Researchers from CINTESIS/Faculty of Medicine of the University of Porto (FMUP) and the Associate Laboratory RISE will be at the Ciência 2023 Meeting, which will take place at the University Campus of Santiago, in Aveiro, from July 5 to 7. The theme of this edition, the first to take place outside Lisbon, is “Science and Ocean Beyond the Horizon.
The highlight of this reference event in Science Communication is the Thematic Session entitled “The Importance of Clinical Research in the context of scientific development”, scheduled for July 7, from 11h15 to 12h45. The organization is in charge of the Associate Laboratory RISE – Health Research Network and the Associate Laboratory of Translational and Innovation for Global Health – REAL.
According to the official program, “the session will include several presentations that, from different perspectives, will address the importance of clinical research in the national context of scientific research development and innovation, as well as the relevance of clinical research to the development of solutions to improve the levels of health and well-being of the Portuguese population.
Fernando Schmitt, a CINTESIS researcher, FMUP professor and RISE coordinator, will make an opening speech, in which he will address “The Value of Clinical Research”, and will be one of the moderators, along with Helena Canhão (CHRC/REAL/Nova Medical School).
The session will also have as speakers, among others, João Pedro Ferreira (FMUP and UNIC@RISE researcher), who will talk about “Clinical Trials of the Investigator’s Initiative in Portugal”, and Luís Azevedo (CINTESIS@RISE researcher and FMUP professor), who will talk about “The role of data science in clinical research”.
“Portugal has a chronic problem of underfunding scientific research. Although national investment has been increasing in recent years, it is still clearly insufficient,” say the organizers of the thematic session.
In fact, FCT annually funds research projects in all scientific areas, with a maximum value of 250,000 euros per project. However, “it mostly funds translational projects and does not usually support clinical trials or multicenter epidemiological and cohort studies of the investigator’s initiative”.
In this area, they say, “funding is currently practically non-existent, even for exploratory and proof-of-concept clinical studies,” and “it is important to stress that the potential return on investment in clinical trials is enormous.
Having as Commissioner Helena Vieira, the Ciência 2023 Meeting is an initiative of the responsibility of the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT), in collaboration with Ciência Viva – National Agency for Scientific and Technological Culture and the University of Aveiro, with the institutional support of the Government, through the Minister of Science, Technology and Higher Education, Elvira Fortunato, and the Commission of Education and Science of the Portuguese Parliament.
Entrance to the Ciência 2023 Meeting and, consequently, to all the Thematic Sessions is free, upon previous registration here.
The scientific community is invited to attend.
