The BSC Life Sciences director is part of this committee whose members are top experts from a range of different fields.
Alfonso Valencia, the BSC Life Sciences department director, is from now and for a term of two years, member of the IMI (Innovative Medicines Initiative) Scientific Committee. This organism is an advisory group within IMI, a well-known public-private partnership aiming to speed up development of medicines. The Scientific Committee is composed of 11 members and 2 ad hoc members that have been appointed further to suggestions made by the States Representatives Group. The Scientific Committee members are top experts from a range of different fields and participate in their individual capacity.
Valencia states that “ it will be a great honor and a big challenge to follow the steps in this committee of previous bioinformaticians and good friends Ferran Sanz, Ioannis Xenarios and Torsten Schwede contributing to build bridges between bioinformatics infrastructures and IMI initiatives in the moving world of big data and HPC”.
Another Spanish expert, Eduard Montanya, has been appointed as a member of the IMI Scientific Committee. Montanya is a Senior Professor of Medicine at the University of Barcelona; and Head of the Diabetes Section of Bellvitge University Hospital.
The role of the Scientific Committee
The Committee gives strategic science-based recommendations to IMI and advises on the continued relevance of the Strategic Research Agenda and the scientific priorities. It is also formally consulted on IMI’s topic texts – which are based on the scientific priorities – before their Calls for proposals are launched.
More specifically, the Scientific Committee provides advice on scientific priorities to be included in the Strategic Research Agenda taking into account related activities in Horizon 2020; scientific priorities to be addressed in the IMI Annual Work Plans; and scientific achievements described in the IMI Annual Activity Reports.
About IMI
The Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI) is a partnership between the European Union and the European pharmaceutical industry. IMI facilitates open collaboration in research to advance the development of, and accelerate patient access to, personalised medicines for the health and wellbeing of all, especially in areas of unmet medical need. The goal of IMI, particularly in its second phase (IMI2, 2014-2020) is to develop next generation vaccines, medicines and treatments, such as new antibiotics. Their projects will provide Europeans, including the increasing numbers of older people, with more efficient and effective medicines and treatments. Further information here.