Strategic Action for Health Research (within the R+D+I National Plan of Spain)

PIC: 999507886

-Usually 3 years, but some special  research project  may have a duration of  4 years   (starting in January and finishing  in  December 3-4 year after)

5.0 million euros.

-Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII)

The Institute of Health Carlos III (Instituto de Salud Carlos III, acronym in Spanish: ISCIII) is  the main R&D funding body in Spain for biomedical and Health research, according to the funds dedicated to it. It is  a national public legally autonomous body created by the Spanish Parliament’s Act 14/1986, of April 25 (Ley General de Sanidad) under the title VI provisions (articles 111, 112 and 113) for the scientific and technical support of  the  National Health System (formed by the Regional Health Services) and legally entitled to promote research of quality in the field of Bio-medicine and other Health Sciences. Its Statute is regulated by the provisions of the Royal Decree 375/2001 of April 6, modified in part by the Royal Decree 590/2005, of May 20. The Fund for Health Research (Fondo de Investigación Sanitaria, acronym in Spanish: FIS), is a legally different branch for extramural R&D funding management  within ISCIII (article 7-number 4.3ª provisions of the Royal Decree 1893/1996, of August 2). ISCIII is attached to the Ministry of Science and Innovation (Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación) of Spain. It is also responsible to draft the Initiative for Health Research (= Iniciativa Sectorial de Investigación en Salud) within the R+D+I National Plans of Spain, under the Chapter IV provisions of the Spanish Parliament’s Act 16/2003, of May 28 (Ley de cohesión y calidad del Sistema Nacional de Salud). For the Plan 2008 –2011 this is defined as the Strategic Action for Health Research (= Acción Estratégica de Investigación en Salud) and structured “from the bench to the bedside” in basic, translational and applied research   in disease oriented, patient oriented, population oriented, early alert, pharma  and health technology assessment research and development.   ISCIII carries out  intramural activities and has   a regulatory  role , e.g  ragarding biobanking, as well as  on research certification.   Most of the budget of ISCIII is public funded (335 M € in 2010 fiscal year, and specifically approved by the Parliament of Spain in the annual National Budget Act) and allows to manage thorough FIS more than 210 M €  in 2009 for extramural research funding via a  competitive annual call for proposals published in the Official Gazette of Spain (= BOE).   ISCIII participates in several  ERA-Nets, such as E-RARE (Coordination of Research of Rare Diseases), PRIOMEDCHILD (ERA-Net for Priority Medicine for Children), NEURON (ERANet for Neurosciences), EuroNanoMed (EUROpean network of trans-national collaborative RTD projects in the field of NANOMEDicine), Eurocan+plus, Transcan (ERA-NET on Translational Cancer Research); and ESFRI, such as ECRIN-IPP (European Clinical Research Infrastructures Network and biotherapy facilities), BBMRI (Biobanking and Biomolecular Resources Research Infrastructure) and  ERINHA (European Research Infrastructure on Highly Pathogenic Agents) as well as in article 185 TEC  (former 169) initiatives  such as EDCTP  (European and Developing Countries Clinical Trial Partnership,  approved since 2003, and AAL (Ambient Assisted Living) whose Council and the European Parliament. Co-decision  approved in 2008.    

-Biomedical and health research (Clinical, public health, health and social care, health and social services research)

-Scientific assessment plus strategic and opportunity evaluation. -Basic, applied and translational bio medical and health research, public health research, health and socials services research, -research on health technology  assessment.

-Multi  and interdisciplinarity: any discipline related to  biomedical and health (including social aspects of health) -Hospitals and other health care settings, academia and public and private actors  with mission and research track records.

-Annual Open call (for projects, networks, non commercial clinical trials, medium size infrastructures, pre and post- doc fellowships and researchers and  technical manpower  job contracts), -Scientific  and  opportunity and strategic  external peer review... -Annual   Grant pre-payments upon  previous  year  scientific  performance and expenses´ justification checks and assessment   . -All the  administrative checks and evaluation processes  must be finished  before the end of the fiscal year.

-Rather difficult for institutions not placed in Spain but theoretically possible. -No major problem  for foreign researchers in  institutions placed and with fiscal address in Spain.