VHIR advances towards achieving the Strategic Plan 2016-2020

The Vall d'Hebron Research Institute (VIHR) has clear objectives for the next four years: to become an excellent, competitive and leading European institute in clinical and translational research, linked to a university hospital. To achieve this, the Institute set a series of milestones included in the Strategic Plan 2016-2020, which they are already beginning to achieve in the eight months so far this year. Specifically, VHIR has achieved 18 of the 35 objectives set for the year 2016.

Among the measures taken, it is noted for example the creation of the Business Council in order to promote the participation of business activities at VHIR, advise the management and the Board, work with the detection of sectoral needs, participate in joint projects and facilitate Institute's access to public and private resources. The Council met for the first time in January and consists of 14 members of recognized prestige in companies linked mainly to the field of health.

As for the strategy of increasing the generation and transfer of knowledge for the benefit of society, VHIR has also made progress. In this line, it is remarkable the great quality and quantity of scientific production of the Institute: so far this year, VHIR researchers have published 536 articles, accumulate an impact factor of 2245.6 and the average impact factor is 4.36.

The Strategic Plan also aims to improve, strengthen and enhance scientific organizational structure. In this regard, in 2016 it took place the 3rd edition of the evaluation of researchers under Tenure Track and have approved three transversal research programs that will facilitate the synergy between researchers. The programs that will be implemented are the one for spina bifida, rare diseases in adults and children, and cardiovascular diseases.

Among other measures taken in this 2016 figure also the explicit recognition of the participation of VHIR in the PhD of UAB, the consolidation of the doctoral program PhD4MD, the development of a positioning plan of researchers in the European environment of the European Reference Networks, and the maintenance of the economic and financial sustainability.

One of the next most important actions of the Strategic Plan will take place in autumn, when the new animal facility of small animal will open at the Cellex building, which will serve the entire Vall d'Hebron Barcelona Hospital Campus. The new facilities will offer more services, will expand existing capacity and will improve processes.

In the development of the Strategic Plan were involved more than 200 people, both employees and external agents. After more than a year of proposals and discussion, 14 strategies and a set of objectives to be met reached consensus, after they were approved -and also debated- by the Internal Scientific Council, the External Scientific Council, the Hospital management and the Board of VHIR.