The Hospital del Mar Research Institute commemorates its 75th anniversary
The closing ceremony of the commemorative events of the Hospital del Mar Research Institute was held today in the Auditorium of the Barcelona Biomedical Research Park (PRBB) with the presentation of the book 75 years researching for people’s health, a special edition coordinated by the curator of the commemorative programme, historian and museologist, Daniel Venteo. The event was attended by the Mayor of Barcelona, Jaume Collboni, the President of the Generalitat, Pere Aragonès, and the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Universities, Juan Cruz Cigudosa, among other personalities.
During the ceremony, Pere Aragonès stressed that “our country’s health sciences research is one of the driving forces behind progress, growth and the generation of the greatest opportunities”. In the same vein, Mayor Jaume Collboni stressed that “the institute understood 75 years ago and understands today that research is the basis for progress in medicine, and therefore for social progress. In order to have better treatments, in order to have better care, we need research”. Collboni publicly acknowledged the commitment of the Spanish government and the harmony with the Generalitat. “Only with the complicity of all the actors can we promote the projects on the basis of which Barcelona is exercising its scientific capital in Spain and Europe”, he said.
The Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Universities, Juan Cruz Cigudosa, pointed out that “we need to reflect on who we want to be like. We need to look beyond Europe. We can learn from the good and the less good. But given that none of what we are talking about here today is of any use if we do not think about people”.
In turn, the director of the Hospital del Mar Research Institute, Joaquín Arribas, highlighted “the future challenges of the centre, the generational changeover and the attraction of young talent, technological evolution, the opportunity represented by the expansion of the Hospital del Mar and participation in new research hubs”. An institution that, according to the curator of the commemorative programme, historian and museologist, Daniel Venteo, “would make Sir Alenxander Fleming proud”.
75 years researching for people’s health
The centre, inaugurated on 5 June 1948 by the Nobel Prize for Medicine Alexander Fleming, is the first public facility dedicated to biomedical research in Spain. It is also the first public research facility in Spain and the oldest still active. More than 700 professionals work there with the aim of generating new knowledge that translates into health improvements for society. The centre is closely linked to the Hospital del Mar, a relationship that aims to facilitate the work of researchers so that it can be transferred to patients treated at the health centre.
Today’s event brings to a close the activities centred on the centre’s 75th anniversary, including a commemorative exhibition installed on the Passeig Marítim last summer. The event also highlights the institute’s commitment to translational research of excellence, seeking answers to biomedical problems in order to translate them into clinical practice. It does this through a strategy of attracting talent and through strategic alliances, such as with the Pompeu Fabra University and Barcelonaβeta Brain Research.
