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AIBILI Annual Report 2025 is now available. Please check it here

It is with profound sadness and the deepest respect that AIBILI announces the passing of our beloved Founder and Honorary President, Prof. José Cunha-Vaz.
The world has lost a true pioneer in the field of Ophthalmology. Prof. José Cunha-Vaz was more than a world-class medical doctor and researcher. He was a visionary who dedicated his life to the gift of sight. His groundbreaking contributions reshaped modern eye care and earned him a place as a global reference in the medical community.
For those of us at AIBILI, he was much more than a founder. He was a mentor who led with both brilliance and heart. Until today, he remained a constant source of inspiration, working closely with our teams and instilling a culture of excellence that defines us today.
Our deepest condolences go out to his family, friends, and all those who had the privilege of working alongside him.
Rest in peace, Prof. Cunha-Vaz. You will be deeply missed, but never forgotten.

AIBILI is pleased to announce the appointment of Daniel Sanches Fernandes as its new Chief Executive Officer, succeeding Cecília Martinho and building on her dedicated leadership and significant contributions to the institution.

With more than 20 years of experience in health research and development, project management, and technology transfer, the new CEO brings strong expertise and a clear vision to further strengthen AIBILI’s role in clinical and translational research. This leadership marks an important step in deepening the institution’s contribution to advancing human health and well-being.

Working closely with AIBILI’s teams and partners, the CEO will continue to focus on transforming research outcomes into impactful innovations that reach people, create value, and generate positive outcomes for the region and beyond.

AIBILI remains committed to collaboration and partnership and welcomes dialogue with organizations and stakeholders interested in joint projects and shared innovation goals.

Take part in the 2nd edition of the Technological Showcase “Innovation in Health” and join a privileged platform that brings together research and industry in the health sector. On December 10, immerse yourself in a dynamic environment designed to accelerate the adoption of new technologies, share expert insights, and explore innovative projects and technologies in person. This is the ideal opportunity to identify your next strategic partner, discover technologies with market potential, and position yourself at the forefront of digital transformation in healthcare.

This event, organized by the University of Coimbra, the Coimbra Nursing School, and AIBILI, is co-funded by the regional project INOVC+ (Smart Innovation Ecosystem of the Central Region), led by University of Coimbra and financed by the CENTRO 2030 program.

 

Program / registrations / More information

https://www.uc.pt/ucbusiness/inovacao-em-saude-2025/

The AIBILI-DC Research Data Management for Open Science will host a training session titled “Introduction to AIBILI Dataverse Repository.”

 

This online session, aimed at those working in clinical research and data management, will take place on October 14, 2025, from 10h00 to 11h00.

 

Topics to be covered include:

– Open Science and the FAIR Principles

– AIBILI Dataverse Repository

– DICOM Standard

 

Registration is free, but mandatory.

 

Learn more and register: https://tinyurl.com/nsft2y98

 

This session is part of the activities of the AIBILI-DC Research Data Management for Open Science, within the project for the establishment of Research Data Management Centres, which is part of  Programa Nacional de Ciência Aberta e Dados Abertos de Investigação (PNCADAI), under the RE-C05-i08 – Ciência Mais Digital investment, funded by the Plano de Recuperação e Resiliência (PRR).

 

 

 

 

Date: 12 September 2025

 

Location: FMUC – Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra

 

Format: In-person or Online

 

We are pleased to announce Digital and Imaging Biomarkers: Identification, Validation and Clinical Application event, organized by Coimbra Institute for Biomedical Imaging and Translational Research (CIBIT), Association for Innovation and Biomedical Research on Light and Image (AIBILI), and Instituto Pedro Nunes (IPN), as part of the EATRIS Spotlight Programme initiative. The event will be held on September 12, 2025, at the Faculty of Medicine in Coimbra, bringing together leading national and international experts to explore how artificial intelligence, biomedical imaging, and digital innovation are transforming healthcare through the discovery and application of biomarkers.

