IDIVAL launches a bioinformatics unit to support the researchers of the Institute with the incorporation of a bioinformatics contract obtained from the call of the Strategic Health Action 2019 for the incorporation of bioinformatics.

The bioinformatic technician is Noelia Rodriguez Pérez graduated in Biological Sciences from the UCM in 2004, a doctor in biology from the UCM (2009) and a master's degree in bioinformatics and biostatistics from the UOC in 2018. She has worked on a project linked to the area of neuroscience IDIVAL, in the Psychiatry Research Group, where it performed longitudinal data analysis applying mixed linear models for the analysis of neuroimaging data obtained with magnetic resonance and will be part of the IDIVAL technological services area, complementing the existing ones and will support the research groups of the Institute. Supporting the existing lines of work in the institute of sequencing, epidemiology and image treatment.

Its incorporation can provide support in: analysis of longitudinal data with linear longitudinal mixed models, generation of linear and logistic multivariate regression models, survival analysis with Kaplan-Meier curves, analysis of gene expression with microarray technology data, transcriptomic data by RNAseq and GSEA analysis with functional databases (GO, KEGG), metagenomic data analysis generated by pyrosequencing of the gene encoding 16S rRNA and ChIP-Seq data analysis.

Noelia is physically on the third floor of IDIVAL and you can contact Noelia by email bioinformatica1@idival.org

The Valdecilla Health Research Institute Foundation (IDIVAL) is advancing in the knowledge of the genetic causes of Alzheimer's disease in the Spanish population through the promotion of research projects that the DEGESCO (Dementia Genetic Spanish Consortium) consortium has been developing in the last years.

This consortium, founded in 2013 by doctors Pascual Sánchez-Juan, of the Marqués de Valdecilla University Hospital, and Agustín Ruiz, of the ACE Foundation (Barcelona) with the aim of joining forces in the genetic studies of neurodegenerative diseases, has the institutional coverage of the Center for Biomedical Research in the Network of Neurodegenerative Diseases (CIBERNED) and with 20 associated centers throughout the country.

Dr. Pascual Sánchez-Juan, responsible for the Cognitive Deterioration Unit of Valdecilla and first signatory of the article, has valued the activity of DEGESCO, indicating that it has allowed Valdecilla, the IDIVAL and the ACE Foundation to carry out one of the further studies conducted so far to study the role of the tau protein gene in Alzheimer's disease.

The results of this work, he explained, indicate that in a sample of the Spanish population of 15,552 individuals, the haplotype or genetic variant H2 of the tau protein is protective of Alzheimer's disease. This variant, especially prevalent in Mediterranean countries, has been registered in 30% of the sample studied, becoming one of the highest percentages described and revealing itself as a particularly relevant factor in our environment, he said.

The head of the Cognitive Deterioration Unit of Valdecilla, commented that the DEGESCO consortium has tens of thousands of samples to study the genetics of diseases, which has allowed Spain to be positioned “in a prominent place within the large global consortia of Alzheimer's genetics”.

In this sense, he has assured that “this study is an example of the importance of studying different populations to better understand the variability of the genetic architecture associated with Alzheimer's disease in different human groups.”

The study, whose results have been published in the magazine 'Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience', is part of the 'Gr @ ce-Degesco' project, led by Dr. Agustín Ruiz of the ACE Foundation, and has been funded by the strategic action in health of the Carlos III Health Institute, la Caixa and Grifols.

Ref. The MAPT H1 Haplotype Is a Risk Factor for Alzheimer's Disease in APOE ε4 Non-carriers.Sánchez-Juan P, Moreno S, de Rojas I, Hernández I, Valero S, Alegret M, Montrreal L, García González P, Lage C, López-García S, Rodrííguez-Rodríguez E, Orellana A, Tárraga L, Boada M, Ruiz A. Front Aging Neurosci. 2019 Dec 4;11:327. doi: 10.3389/fnagi.2019.00327. eCollection 2019. PMID: 31866851 Free PMC Article

The purpose of this call is to support IDIVAL research groups that, having requested an aid to carry out research projects for the year 2019 of the Strategic Health Action, of the State Program for the Promotion of Scientific and Technical Research of Excellence , State Subprogram of Knowledge Generation and the State Program for Research, Development and Innovation Oriented to the Challenges of the Society, were evaluated with a high qualification but could not be funded.

