CBR Partnerships
Clinical Academic Center - Católica Luz
CBR is embedded in an ecosystem aiming to advance human health through research and innovative medical teaching and practice. Together with the Católica Medical School, Hospital da Luz Lisboa, and Union of Portuguese "Misericórdias", CBR takes part in the first non-governmental Clinical Academic Center (CAC) in Portugal, the CAC - Católica Luz (CAC - CL).
The CAC Católica Luz consortium aims to bring teaching, research and healthcare closer together, in the context of a collaboration that aims to create a common institutional culture, focused on scientific and clinical quality in an international context, facilitating and promoting communication and collaboration, optimizing the use of human and infrastructural resources and generating common transversal projects that contribute to the continuous improvement of healthcare.
The consortium has received a positive mark in the first evaluation of Clinical Academic Centres in Portugal, organised by AICIB and FCT, and 200.000,00€ for the 2023-2025 period.
Of particular interest for CBR is the expertise of the Luz Saúde Group in computational medicine and imaging, as well as high-quality clinical data and a prospective biobank that will be established within this partnership. Specific concerted actions will further facilitate communication and build institutional and individual links between Católica Luz partners, namely research internships of medical students, clinicians, and other healthcare professionals, incentives for projects co-creation and development, joint seminars series and workshops on transversal topics such as computational medicine, health data, ethics, intellectual property and engagement with pharmaceutical sector and patients’ organizations. These actions will have long-lasting effects on the alignment of needs and interests in research, teaching, and healthcare and it will allow a more comprehensive training of new generations of health professionals with an enhanced skillset and problem-solving mindset.
Câmara Municipal de Oeiras
CBR has established a long-term co-creation partnership with the Municipality of Oeiras (Oeiras Valley) in the field of Education, Science, and Health Technologies. The collaboration stems from shared interests aligned with the Oeiras Science and Technology Strategy 2020-2025, which positions science and technology as drivers of educational, social, and economic development. CBR is committed to leveraging its skills and resources to benefit the residents of the Municipality of Oeiras, specifically in the following areas:
• Scientific literacy and public health awareness;
• Promotion of the scientific method and critical thinking among high school students;
• Internationalization of the entire ecosystem of universities and research centres located in Oeiras.
By organizing and participating in various outreach activities with citizens, students, and high school teachers, CBR promotes the intrinsic values of the scientific enterprise and advocates for the concept of Responsible Research and Innovation, which includes cooperation and co-creation, open science, and high ethical standards.
The Municipality of Oeiras is committed to improving the installation conditions of CBR on the IGC campus, thus supporting this new reference biomedical research institute and expanding the science and technology network in the municipality. The total estimated investment cost is 1,640,762.56€.
The Memorandum of Understanding between the Universidade Católica Portuguesa and the Câmara Municipal de Oeiras has been approved by the City Council of the Câmara Municipal de Oeiras on September 28, 2022.
Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian
CBR is located on the Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência (IGC) campus in Oeiras, in a partnership that involves scientific research and the use of specialized resources. The agreement, which establishes cooperation between the two institutions, was signed on February 10, 2023, by the Rector of the Catholic University, Isabel Capeloa Gil, and the President of the Gulbenkian Foundation, António Feijó. In addition to the provision of spaces (around 600 square meters), the protocol affords CBR researchers with access to the scientific support units, equipment, and advanced technology of the IGC.
The IGC has a rich institutional history of incubation of such scientific projects related to the life science that have subsequently given rise to prestigious research centers in Portugal. Examples of this include the Champalimaud Foundation, ITQB Nova, and CEDOC (currently Nova Medical School Research), among others.
Aga Khan University
Following a successful research collaboration between teams led by Maria João Amorim (CBR) and Zahra Hasan (Aga Khan University, Pakistan), the CBR hosted a one-day Partnership Meeting with representatives of Aga Khan University on June 5, 2023. The event had the presence of Professor Isabel Capeloa Gil, Rector of Universidade Católica Portuguesa, Professor António Medina de Almeida, Dean of Católica Medical School, Carl Amrhein, Provost of Aga Khan University, Salim Virani, Vice-Provost for Research of Aga Khan University, as well as Isaltino Morais, President (Mayor) of the Municipality of Oeiras, Dr Pedro Patacho, Education Councillor of the Municipality of Oeiras, and several CBR researchers. The aim was to build on the already established collaborative links and level up institutional collaboration.