The program at the Salamanca Institute for Biomedical Research, which will take place on June 2 and 3, will include a Pre-Doctoral Workshop, a Scientific Workshop, and a Public Workshop to foster connections between research, professionals, and society.
A roundtable discussion will examine the Institute’s past, present, and future, featuring its three scientific directors: former directors Jesús San Miguel Izquierdo and Rogelio González Sarmiento, and the current director, Luis García Ortiz.
The Salamanca Institute for Biomedical Research (IBSAL) will hold its 5th Scientific Conference on June 2 and 3 in a special format to mark the 15th anniversary of its founding. To mark this milestone, the institute has expanded its traditional scientific conference into three distinct sessions—pre-doctoral, scientific, and public— with the goal of giving a voice to the next generation of researchers, highlighting the biomedical advances made in Salamanca, and strengthening the bond between science and society.
IBSAL was founded in 2011 as a result of an agreement between the Department of Health of the Regional Government of Castile and León and the University of Salamanca; the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) later joined the initiative. Fifteen years later, the institute is commemorating this journey by establishing itself as a leader in biomedical research in Spain.
The conference will take place at various venues on the University of Salamanca campus and will bring together researchers, institutional representatives, healthcare professionals, civic organizations, and students to discuss some of the major current challenges in biomedical research and innovation.
A pre-doctoral workshop focused on the future researcher
The program will kick off on Tuesday, June 2, with the IBSAL Pre-Doctoral Conference, designed as a forum to listen to and support young researchers in the early stages of their scientific careers. The session will be held at the Dioscórides Building at the University of Salamanca and will include presentations, workshops, and a roundtable discussion focused on career opportunities after earning a Ph.D.
Among the speakers is Jerónimo Rodríguez Beltrán, a researcher at the Ramón y Cajal Institute and winner of the 2024 Margarita Salas National Research Award for Young Researchers in Biology, who will give a lecture on the keys to success in research and share his personal journey with the audience. Following his presentation, Rodríguez Beltrán will also participate in a roundtable discussion focused on analyzing the challenges and opportunities of a research career after the predoctoral stage. Moderated by IBSAL’s deputy scientific director, Ángeles Almeida Parra, the session will also bring together postdoctoral researcher Beatriz Martín Carro, IBSAL’s scientific secretary, Candelas Pérez del Villar Moro, principal investigator Rubén Deogracias Pastor, and predoctoral researcher Miguel Bastos Boente, in an intergenerational dialogue on professional development, stability, and the various career paths within biomedical research.
In addition, the event will include hands-on workshops on artificial intelligence applied to research, science outreach, conference presentations, and academic résumé writing, with the aim of providing useful tools to pre-doctoral researchers.
A scientific conference to review 15 years of research and advance cutting-edge healthcare
The IBSAL Scientific Conference will take place on Wednesday, June 3, and will focus on two main themes: a review of the institute’s 15-year history and an analysis of the challenges of so-called “cutting-edge healthcare.”
One of the highlights will be the roundtable discussion “15 Years of IBSAL, ” which will bring together all the scientific directors the institute has had since its founding: Jesús F. San Miguel Izquierdo (2011–2013), Rogelio González Sarmiento (2013–2023), and the current director, Luis García Ortiz.
The event will also feature the participation of high-level representatives from the national and regional scientific and healthcare sectors in the panel discussion “Cutting-Edge Healthcare: Innovation and Research.” Among them are Raquel Yotti Álvarez, PERTE Commissioner for Cutting-Edge Healthcare at the Ministry of Science, Innovation, and Universities; Marina Pollán Santamaría, director of the Carlos III Health Institute; and Álvaro Muñoz Galindo, director general of Quality and Infrastructure at the Castilla y León Regional Health Authority.
In addition, leading researchers at IBSAL—including María Isidoro García, Ángeles Almeida Parra, María Díez Campelo, and Fermín Sánchez-Guijo Martín —will present some of the most innovative projects currently underway at IBSAL and funded by PERTE grants in areas such as pharmacogenetics, personalized medicine for cognitive decline, myelodysplastic syndromes, and advanced therapies. Along the same lines, Fernando Martín Lara, from 300K Solutions S.L., will also speak as an example of an innovative company based in Salamanca.
Citizens: The Key Players in Biomedical Research
As a highlight of this year’s event, IBSAL will also hold a Public Event on the afternoon of June 3 at the International Center for Spanish (CIE-USAL), with the goal of bringing biomedical research closer to the public and strengthening the participation of associations and citizens in the institute’s scientific activities.
The session will focus on the role of society in research and the opportunity to build a science that is more open, participatory, and connected to social needs. To this end, a roundtable discussion will be held featuring Manuel Arellano Armisen, vice president of the Platform of Patient Organizations (POP); Pilar Gayoso Diz, representative of the Carlos III Health Institute at CoARA; and María del Pilar Samaniego de Tiedra, president of the IBSAL Citizens’ Commission.
With the same goal in mind, various associations will present initiatives developed in collaboration with IBSAL to strengthen the link between research and society. These include proposals spearheaded by the Fundaneed Foundation, the AFIBROSAL Association, the Iguales LGBT+ Association, ASPACE Salamanca, the Retina Salamanca Association, and ASDACE Salamanca, focusing on areas such as rare diseases, fibromyalgia, health diversity, respiratory physical therapy for cerebral palsy, visual impairments, and acquired brain injury.
All the information and the complete program for the 5th IBSAL Scientific Conference can be found on the Institute’s official website.
IBSAL
The Salamanca Institute for Biomedical Research (IBSAL) was established on March 21, 2011, through an agreement signed by the Department of Health of the Regional Government of Castile and León and the University of Salamanca, which was joined in February 2012 by the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC). It is one of the 36 health research institutes accredited by the Carlos III Health Institute.
Its scientific activity is organized into six areas, comprising a total of 86 research groups: Cancer (22 groups); Cardiovascular, Renal, and Respiratory (11); Neuroscience (12); Infectious, Inflammatory, and Metabolic Diseases (19); Gene and Cell Therapy and Transplants (6); and Primary Care, Public Health, and Pharmacology (16).
For more information and contact details:
comunicacion@ibsal.es
