FCT Session - La Caixa Foundation

On June 17, at 3pm, the Thalia Theater in Lisbon will host a session aimed at strengthening cooperation between the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) and the La Caixa Foundation (FLC). The cooperation between the institutions is intended to be permanent and multidisciplinary, aimed at supporting and stimulating new research and innovation activities and Portugal's positioning in Iberia and Europe, based on three lines of funding and valorization of research and innovation projects:

a)Iberian BiomedicalResearch and InnovationInitiative - i4b, which began in 2018, with two editions already completed and 16 projects already underway with national R&D institutions, and the launch ofthe third edition of this initiative is underway;

b)TheIberian SocialResearch and InnovationInitiative - i4s, with the launch of the first edition, which is already accepting applications for 2020;

c) Promove Program, aimed at promoting Portugal's inland regions through research and innovation, extending the scope of previous editions , launching a new phase in summer 2020.

The three initiatives have in common a principle of "matching funds", whereby FCT matches FLC's contribution to research and innovation projects to be carried out in Portugal that are selected in each annual Call

Since 2018, and within the scope of the i4b initiative, more than 6.4 million euros have already been contracted with national R&D institutions. Over the next five years, between 2020 and 2025, the three initiatives are expected to invest another 20 million euros inresearch and innovation projects in Portugal.

In the case of the Promove Program, there will be a specific framework to enable projects to be integrated into the Portuguese government's strategic objectives for the development and enhancement of the interior.

The session will also present the two Portuguese projects recently awarded under the Caixa Impulse Program to support the global response to COVID-19, namely: i) the development of a translational vaccine to prevent COVID-19; and ii) the ATENA project on the development of an invasive ventilator.

The session will be webstreamed here

Event program:

15h00 Opening:

• Helena Pereira, FCT
• Artur Santos Silva, FLC

15h15: Iberian Biomedical Research and Innovation Initiative - i4b (short presentations)

• Rui Cerqueira, University of Porto

"Sequential Cardiac Resynchronozitaion Therapy"

• Bruno Silva-Santos, Institute of Molecular Medicine - IMM

"Next generation CAR-DOT cells for allogeneic adoptive cancer immunotherapy"

• Miguel Soares, Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência - IGC

"Metabolic Reprograming in Sepsis"

• Leonor Saúde, Institute of Molecular Medicine - IMM

"A novel approach to promote spinal cord regeneration in mammals"

15h45: Caixa Impulse - supporting the global response to COVID-19 (short presentations)

• Helena Florindo, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Lisbon

"Development of a translational vaccine to prevent COVID-19"

"Sentizing pancreatic cancer to immunotherapy"

• Tiago Rebelo, CeiiA

"ATENA: Development of an invasive ventilator"

 16h05 Debate

• Isabel Ferreira, Secretary of State for the Enhancement of the Interior, MCT
• João Ferrão, ICS and FLC
• Mireia Castillo-Martin, Champalimaud Foundation
• Eduardo Coelho, Stabvida

Moderators: José Amaral, FLC; José Paulo Esperança, FCT

16:30 Closing

• Signing of FLC-FCT protocols

Closing speech: Manuel Heitor, MCTES