. Representatives of the European Commission and the Portuguese government also participated, the two main funding institutions of the project that has been included in the European "Teaming for Excellence" programme. In addition to the two main ones, the project has the financial support of other public and private organizations.

During the meeting, the work plan for this project, which will last six years and is divided into 10 strategic lines, was presented. The first will provide the iMM with a governance structure designed for the ambitious project presented. The second will be to create three training programs for CAML professionals in different fields of research. The following lines plan to improve the facilities and equipment available. Among all the proposed actions, the following stand out: the creation of a clinical research platform in the CAML; the creation of three new core facilities (Bioinformatics and Omic Technologies, Artificial Intelligence and Data Science, and Blockchain Technology); improving the current biobank by integrating it into the European infrastructure alliance; and in the data management part, a single access portal will be created to all the services and activities of the institution.

These innovations and improvements will be applied in 16 research projects that will serve as the standard for the institution's future research. At the moment, two have been defined, both linked to improving the early detection of tumors. The first, colorectal cancer and the second, breast cancer with metastasis.

The other lines of the plan aim to ensure the long-term sustainability of the project, as well as guarantee that the institution complies with the most demanding European standards of transparency, communication and institutional responsibility.

The start of the project has had the face-to-face or written support of university institutions: the University of Lisbon and the Lisbon College of Nursing; Portuguese state agencies: the Agency for Clinical Research and Biomedical Innovation (AICIB), National Agency for Innovation (ANI) and the National Authority for Medicine and Health Products (INFARMED); public institutions: the Lisbon City Council, the Lisbon and Vall del Tago Regional Development and Coordination Commission, the Portuguese Network of Clinical Research Infrastructures (PtCRIN) and the Health Cluster Portugal; European networks: EATRIS, ECRIN, MedTech Europe and The European Patient Academy Foundation for Therapeutic Innovations; and, finally, associations: the Portuguese League Against Cancer and the Association for the Support of Carriers of Genetic Alterations Related to Hereditary Cancer (Evita).

The project has been funded by the Horizon Europea programme of the European Union (Grant agreement ID: 101060102).