Tomorrow, at the Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), in Barcelona, directors and staff from ten top European research institutes will kick off a new alliance, called EU-LIFE, that will promote European research. The mission of EU-LIFE is to foster excellence, share knowledge, and influence policies in life sciences. Partners in EU-LIFE are renowned research centers that operate with similar principles of excellence, external reviews, independence, competiveness, and internationality. During difficult economic times and within a highly competitive international research landscape, they believe that they can join forces to better address complex questions, thereby contributing to pushing European science forward.
„Why are we often not able to attract top students from the US? Why do many of our junior talents leave to other continents and don’t return?“, reflects Luis Serrano, director of the Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG, Spain) and one of the co-founders of this initiative. “There are many excellent research institutes in Europe. By increasing our international visibility through EU-LIFE, we aim to raise awareness for European science. Instead of working independently, we want to coordinate our efforts to create added value for Europe. We envision, for example, to agree on common standards for Ph.D. and postdoctoral recruitment and training programmes, and to organize joint scientific events for young scientists.“
FACTS & FIGURES OF THE NETWORK (data at the end of 2012)
- Total number of scientists and support personnel: 7,039
- Total number of publications: 2,551
- Total number of running coordinated EU-Projects: 59
- Total number of running ERC Grants: 75
NOTES TO THE EDITOR
ABOUT THE CENTRE FOR GENOMIC REGULATION (CRG)
The CRG believes that the medicine of the future depends on the groundbreaking science of today. This requires an interdisciplinary scientific team focused on understanding the complexity of life from the genome to the cell to a whole organism and its interaction with the environment, offering an integrated view of genetic diseases.
The CRG is a unique centre in Spain, based in an innovative organization research model. Group leaders at the CRG are recruited internationally and receive support from the centre to set up and run their groups. An external Scientific Advisory Board, made up of 12 world leaders in the different areas, evaluates them. The result of evaluations conditions the future of the CRG scientists, no matter whether they have open-ended or time-limited contracts. This ensures the mobility and the renewal of the workforce.
ABOUT THE VIB
VIB is a non-profit research institute in life sciences. About 1,300 scientists conduct strategic basic research on the molecular mechanisms that are responsible for the functioning of the human body, plants, and microorganisms. Through a close partnership with four Flemish universities − UGent, KU Leuven, University of Antwerp, and Vrije Universiteit Brussel − and a solid funding program, VIB unites the forces of 76 research groups in a single institute. The goal of the research is to extend the boundaries of our knowledge of life. Through its technology transfer activities, VIB translates research results into products for the benefit of consumers and patients and contributes to new economic activity.
ABOUT THE INSTITUT CURIE
The Institut Curie is a foundation of public interest, which combines the largest French oncology research center and two state-of-the-art hospitals. This hospital structure has pioneered many treatments. It is a center of excellence for the treatment of breast cancer, pediatric tumors and ocular tumors, and it disseminates medical and scientific innovations in France and abroad.
Founded in 1909 on a model devised by Marie Curie and still at the cutting edge: „from fundamental research to innovative treatments“, the Institut Curie has 3,200 researchers, physicians, clinicians, technicians and administrative staff.
ABOUT THE NETHERLANDS CANCER INSTITUTE
The Netherlands Cancer Institute – Antoni van Leeuwenhoek hospital (NKI-AVL) was established on October 10, 1913; one hundred years ago. The founders wanted to build a cancer institute ‘where patients suffering from malignant growths could adequately be treated and where cancer and related diseases could be studied’. So from the start we have taken a comprehensive approach to cancer.
Nowadays, the Netherlands Cancer Institute – Antoni van Leeuwenhoek Hospital accommodates approximately 550 scientists and scientific support personnel, 53 medical specialists, 180 beds, an out-patients clinic with 30,600 visits, six operating theaters, and eleven irradiation units. It is the only dedicated cancer center in the Netherlands, officially accredited as Comprehensive Cancer Center by the OECI, and it maintains an important role as national and international center of scientific and clinical expertise, development and training.
The three major areas of research are fundamental, clinical and translational research. A thorough understanding of the basic processes in cells is the foundation for understanding cancerous cells. The laboratory covers all major areas of cancer research, with special emphasis on cell-based screens, mouse tumor models, cell biology, structural biology and epidemiology. The institute coordinates and participates in many clinical trials; most of these studies of potential new treatments such as combinations of chemostatics, radiotherapy and/or surgery. Results obtained from fundamental research are translated into clinical applications as part of our translation research program.
From the day the NKI-AVL was established, close collaboration between scientists and clinicians was seen as an essential element in fighting cancer. Having a laboratory and hospital under one roof in a single independent organization with an open and collaborative atmosphere has led to many important discoveries and improved therapies.
ABOUT THE MAX DELBRÜCK CENTER FOR MOLECULAR MEDICINE
The Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC) Berlin-Buch was founded in 1992 to build the bridge between basic molecular research and clinical research. It is one of 18 research institutions of the Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres, the largest research organization in Germany. Under the umbrella of molecular medicine, MDC scientists focus on the research of cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, cancer as well as on diseases of the nervous system. Currently, 1 620 employees work at the MDC. Among the employees are also 468 guests from 56 countries. In recent years the MDC has developed into an internationally recognized research institute. In 2010 it ranked 14th on the Thomson Reuters list of the world’s “top twenty” best research institutions in the field of molecular biology and genetics.
