The Cajal Chair, in collaboration with the Merck Salud Foundation, calls for research grants

Among the legacy that the award left us Laureate Santiago Ramon y Cajal highlights its work for Science, but also the value of the work that young scientists carry out in this field, supporting them, and getting involved in the search for sustainable solutions to promote research in Spain. Under this premise, the Cajal Chair of the University of Zaragoza, in order to advance and generate knowledge thanks to the legacy of the Nobel Prize, as an opportunity to join forces and support researchers in different projects. Thus, last April the agreement was signed for the creation of the Santiago Ramón y Cajal Chair at the University of ZaragozaIn collaboration with Merck Health Foundation the foundation of Hospital Universitari Vall d’Hebron and the Spanish Society of Pathological Anatomy.

“It is an honor for the Merck Health Foundation to be part of this Chair and to show our commitment to the most innovative researchers and our support for science”, highlights the executive president Mrs. Carmen Gonzalez Madrid.

And now, the Cajal Chair has opened the call for Cajal Chair Grants, scholarships that aim to financially, logistically and personally support researchers with the most disruptive and innovative ideas in the biomedical field. The grants will be awarded to researchers, both predoctoral and postdoctoral, and each of them will have a duration of two years. The research projects presented must be original and innovative in any field of biomedical sciences.

Each of the grants will be endowed with up to 80,000 euros and the categories proposed by the Chair to present different projects are: Involvement of mobile and non-coding DNA in cancer or other diseases, Viruses and autoimmune diseases / cancer, Application and development of algorithms and/or systems biology for the identification of mechanisms of resistance to therapeutic targets in cancer, Neurodegenerative Diseases, Regenerative Medicine, Application of the metaverse in neurobiological or biochemical sciences, Application and development of algorithms for pathological diagnosis, Approximation of the principles of “quantum physics” to the biological sciences, in addition to the other proposals that may be presented.

The presentation of applications and selection of candidates will be carried out in two phases, being the deadline for the reception of projects in the first phase until July 25, while in the second a maximum of six applications from the first phase will have been preselected, and the deadline for reception in this second phase It is October 17.

scientific Comittee

On May 30, the presentation ceremony of the Scientific Committee of the Cajal Chairwhich is chaired by Mr. Santiago Ramón y Cajal Agüerasgreat-grandnephew of the Nobel laureate and professor of Pathological anatomy of the Autonomous University of Barcelona and number academician of the Royal National Academy of Medicine of Spain. The Scientific Committee is made up of Mrs. Maria Antonia BlascoDirector of the CNIO, d Ricardo MartinezDirector of the Cajal Institute, d louis serranoDirector of the Barcelona CRG, d Joan ComellaDirector of the VHIR, d Manuel EstellerDirector of the José Carreras Research Institute, Mr. John LermaDirector of the International Center for Neurosciences, d Alfonso Valenciaexpert in Artificial Intelligence and Bioinformatics, Mrs. Angela NietoRYC National Research Award, D. Juan de Carlosresearcher at the Cajal Institute, d Alberto SchuhmacherARAID researcher at the IIS Aragón, d Josep TaberneroHead of the Oncology Service at the Vall d’Hebron University Hospital and Mrs. bolea pinkVice-Rector for Scientific Policy at the University of Zaragoza.

The Joint Commission of the Chaircomposed of the current president Ms. Carmen González Madridpresident of the Merck Health Foundation, the Secretary Mrs. Raquel Rodríguez Bailera, Director of the Research Results Transfer Office of the University of Zaragoza, Mrs. Yolanda Polo, Vice Chancellor of Culture and Social Projection of the University of Zaragoza, Mr. Javier Lanuza, dean of the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Zaragoza, d Jose Luis Rodriguez Peraltopresident of the Spanish Society of Pathological Anatomy, D. Joan Comelladirector of the VHIR and Health and the director of the Chair Mr. Carlos Martin MontañésProfessor of Microbiology at the University of Zaragoza, has met in this presentation with the Scientific Committee.

Merck Health Foundation and its involvement with health

Improving the quality of life of people who suffer from diseases or pathologies is the premise on which Fundación Merck Salud works. Since its inception, the foundation has not only maintained its commitment to improving the health and well-being of people and patients, but also to helping them and medical professionals in relation to diagnoses, controls, adhesions and , even, to doctor-patient relationships in diseases and pathologies such as immuno-oncology, multiple sclerosis, rare diseases, endocrinology, fertility, cardiometabolic risk or individualized precision medicine. To carry out its objective, the Merck Salud Foundation carries out activities such as the granting of Merck Research Grants, the Merck Salud Research Grants for Health Results or the delivery of solidarity prizes, among others.

Fundación Merck Salud is financed by the leading science and technology company Merck and has been chaired for eleven years by Carmen González Madrid.