Severo Ochoa Programme 2024-2028

In October 2019, ISGlobal was named for the first time a Severo Ochoa Centre of Excellence by the Spanish State Research Agency, a body affiliated to the Ministry of Science and Innovation. In 2024, ISGlobal renewed its accreditation, reinforcing the institute's role as an international benchmark.

This accreditation recognises the excellence, scientific contributions, social and economic impact, and ability to attract talent, of Spanish research centres in Spain. The purpose of the award is to fund and distinguish centres and public units that have developed highly competitive, cutting-edge research programmes that are among the best in the world in their respective scientific fields. The award provides funding over a four-year period for institutional strengthening and for training predoctoral researchers.

ISGlobal is the only centre in epidemiology and global public health to be accredited as a Severo Ochoa Centre of Excellence. The accreditation therefore represents a tremendous boost for this research field in Spain and abroad.

ISGlobal's 2nd Severo Ochoa Programme (2024-2028): From Research to Impact

The new Severo Ochoa programme is embedded in ISGlobal’s mission to improve global health and promote health equity, through excellence in research, translation and application of knowledge, and will serve as a catalyst for the implementation of the institutional scientific strategy.

To achieve ISGlobal’s mission in the context of existing and emerging health threats, the new Severo Ochoa Programme aims to further understand the interplay between infectious diseases (IDs), chronic non-communicable diseases (NCDs), and environmental factors, and their combined and individual impact on human health.

The overarching aim of the new Severo Ochoa programme is to catalyse the use of data and analytical tools, highly reinforced through the first Severo Ochoa Programme, to elucidate disease determinants and mechanisms, and to develop strategies for impactful interventions. The development of participatory approaches that strengthen citizen science methodologies will link research and innovation to society for impact.

The programme will be developed through two complementary "research to impact" streams, that will channel cutting-edge research and innovation from basic biomedical science to impact, through a comprehensive “bench-to-community” approach:

1. STREAM I. UNDERSTANDING MOLECULAR MECHANISMS AND HEALTH DETERMINANTS OF MAJOR DISEASES.  Stream I aims to enhance current areas of excellence in basic host-pathogen and exposome research, reinforcing multi-omics techniques and building synergies across them.
2. STREAM II. GENERATING KNOWLEDGE AND TOOLS FOR POPULATION HEALTH RESILIENCE. Stream II aims to enhance current areas of excellence in disease detection, health promotion and surveillance, and climate change and health by applying innovations in data science and field-deployable tools. We will enhance citizen science approaches to develop fit-for-purpose tools and models for public health protection.

In summary, the second Severo Ochoa programme will consolidate capacities developed during the first Severo Ochoa programme with a focus on strengthening multi-omics methods. We will further promote multidisciplinarity and collaboration across our five research programmes and through cross-faculty knowledge hubs, and expand ISGlobal’s central role in international networks. This approach will reinforce our cohesiveness and international competitiveness.

Key Initiatives

Some examples of key initiatives promoted by the new Severo Ochoa Programme are:

• Expanding ISGlobal’s PhD and postdoctoral programmes (talent attraction). We will strengthen our approach by promoting a new generation of global health PhD and postdoctoral researchers who will work across the two Streams and related research programmes.
• A step forward in the development of international online training. We will expand under- and post-graduate training programmes in global health as a multi-university institute, by consolidating interdisciplinary postgraduate courses on advanced methods developed in the first Severo Ochoa programme and developing new courses linked to the proposed Streams, promoting international learning and enhancing eLearning.
  • Supported education activities: Summer School 2024 (consolidation of courses developed in the first Severo Ochoa programme, and development of new courses linked to the new programme)
• Fostering scientific careers. We will establish an integrated leadership programme for junior PIs to strengthen their leadership skills.
• Promoting participatory approaches. We aim to ensure that the newly developed tools and models are directly applicable to public health protection. We will maximise the impact of research on society by developing best practices in citizen science, implementation science, open science, science communication and outreach, and by using policy-relevant results to guide public health action.
• Build new and consolidate existing collaborations and networks with strategic partners and increase ISGlobal presence at international fora.
• Support for the organisation of international workshops to stimulate debate on major scientific and transversal topics.
• Support advocacy efforts to enhance the influence of ISGlobal in the European Union's policy-making forums.
• Pursue an open innovation approach (Train, Grow, Impact).
• Promotion of the “Gender Equity Plan”. Example of key activities: Enhancement of the successful and well-received financial support programme for young mothers researchers, launched under the first Severo Ochoa programme.

Conclusion

To sum up, the new Severo Ochoa Strategic Programme will not only strengthen ISGlobal's research capacity, but will also enhance international scientific leadership and impact, improve the research environment and work to attract new talent.