This call will finance the best evaluated projects with grants of a maximum duration of one year and with an amount proportional to that originally requested in the project.

The project will have been presented as an IDIVAL as the entity requesting the aid, to one of the aforementioned calls and have obtained a minimum rating of 90% on the minimum cut-off point necessary to obtain financing in the Strategic Health Action or of “B “in the evaluation carried out by the State Research Agency of the aforementioned programs.

The principal investigator, who will have an employment relationship with IDIVAL, with the Public Health System of Cantabria, or with the University of Cantabria as a professor linked to healthcare activity or, failing that, belonging to an IDIVAL Group, must be a principal investigator of a project obtained from through an active competitive call in the last 3 years and will have been an applicant as principal investigator of a project not funded by the indicated programs for the year 2019. Researchers who have had an active project in this program in 2019 cannot apply for this help.

The maximum amount to be granted will be a maximum of € 25,000. The duration of the aid will be 1 year extendable, without modification of the amount granted.

Submission of applications from February 1 to 15

More detailed information of the call in the following link: TRANS-VAL

Today, the call for the Strategic Health Action has just been published in the national subsidies database.

The opening and closing dates of the programs convened are the following:

• PFIS Contracts: February 4 to February 27, 2020

• I-PFIS Contracts: February 4 to February 27, 2020

• Training aids in health research management (FGIN): January 21 to February 12, 2020

• Río Hortega Contracts: January 22 to February 18, 2020

• Management contracts in health research in IIS: January 21 to February 12, 2020

• Miguel Servet Type II contracts: January 28 to February 19, 2020

• Sara Borrell Contracts: January 28 to February 19, 2020

• Juan Rodés Contracts: January 30 to February 20, 2020

• Contracts for the intensification of research activity in the National Health System: January 22 to February 18, 2020

• Contracts of bioinformatic technical personnel to support research in IIS: January 28 to February 19, 2020

• Aid for the mobility of research staff (Modality M-BAE): January 21 to February 12, 2020

• Aid for the mobility of research staff (Modality M-AES): January 21 to February 12, 2020

• Health research projects (Modality Health research projects): January 21 to February 13, 2020

• Health research projects (Modality Health technological development projects): January 28 to February 20, 2020

• International joint programming projects: June 10 to July 9, 2020

Access to the rules of the call

Access to the request portal

From January 15 to February 15, the Call for predoctoral mobility for personnel hired through the joint call IDIVAL-University of Cantabria prior to 2018 is open.

The purpose of this program is to promote mobility in personnel with a predoctoral contract by financing trips and short stays. Ordinary activities required by the postgraduate training program and the normal development of the thesis are expressly excluded.

The call finances stays of at least 1 month that must be initiated before July 2020. The aid finances the registration, travel, accommodation and maintenance expenses originated exclusively by the activity to be carried out in the stay that will be managed from IDIVAL of according to the internal regulations of research project management.

Requirements: have an active predoctoral contract for mixed IDIVAL calls-University of Cantabria prior to 2018.

The maximum amount to be granted per stay will be 5,000 euros.

Documentation to present

a) Justification report: The report must contain the purpose of the stay, work plan, information about the receiving center in relation to the purpose of the stay and the planned expenditure budget.

b) Report of the doctoral thesis director: You must justify the convenience of the stay.

c) Proof of acceptance of the receiving center.

Deadline for submission of applications until February 15.

More information at the following link: IDIVAL Calls

On Monday, January 20 at 2:00 p.m. in the IDIVAL conference room (3rd floor), the different programs and news of the Strategic Health Action 20120 are presented.

The deadline for submitting applications for some of the programs of the call opens in the next few days, so this day is intended to inform and resolve all types of queries and clarifications that arise in relation to the call, as well as highlight the aspects to take into account to obtain a high success rate in it.

The following table shows application submission dates and summary sheets of each of the programs:

The purpose of this program is to promote professional practice and training of technicians in aspects related to management and research support in the field of research management, by learning aspects related to the management, monitoring and evaluation of actions to promote research at IDIVAL, as well as internationalization and innovation activities in the field of health sciences and technologies.

The selected candidate will develop a tutored training itinerary.

