Current State of Basic and Translational Cardiovascular Research in Spain

TY - JOUR

T1 - Current State of Basic and Translational Cardiovascular Research in Spain

AU - Lara-Pezzi, Enrique

AU - Andrés, Vicente

AU - Fernández-Avilés, Francisco

AU - Fuster, Valentín

AU - Ibáñez, Borja

N1 - Funding Information: Spanish cardiovascular research groups also receive significant support from international sources, with 50 groups awarded competitive international grants amounting >26 million euros over the last 5 years (Figure [B]). These are mainly European Union grants awarded to networks of researchers working toward a shared goal. Some of these networks focus more on research training (Innovative Training Networks), while others are fully focused on research. Although the number of European grants with participating Spanish groups is increasing and approaching that of other countries with a stronger tradition in cardiovascular research, there is still room for improvement. European grant calls (especially within the current Horizon 2020 program) have taken on a more clinical and applied slant, forcing closer interactions between basic and clinical researchers. The transition to more applied collaborative research is already underway in Spain, thanks to the initiatives mentioned above, and this established trend should, therefore, increase Spanish participation in continental networks. In addition, several selected researchers have received funding from the European Research Council in the form of individual grants. These prestigious grants are competitive Funding Information: Over the last 15 years, the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII; Carlos III National Institute of Health) has provided an additional funding stream to support thematic research networks. These networks are multidisciplinary and bring together basic and clinical researchers in an effort to elucidate new disease mechanisms and develop new diagnostic and therapeutic tools that will ultimately improve healthcare. The CVD dedicated network (CIBER de Enfermedades Cardiovasculares [CIBERCV]) is discussed below in more detail. Another source of funding for CVD studies and training is the Sociedad Española de Cardiología (SEC; Spanish Society of Cardiology). Grants from the SEC are small (≤25 000 euros per project), but the SEC funds a large number of projects every year, amounting >800 000 euros through different grant and fellowship programs. Funding Information: international (B) grants awarded to Spanish cardiovascular research groups. For network grants, the funding share corresponding to each Spanish group was calculated. C, Distribution of citations received by publications by Spanish groups involved in cardiovascular research. D, Distribution of journal categories for articles published by Spanish cardiovascular research groups. E, Keyword distribution in papers published by Spanish cardiovascular research groups. Funding Information: Despite increasing CVD incidence and prevalence, public research funding in Spain has decreased over the last decade. This cut in funds follows a general trend in Spain in the wake of the global financial crisis. In 2016, the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, which is the main public funding body in Spain, spent around 380 million euros on different project grants, mainly in the so-called Excellence, Societal Challenges, and Health Research Projects programs. The Excellence call funded >700 grants (42% success rate), averaging around 100 000 euros per project. The Societal Challenges awarded 1500 grants (49% success rate) with 145 000 euros each on average. The Health Research Projects scheme funded >600 projects with an average of 95 000 euros each (36% success rate). These projects are 3 to 4 years long and were awarded to 1, or sometimes 2, principal investigators. Over the last 8 years, basic and translational cardiovascular research groups have obtained around 300 competitive grants, securing close to 50 million euros (Figure [A]).

PY - 2017/10/13

Y1 - 2017/10/13

KW - CIBERCV

KW - CNIC

KW - Spain

KW - cardiovascular research

KW - translational research

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/85040776457

U2 - 10.1161/CIRCRESAHA.117.310842

DO - 10.1161/CIRCRESAHA.117.310842

M3 - Article

C2 - 29025757

AN - SCOPUS:85040776457

SN - 0009-7330

VL - 121

SP - 1036

EP - 1039

JO - Circulation Research

JF - Circulation Research

IS - 9

ER -