Results of the ISGlobal alliance's Second Call for Joint Research Proposals Announced

The alliance between ISGlobal and its research centres, CRESIB and CREAL, continues to take shape through the promotion of synergies in global health research. The alliance's Second Internal Call for Joint Research Proposals, launched in January 2014 with the support of the Catalan Government's SUMA programme, attracted 10 proposals that were evaluated by an international panel of external experts. The three projects finally chosen by the programme's steering committee to receive funding were:

-  Assessing exposure through miRomics: a path towards novel biomarkers for non-communicable and infectious disease, Alfredo Mayor (CRESIB) and Juan R González (CREAL)

-  Molecular basis of variation in the sexual conversion rates of malaria parasites, Alfred Cortés (CRESIB) and Mariona Bustamante (CREAL)

- Health impact assessment of urban and transport planning in developing countries, Mark Nieuwenhuijsen (CREAL) and Antoni Plasència (CRESIB)

The projects are scheduled to start in June this year and will be carried out in 2014 and 2015. All the proposals submitted were of high scientific quality and criteria relating to sustainability and feasibility were decisive in the committee's final choice.

The researchers who submitted the winning proposals will join the six researchers currently working on the joint projects chosen last year, in the first edition of the internal call. Significant progress was made in 2013 in terms of creating a framework for effective cooperation between CREAL, CRESIB and ISGlobal and laying the groundwork for the creation of a cohesive, efficient and sustainable organisational model. The ISGlobal alliance also launched a joint research strategy promoting synergies between several existing programmes and fostering the transfer of knowledge to inform public health policies and interventions. The alliance is also working on expanding its provision of ongoing quality postgraduate training in global and environmental health and strengthening capacities to shape the international agenda in its areas of excellence.