Convocatoria de Investigación en Salud

3.1.
The fundamental aim of this Call is to foster groundbreaking and relevant research Projects that lead to the advancement of knowledge and offer solutions related to some of the most significant health problems of our century. The ”la Caixa” Foundation seeks research Projects of scientific excellence in their field, with great potential value and a high social impact. The ”la Caixa” Foundation encourages Applicants to present Projects with an innovative focus that transcend the boundaries between different areas of research, aimed at new and emerging research fields and/or including unconventional approaches to health problems.
3.2.
Proposals eligible for this Call must be led by: (i) non-profit Research Performing Organisations based in Spain or Portugal; or (ii) non-profit foreign Research Performing Organisations whose research activities are carried out through a permanent establishment or permanent representation based in Spain or Portugal.
For the sake of clarity, in the event a grant is awarded to an entity as described in (ii) above: (a) the grant must be allocated and used by research laboratories, entities and staff located in Spain or Portugal; and (b) the Agreement must be signed by the permanent establishment or permanent representation of the foreign Research Performing Organisation that is in Spain or Portugal.
3.3.
The selected Thematic Area determines the Selection Committee in which the proposal will be evaluated.
Proposals must be submitted in one of the following five Thematic Areas:
»Neuroscience
»Infectious diseases
»Oncology
»Cardiovascular and associated metabolic diseases: proposals in cardiovascular diseases and metabolic diseases associated with cardiovascular risks or alterations
»Enabling technologies: proposals focused on the creation and development of innovative health-facilitating, assistive and rehabilitation technologies from the following fields:
·micro- and nano-electronics;
·computational science, big data and Artificial Intelligence;
·photonics;
·nanotechnology and biotechnology;
·advanced materials or advanced manufacturing.

Proposals related to enabling technologies should be focused on addressing topics related to any of the other four previously mentioned Thematic Areas.

Furthermore, proposals that are not focused on the creation and development of enabling technologies and techniques, but that are solely focused on a biomedical research problem supported by the use of established enabling technologies, will not be considered to be part of the Enabling Technologies Thematic Area. In this event, the Applicants must re-allocate and submit the proposal to one of the other four corresponding Thematic Areas.
Any proposal that is not properly allocated to the Enabling Technologies Thematic Area may be discarded by ”la Caixa” Foundation at any stage of the selection process.
3.4.
The Projects will have a duration of up to three (3) years. A single non-cost extension of up to twelve (12) months may be granted, provided that a request is submitted at least three (3) months before the end of the Project’s term.
Any official leave of absence (e.g. medical, parental, or other types of employment leave, including unpaid leaves of absence or career breaks – e.g.“excedencias”-) affecting the PL, PIs or other key personnel must be formally notified to the ”la Caixa” Foundation. Such request must include: (i) a justification for the extension, (ii) a work plan for the proposed extension period, and (iii) a statement confirming the sufficiency of the remaining funds. Where such leave of absence may significantly affect the execution of the Project, the notification shall include the measures adopted to mitigate its impact and ensure the continuity of the Project activities. Host Organisation and/or all parties to the Consortium (where applicable) shall confirm that the continuity of the Project will not be adversely affected.
If the leave of absence exceeds six (6) consecutive months, the Host Organisation and/or other RPO, as applicable, shall notify the relevant Grant Manager by email and provide a certificate or other appropriate supporting documentation confirming the existence and duration of the leave of absence. Such documentation shall not contain any confidential information, sensitive personal data, medical information, medical diagnoses, or any other information that could identify an individual's health status.
During any leave of absence exceeding six (6) consecutive months, the Host Organisation and/or other RPO, as applicable, shall provide the relevant Grant Manager with a status update by email every three (3) months, until the individual returns to work or the leave of absence otherwise ends.
The ”la Caixa” Foundation reserves the right to approve or reject any request. No extension shall take effect unless expressly approved in writing by the ”la Caixa” Foundation.
The Projects may be carried out as Individual Projects or Research Consortium Projects, as explained below:
»Individual Projects are carried out by a sole Research Performing Organisation (RPO) i.e. the Host Organisation.
»Research Consortium Projects are carried out by a Research Consortium (composed of a minimum of two and a maximum of five RPOs, including the Host Organisation).

3.5.
The Projects will be coordinated by the Host Organisation. Additionally, both Individual and Research Consortium Projects may also include Civil Society Organisations as described in section 0. A maximum of three Civil Society Organisations per proposal are permitted.
3.6.
The Call aims to support basic, clinical and translational research projects. However, we understand the definition of the type of research is not a simple matter and can be controversial. As such, in order to improve the evaluation (matching between proposals and experts), please take into account the following definitions:
-Basic research provides knowledge to understand nature and its laws. Although it may be performed without practical purposes in mind, this knowledge provides the essential means to answer a large number of important practical problems.
-Clinical research is research conducted with human subjects (or on material of human origin such as tissues, specimens and cognitive phenomena) for which the research team (or colleagues) directly interacts with human subjects. It includes clinical trials, epidemiological and behavioural studies, outcomes research and health services research. In vitro studies that use human tissues not linked to a living individual are excluded from this definition.
-Translational research fosters the bidirectional integration of basic and clinical research, with the long-term aim of improving public health. It accelerates the movement between basic and clinical research leading to:
·A robust scientific understanding of human health and disease
·New or improved understanding or standards of care, better patient outcomes, the implementation of best practices and improved community health.
This information will only be used to better classify the proposals for the evaluation.
3.7.
The fact that the proposals are submitted as Individual or Research Consortium Projects and classified as Basic, Clinical or Translational will not, in any case, be a selection criterion during the evaluation process.
3.8.
The PL and, by extension, the Host Organisation are responsible to the ”la Caixa” Foundation for the content and outcome of the Project, including any documentation and information related to it, without prejudice to the methods used for its development (e.g. Artificial Intelligence tools). In this sense, the PL and Host Organisation guarantee: (i) compliance with all applicable regulations; (ii) non-infringement of third-party rights; and (iii) application of best ethical practices. Likewise, and within the framework of this Call, the PL and the Host Organisation exempt ”la Caixa” Foundation from any liability before third parties arising from any failure to comply with the foregoing.