On December 20, the constitution ceremony of the i3S Association - Institute for Health Research and Innovation was held. The signature of the Association was attended by the President of the Polytechnic of Porto, João Rocha, the Minister of Science, Technology and Higher Education, Manuel Heitor and António de Sousa Pereira, Rector of the University of Porto, among others.
For i3S director, Mário Barbosa, the institute, which started as a research center of excellence in Health Sciences, has now found the assumptions and resources to develop a new stage: the constitution of an i3S entity. "The end of 2019 was the goal set for the creation of this entity, a goal that is now met with the formalization of the i3S Association," he says, clarifying that the association's bylaws will allow more integrated management of the i3S, "with greater optimization. but essentially maintaining the scientific structure that has been built collectively since the creation of the research unit. "
Claudio Sunkel, coordinator and researcher for the i3S Cell Division and Genomic Stability lab, adds in detail this change of statutes: "More than a set of rules, they are the formal constitution of a new research institution on the Portuguese and international scene. What we are taking today is the first for a true merger, for us to achieve a single, integrated management institution to which the resources of the former will move. "
For the Polytechnic of Porto this is another vigorous step in the guiding line of the research carried out, of its profound impact on society, especially in the area of Health Sciences.