 

The event will cover the latest advances in:

• Ophthalmology and retinal imaging
• Neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative disorders
• Cancer and diabetes
• AI-driven medical devices and robotics

This event presents a valuable opportunity to connect with leading experts, exchange innovative ideas, and explore the future challenges in translational research and clinical validation of biomarkers.

 

Program available here

 

Registrations open until September 9 – Register here: https://forms.cloud.microsoft/e/mzW6gsCs9n

On February 19, 2025, the official presentation of the 4th edition of INOVC+ – Intelligent Innovation Ecosystem of the Central Region took place at the Auditorium of the Comissão de Coordenação e Desenvolvimento Regional do Centro (CCDRC).

 

INOVC+ is a strategic pilot project for the Central Region focused on the implementation and consolidation of an Innovation Ecosystem for Knowledge and Technology Transfer. Operating in a networked environment, the initiative aims to enhance the valorisation and transfer of knowledge and results from Research, Development, and Innovation (R&D+I) to the regional economy. The consortium, led by the University of Coimbra, brings together 23 entities, including higher education institutions, science and technology parks, and centres for technology transfer and valorization.

 

As a member of the consortium, AIBILI reaffirms its commitment to fostering innovation and technological development in the field of clinical research, actively contributing to the region’s competitiveness and sustainability.

 

[PT] Sessão pública de lançamento do projeto INOVC+

 

No passado dia 19 de fevereiro de 2025, teve lugar no Auditório da Comissão de Coordenação e Desenvolvimento Regional do Centro (CCDRC) a apresentação oficial da 4.ª edição do INOVC+ – Ecossistema de Inovação Inteligente da Região Centro.

 

INOVC+ é um projeto-piloto estratégico para a Região Centro que consiste na implementação e consolidação de um Ecossistema de Inovação para a Transferência de Conhecimento e Tecnologia que, num contexto de trabalho em rede, potencie a valorização e a transferência de conhecimento e de resultados de Investigação e Desenvolvimento + Inovação (I& D+I) para a economia regional. O consórcio, liderado pela Universidade de Coimbra, junta 23 entidades, nomeadamente instituições de ensino superior, parques de ciência e tecnologia e centros de valorização e transferência de tecnologia.

 

Enquanto membro integrante do consórcio, a AIBILI reforça o seu compromisso em promover a inovação e do desenvolvimento tecnológico na área da investigação clínica, contribuindo ativamente para a competitividade e sustentabilidade da região.

AIBILI is pleased to announce the upcoming V Research Groups Annual Meeting, scheduled for July 2, 2025. This event will focus on research in ophthalmology and vision sciences, highlighting the clinical and translational work developed by AIBILI’s research groups. It offers a valuable platform for presenting new findings, exchanging ideas, and fostering scientific collaboration.

 

Date: July 2, 2025 | 14:30 (GMT+1)
Location: Auditório Prof. Doutor José Cunha-Vaz, Sub-Unit 1 – Polo III, University of Coimbra
Registration: https://lnkd.in/dQ5DKJQi

 

We look forward to welcoming researchers, clinicians, and partners to this collaborative scientific event

Date: 24 June 2025

Location: Instituto Pedro Nunes, Coimbra

Format: In-person or Online

We are pleased to announce the Medical Device Roadmap event, organized by Instituto Pedro Nunes (IPN), Association for Innovation and Biomedical Research on Light and Image (AIBILI), and Coimbra Institute for Biomedical Imaging and Translational Research (CIBIT), as part of the EATRIS Spotlight Programme initiative. The event will take place on 24 June 2025 at Instituto Pedro Nunes in Coimbra and will focus on the development, regulation, and clinical application of AI-enabled medical devices.

This event aims to bring together experts from academia, industry, regulatory authorities, and patient organizations to address critical challenges in areas such as clinical validation, CE marking, and compliance with the EU Medical Device Regulation.

The Medical Device Roadmap event presents a unique opportunity to foster cross-sector collaboration and contribute to the advancement of healthcare innovation.

 

Program available here

 

Registration: https://forms.office.com/e/cBFXbzXt8i

 

We invite you to join us for this important discussion and look forward to your participation!