The internship contract that will have an initial duration of 12 months, counted from the date of incorporation, extendable for another 12 months, after evaluating the activity of the contracted. The trial period will be two months. The selected candidate will develop a tutored training itinerary, with periodic evaluations and presentation of a report at the end of the first annual year.

The salary of the selected candidates will be 75% the first year and 80% of the salary corresponding to the category of university degree of second cycle included in the section on bankable concepts.

Candidate Requirements

These contracts in “Ges-Val” practices are intended for university graduates of second cycle (official master or graduate) with a degree of seniority less than five years (seven in case of disability) from the end of studies or under 30 years.

In all cases they must be official Spanish titles and, if they have been obtained abroad, they must be officially approved on the date of the end of the deadline for submitting applications, in accordance with the applicable regulations.

Documentation to present

Along with the application, applicants must submit the following documentation:

– Curriculum vitae in CVN format (reduced version FECYT), available at: https://cvn.fecyt.es/ and on the IDIVAL intranet.

– Memory of the proposal of the activities to be carried out by the candidate.

– Copy of the ID. Copy of the valid passport, only in the case of foreign citizens not resident in Spanish territory.

– Official academic certification of the studies carried out, with details of the subjects studied and the qualifications obtained, and, where appropriate, a copy of the academic degree.

– Documentary accreditation of the curricular merits provided.

Application deadline: January 15 to February 15, 2020.

More detailed information of the call in the following link: Official Bulletin of Cantabria (pdf)

More information on the IDIVAL aid portal: IDIVAL aid portal (link)

Within the Aid Program of the Biosanitary Dynamism Plan, IDIVAL announces a temporary employment contract in training for the training of support technicians in the Valdecilla Clinical Trials Unit (“Tec-Val” Program).

The purpose of this program is to promote professional practice and training of technicians in aspects related to research support in the field of the various IDIVAL support service platforms that in this 2020 call are specifically aimed at the Clinical Trials Unit Valdecilla

Candidate Requirements:

University graduates of second cycle (official master or graduate). In all cases they must be official Spanish titles and, if they have been obtained abroad, they must be officially approved on the date of the end of the deadline for submitting applications, in accordance with the applicable regulations.

The contract may be concluded with those who are in possession of the required university degree, provided that, at the date of publication of this call, no more than five years or seven have elapsed, when the contract is concluded with a disabled worker, since the end of studies.

The salary of the selected candidates will be 75% in the first year and 80% of the salary corresponding to the category of university degree in the second year. The internship contract that will have an initial duration of 12 months, counted from the date of incorporation, extendable for another 12 months, after evaluating the activity of the contracted. The trial period will be two months.

Documentation to be submitted together with the application:

a) Curriculum vitae in CVN format (reduced version FECYT)

b) Memory of the proposal of the activities to be carried out by the candidate. You must pick up the activities to be carried out by the candidate and include specific references to the Test Unit Valdecilla clinics.

c) Copy of the ID. Copy of the valid passport, only in the case of foreign citizens not resident in Spanish territory.

d) Official academic certification of the studies carried out, with details of the subjects completed and of the qualifications obtained.

e) Documentary accreditation of the curricular merits provided

Deadline for submission of applications: February 1 to 28, 2020.

More detailed information of the call in the following link of the BOC: Official Bulletin of Cantabria (download pdf)

More information on the IDIVAL aid portal: IDIVAL aid portal (link)

On Thursday, January 16, within the program of general sessions of the Marqués de Valdecilla University Hospital, the director of management of IDIVAL, Galo Peralta Fernández will give the session under the title “IDIVAL, five years after its accreditation”.

In 2014 IDIVAL is constituted as a foundation and remodels its organizational structure and in March 2015 IDIVAL is accredited by the Carlos III Health Institute as a Health Research Institute, being one of the 31 Health Research Institutes accredited in our country. In December 2019 IDIVAL has again been audited by the Carlos III Health Institute to re-create itself as a Research Institute whose results will be known in this year 2020.

During the session, the main milestones of the Institute will be reviewed since 2015, the evolution and future of the clinical trials of Cantabria, the IDIVAL Biosanitary Dynamization Plan, the main results of the Institute and research opportunities and challenges in the coming years.

The conference is open to all the public of Santander who wants to participate. It will take place on Thursday, January 16 at the Marqués de Valdecilla University Hospital, in the Téllez Plasencia Hall (Hall 16) at 8.15 in the morning.