The Sant Pau Research Institute (IR Sant Pau) hosted the Horizon Europe InfoDay—Cluster Health on November 20, a training event designed to provide practical information and strategies to strengthen the participation of research staff in Horizon Europe, the European Union’s main funding program for research and innovation.
Organized by the International Projects Unit of IR Sant Pau, the event aimed to provide concrete tools to increase the competitiveness of proposals submitted to Horizon Europe, particularly in the field of health. In addition, the meeting served as a space for exchanging experiences between institutions that have already secured European funding, with the goal of strengthening the collaborative research network in Catalonia.
The session opened with a presentation by Marta Marín, National Contact Point for Horizon Europe—Cluster Health, who introduced the draft of the 2026–2027 Work Programme and outlined the main updates and opportunities that this new European funding framework will offer. This was followed by a roundtable featuring representatives from institutions that have obtained Horizon Europe funding, including Juan Abolafia, Head of the International Projects Office at IDIBAPS; Carola Orrego, Principal Investigator at the Avedis Donabedian Foundation; and Olivia Belbin, Principal Investigator at IR Sant Pau, who shared her experience as coordinator of the first Horizon project awarded to the institute.
After an informal networking session over lunch, the event concluded with a hands-on workshop on proposal writing, delivered by a representative from the consultancy ERINN Innovation. The workshop focused on the Impact section, considered one of the most decisive parts of the evaluation process.
During the event’s opening remarks, Noemí Carranza, Head of the International Projects Unit at IR Sant Pau, highlighted the institute’s progress in securing European funding and the importance of collective work: “Four and a half years ago, our unit was created with a clear path and goals: to consolidate the attraction of funds that would allow us to support our researchers and accompany them in leading coordinated projects under the Horizon program. That has always been our purpose, and thanks to joint efforts, today we can celebrate that we have achieved it. This event is the best proof: our first coordinated project, a milestone that encourages us to continue growing and to strengthen the positioning of IR Sant Pau in Europe.”
Carranza also stressed that events like the InfoDay strengthen IR Sant Pau’s culture of international cooperation and help build a scientific community better prepared to face Europe’s research challenges in health.
For her part, Olivia Belbin, researcher at IR Sant Pau and coordinator of the recently awarded Horizon project, underscored the importance of having solid support structures within the institute: “Having a unit specialized in international projects makes a real difference. The team’s expertise and guidance were essential for transforming a strong scientific idea into a competitive and successful proposal. This first coordinated project shows that at IR Sant Pau we have the talent and the capacity to lead high-impact European initiatives.”
The Horizon Europe InfoDay—Cluster Health is part of the internationalization initiatives included in project STL028/23/000051, funded by the Department of Health of the Government of Catalonia, and brought together professionals from the biomedical field interested in strengthening their skills for preparing proposals within the European framework.