 

#EATRIS #MedicalDevices #AIinHealthcare #Innovation #Regulation #HealthTech #ClinicalValidation #CEMarking #CoimbraEvents #AIBILI #IPN #CIBIT

AIBILI Annual Report 2024 is now available. Please check it here

The European public-private partnership consortium MACUSTAR .eu has received a third 𝗟𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝗦𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 from the European Medicines Agency (EMA) for its efforts in developing novel outcome measures for clinical trials evaluating treatments for the common eye condition age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

The scientific advice by the agency was based on four-year study results of more than 𝟲𝟬𝟬 𝗘𝘂𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗻𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗹𝘆 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗴𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗔𝗠𝗗 who are at a high risk of developing visual impairment. EMA recognises the high quality and impact of the scientific outputs from the 𝗠𝗔𝗖𝗨𝗦𝗧𝗔𝗥 project that may have impact on more than 200 million patients with AMD globally.

The MACUSTAR consortium unites 20 EVICR.net clinical centers across 7 European countries, with the clinical study sponsored by UKB University of Bonn and AIBILI-Association for Innovation and Biomedical Research on Light and Image as the clinical trial unit coordinator.

This project has received funding from the Innovative Medicines Initiative 2 Joint Undertaking under grant agreement No 116076. This Joint Undertaking receives support from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme and EFPIA. A further funding from Bayer, Novartis and Roche enabled the study to be extended by three years.

Read the EMA’s Full Letter of Support here: Letter of Support for intermediate Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD) biomarker and novel clinical endpoint development

The competition for science &technology-based business ideas is back, recognising innovative national projects with the potential to impact diverse sectors, and applications are open until 2 February.

 

The ARRISCA C competition seeks to foster the creation of academic and business spin-offs and start-ups while promoting a culture of innovation. Its objectives include encouraging entrepreneurship, facilitating the transfer of knowledge and technology generated by academia and R&D, and contributing to sustainable economic and social development. The competition evaluates and rewards business ideas based on their promoters’ scientific and/or technological expertise.

 

ARRISCA C is aimed at teachers, researchers, non-teaching staff, grant holders, alumni or graduates from any Portuguese higher education institution and students in secondary and technical-vocational education (level IV CE). Proposals can be submitted individually or in teams of up to five members
The science/technology-based business ideas must demonstrate an impact in areas such as Natural Resources and Bioeconomy, Energy and Climate, Materials, Tooling and Production Technologies, Culture, Creativity and Tourism, Health and Wellbeing.

 

Cash prizes will be awarded for 1st, 2nd, or 3rd place in each category (Innovation, Junior Innovation, Social Innovation and Sustainability). The total prize money is over €25,000.
ARRISCA C is a business ideas competition organised by the University of Coimbra, with a 12-year track record.

All the information about the initiative is available at https://www.arriscac.pt/.

 

 

 

[PT] O concurso de ideias de negócio ARRISCA C está de volta e com candidaturas abertas até 2 de fevereiro.

 

O concurso visa contribuir para a criação de spin-offs académicas e empresariais e startups, ao mesmo tempo pretende promover uma cultura inovadora;
estimular o espírito empresarial e a transferência do conhecimento e tecnologia, gerados no âmbito das atividades académicas, de investigação e desenvolvimento;
divulgar, valorizar e distinguir as ideias de negócio que tenham por base o conhecimento científico e/ou tecnológico dos seus promotores e contribuir para o desenvolvimento económico e social sustentável.

 

O ARRISCA C destina-se a docentes, investigadores, pessoal não docente, bolseiros, alunos ou ex-alunos diplomados, de qualquer instituição de ensino superior de Portugal, e alunos do ensino secundário e técnico-profissional (nível IV CE) a nível nacional. As propostas podem ser feitas de forma individual ou em equipa, até um máximo de cinco elementos.

 

As ideias de negócio, de base científica ou tecnológica, devem ter impacto em áreas como Recursos Naturais e Bioeconomia, Energia e Clima, Materiais, Tooling e Tecnologias de Produção, Cultura, Criatividade e Turismo, Saúde e Bem-Estar.

