The IGC collaborates in the first doctoral training programme for physicians in Europe. The Emerald is going to join forces with seven European biomedical research institutes to train Europe’s next generation of medical scientists.
The Gulbenkian Science Institute (IGC) is going to participate in the Emerald, the doctoral programme that aims to train Europe’s next generation of medical scientists. The Emerald aims to provide physicians with leading-edge biomedical competencies and contribute towards bridging the gap between research and clinical practice.
Despite the rapid advances made in biomedical research, new discoveries do not always translate immediately into medical innovations that improve diagnostics or result in new and better treatments.
Closing the gap between clinical practice and research is the key to tackling global health challenges such as diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease or cancer. Medical scientists are in a unique position as they benefit from their clinical experience to identify where research is most necessary and expand this knowledge for the benefit of patients.
For Luís Moita, researcher and coordinator of the programme at the IGC, this “is a project that stimulates the necessary dialogue between research and clinical work, and contributes towards accelerating the identification of innovative solutions, both in the treatment of diseases and in health promotion.”
“We urgently need scientists with medical training, who perform a critical role in applying advances in the areas of omics, big data, artificial intelligence or high-resolution microscopy to respond to patient needs in the twenty-first century”, says Michela Bertero, coordinator of the training programme.
As of now, seven biomedical research institutes and thirty associated partners in ten different European countries will be working on overcoming this challenge, joining forces to create the Emerald, the first medical scientist training programme in Europe.
Financed by the European Union Horizon 2020 programme, the Emerald provides physicians with unique opportunities to move to a different country to work on a research project, participate in personalised summer schools, receive guidance from their peers and explore new collaborations.
The project follows the strategy implemented by the Institute of Oeiras of promoting scientific partnerships with different sectors, in such a way as to generate fresh knowledge with impact on improving the quality of life of society. The first phase of the Emerald contest, for a total of 12 places, is open until 14 November.