ABOUT THE ISTITUTO EUROPEO DI ONCOLOGIA (IEO)
The foundations of EIO strategies are: the centrality of the patient, the main importance of prevention, quick transfer of research results from laboratory to clinical research, increasingly earlier diagnoses, and increasingly conservative therapies with a focus on the quality of life.
Our institute devotes much attention to technology updates and to the development of new technologies. Since these activities demand ample investments and critical mass, IEO has decided to join efforts with IFOM (Firc Institute of Molecular Oncology) together they created a Consortium dedicated to the development of new technologies in the fields of Structural and Functional Genomics (Cogentech). The main areas of intervention are: DNA Services, Microarrays, Model Organisms, Molecular Pathology Unit, Mass Spectrometry Unit, Protein Chemistry Unit, Imaging Unit and Crystallization Unit. To accelerate translational research and to create an active interface between the basic research programs of the IFOM-IEO Campus and IEO clinical activities, IEO has launched a Molecular Medicine Program, whose laboratory activities are located within the IEO hospital building. We expect this new initiative to facilitate the rapid translation of the recent developments of Genomic Sciences into novel approaches to cancer prevention, diagnosis and treatment.
In addition to its intense research activity, in collaboration with the University of Milan and the University of Naples, the campus has established three PhD programs at the European School of Molecular Medicine Foundation (SEMM). These are the Molecular Medicine Programme, the Medical Nanotechnology Programme and the Foundations and Ethics of the Life Sciences Programme. The school enrols over 150 PhD students from around the world. The laboratories of the Department of Experimental Oncology in the new site, adjacent to the IFOM research institute (the FIRC Institute for Molecular Oncology), represent one of the largest European centres for cancer research (the IFOM-IEO Campus), with 24,000/m2 and 450 researchers. The IFOM-IEO Campus was created with the aim of developing and applying genomic research to the field of oncology, providing a substantial contribution to the rapid translation of emerging scientific knowledge into new strategies for the prevention and treatment of tumors.
ABOUT THE INSTITUTO GULBENKIAN DE CIÊNCIA (IGC)
The Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência (IGC) is an international life science research center in Portugal. Established by the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, the IGC’s mission is to carry out biomedical research and training. The IGC acts as a host institution to international research groups, providing state-of-the-art research facilities in a stimulating and autonomous environment. The IGC runs several ambitious graduate training programs and a dedicated outreach and public engagement in science program.
ABOUT THE CeMM RESEARCH CENTER FOR MOLECULAR MEDICINE OF THE AUSTRIAN ACADEMY OF SCIENCES
CeMM is a young, international, independent and interdisciplinary Research Center in Molecular Medicine, situated on the campus of the Medical University and the General Hospital in the heart of Vienna. “From the clinic to the clinic”: driven by medical needs, CeMM integrates basic research and clinical expertise to pursue innovative diagnostic and therapeutic approaches. The work of 13 research groups with about 150 scientists focuses on cancer, inflammation and immune disorders. The goal of CeMM is to assist in preparing the predictive, preventive and personalized medicine of the future, and to be a training and teaching center for a new generation of researchers in molecular medicine. According to a survey from “The Scientist” CeMM is ranked as the best European place to work in Academia 2012.
ABOUT THE CENTRAL EUROPEAN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY (CEITEC)
CEITEC is a scientific centre in the fields of life sciences, advanced materials and technologies whose aim is to establish itself as a recognized centre for basic as well as applied research. CEITEC offers a state-of-the-art infrastructure and great conditions to employ excellent researches. We are a consortium whose partners include the most important universities and research institutes in Brno, Czech Republic: Masaryk University, Brno University of Technology, Mendel University in Brno, Institute of Physics of Materials of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, University of Veterinary and Pharmaceutical Sciences Brno and the Veterinary Research Institute. We work closely with the Region of South-Moravia and the City of Brno to help increase the innovative capacity of the region.
ABOUT THE INSTITUTE FOR MOLECULAR MEDICINE FINLAND (FIMM)
FIMM is an international research institute in Helsinki focusing on human genomics and personalized medicine. FIMM is hosted by the University of Helsinki and is part of the Nordic EMBL Partnership in Molecular Medicine. FIMM integrates molecular medicine research, technology center and biobanking infrastructures “under one roof” and thereby promotes translational research and adoption of personalized medicine in health care. FIMM researchers are involved in studying the medical impact of genome information from the Finnish population, development of individualized cancer medicine, as well as novel image-based molecular diagnostics. FIMM technology centre and biobanking infrastructures provide research services for local, national and international customers. The infrastructures operated by FIMM are networked with European ESFRI infrastructures BBMRI, EATRIS, ELIXIR and EU Openscreen. In 2012, FIMM had a staff of 185 and an annual budget of 14 million euros, with competitive external funding accounting for 70% of the budget.