 

Em cada categoria (Inovação, Inovação Júnior, Inovação Social e Sustentabilidade) existem prémios monetários, para o 1.º, 2.º ou 3.º lugar. No total, há mais de 25.000€ em prémios.

O ARRISCA C é um concurso de ideias de negócio, organizado pela Universidade de Coimbra, com um historial de 12 edições. Todas as informações sobre a iniciativa estão disponíveis em https://www.arriscac.pt/.

 

Founded in September 1989, AIBILI began with the mission of supporting technology transfer and translational research in the health sector. Over the years, AIBILI has become a key partner, bridging academic and scientific institutions with companies and industry to facilitate the translation of research into new health market products.

Guided by a vision to enhance human health and well-being, AIBILI is dedicated to transforming research knowledge into innovative applications that improve lives.

A special thanks to Prof. José Cunha-Vaz for his foresight in establishing such a relevant institution. And heartfelt appreciation to the entire AIBILI team for their unwavering commitment to advancing clinical research every day!

The program for the webinar Data Management for Clinical Research is now available!

We invite you to join us on November 12, 2024, from 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM (GMT).

Secure your spot and register here! A link to the webinar platform will be sent to registered participants closer to the event date.

The program for the AIBILI Open Day is now available! 

Join us on June 5, 2024, between 2:30 PM and 5:00 PM at FMUC – Auditorium Prof. Dr. José Cunha-Vaz, Sub-Unit 1 – Polo III of the University of Coimbra.

Secure your spot and register here!

José Cunha-Vaz, Emeritus Professor of Ophthalmology at the University of Coimbra and Honorary President of AIBILI, has just been awarded the most prestigious global prize in ophthalmology research: the Helen Keller Prize for Vision Research. His scientific discoveries, spanning from the 1960s in England, the USA, and Portugal, have influenced generations of researchers and had a significant impact on clinical practice.

The award was presented in Seattle, USA, by the Helen Keller Foundation and the BrightFocus Foundation, during the congress of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO), which brings together over 10.000 ophthalmology specialists from 75 countries.

AIBILI is proud to have developed for the SPO – Portuguese Society of Ophthalmology two registries for Keratoconus and Endophthalmitis. We congratulate SPO for the initiative which will contribute to foster ophthalmology clinical research. More information can be found here [https://spoftalmologia.pt/formularios/bases-de-dados/].

AIBILI Data Centre is a structure to support Investigator Initiated Research providing Data Management and Electronic Data Capture Solutions compliant with ECRIN Data Centre Certification requirements. Please check out our list of services here [https://www.aibili.pt/units-centres/dc/].

 

This week we have received the visit of Prof. António Costa e Silva, the Ministry of Economy and Maritime Affairs.
AIBILI Administration had the opportunity to showcase the skills and installed capacities and to reinforce the relevance that the institution plays in the national and international clinical research ecosystem.
Founded in 1989, AIBILI is a Centre for Technology and Innovation recognized by the Ministry of Economy, acting as a facilitating partnership between academic and scientific institutions, companies and industry and has the mission of responding to market failures and providing technical and technological support to companies in the health sector, specifically in clinical research.

AIBILI Annual Report 2023 is now available. Please check it here

AIBILI-Association for Innovation and Biomedical Research on Light and Image recently give an interview to Exame Informática program of SIC Notícias about the EVICR.net Eye Platform.

The EVICR.net Eye Platform is a long-term initiative to collect longitudinal anonymised clinical data and eye images from the network’s centers across Europe. The data platform is available for analysis by all EVICR.net partners to develop a better understanding of the progression of eye diseases and new ways to improve patient care and prevent vision loss.

Please check the extract of the program in this link
https://lnkd.in/dE6jKfCe

Boehringer Ingelheim is funding the EVICR.net Eye Platform and a pilot study that is collecting and will analyze data in patients with intermediate AMD or early atrophic AMD.