Aroa Fernandez

Vall d’Hebron Institute of Research (VHIR) - Vall d'Hebron Institut de Recerca

We are a public sector institution that promotes and develops the biomedical research, innovation and teaching at Vall d'Hebron University Hospital, the hospital of Barcelona and the largest of Catalan Institute of Health (ICS). The members of our Board of Trustees are the Catalan Ministry of Health, the Catalan Ministry of Economy and Knowledge (we are a CERCA center), Vall d'Hebron University Hospital, Bank of blood and tissues, the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB), of which we are an accredited research institute, and the Vall d'Hebron Institute of Oncology (VHIO), which together with VHIR is part of Accredited Institute of Campus Vall d'Hebron Institute by the Institute of Health Carlos III (ISCIII). Since its creation in 1994, VHIR works to find solutions to the health problems of society, and contribute to spread them around the world. In more than 20 years we have achieved leadership in biomedical research at hospitals in our country, and we want to be recognised in 2020 as an excellent and competitive European Institute leader in clinical and traslational research linked to a university hospital. In our institute are working more than 1,300 people, of which over 1,200 doing research and others, around 100, help to do it or transfer it to the society once made, whether in the form of projects, technology transfer and innovation, communication or fundraising, among others. The best of our institution and its research staff is doing research to solve people's health problems. Our task is not only basic or translational, we are leaders in clinical research. We have the beds of the hospital separated in less than 50 meters of laboratories and our patients will benefit from our research. In this we believe, and our efforts are focused on it. This is understood by industry leaders who are committed to our hospital, making it a world reference for its first clinical trials.