Food and Health Line (FHL)

The Food and Health Research Line is based on the scientific capacity of various university institutes and research centres such as the University Health Science Research Institute (IUNICS), the International Advanced Respiratory Medical Centre (CIMERA); the Girona Biomedical Research Institute (IdIBGi), which is the research centre associated to the Josep Trueta University Hospital; the Food and Agriculture Technology Institute (INTEA) and the Agro-Environmental and Water Economy Research Institute (INAGEA), as well as 40 competitive groups of the UIB and the UdG which partially or fully focus their research on this line (above all related to Biomedical Science and Engineering Applied to Health), which are listed in Appendix 2. We must point out the strong presence within this field of the Food Technology Research Institute (IRTA) in Girona. In addition to the strong relation that already exists between the UdG and IRTA, through the Centre of New Food Processes and Technologies (CENTA), the UdG and the IRTA are currently holding talks to set up a Food Safety Institute. The institute will help to materialise the UdG’s commitment to research in food and health, which will certainly be one of the most important fields in the future.

The main resources supporting this line are listed below:

Teaching:

The recently created Degree in Medicine at the UdG, entirely taught on problem-based learning, mainly in work groups of ten students.
The teaching offered by the CENTA, ranging from mid-level training courses at the Empordà Agrarian Training School, reporting to the Department of Agriculture, Food and Rural Action of the Regional Government of Catalonia to undergraduate and postgraduate studies at the University of Girona.

Research:

The research capacity of the components of the University Health Science Research Institute (IUNICS), reflected in 140 articles in international journals in 2008.
The IdIBGI has several highly-cited articles on the Web of Knowledge (386, 306 and 203). In the 2010 SCImago ranking, biomedical researchers from Josep Trueta Hospital have an excellent position in the Spanish medical field in terms of the quality indicator (Field Normalised Citation Score).
The international scope of the Nutrigenomics group of excellence of the UIB. The group coordinates the European BIOCLAIMS project and participates in 2 of the 8 platforms included in the NUGO network of excellence. This network consists of 23 institutions, and Andreu Palou, awarded with the National Food and Health Prize, is amongst its founding members.
The Cardiovascular Genetics Centre, located in the UdG’s Scientific and Technological Park. Its manager, Dr. Ramon Brugada, has passed the first evaluation stage for an ERC Starting Grant.
The Girona Food and Agriculture Campus, which brings together leading groups in food and agriculture biotechnology and provides for the relationship with companies such as BAYER, BASF, SYNGENTA, IQV-Agro, Bioiberica, etc.

Transfer:

There are 7 sponsored professorships on subjects directly related to the Food and Health Line: Health Promotion Professorship; Occupational Health and Safety Professorship; Sports and Physical Education Professorship; Martí Casals Professorship in Medicine and Health in Rural Areas; Cardiovascular Diseases Professorship; Food and Dental Hygiene Professorship and Occupational Health Professorship.
34 patents transferred to the productive sector, more than 30% of Spanish pharmaceuticals in preclinical stage and the creation of 11 spin-off companies located in the scientific parks of ParcBit (Palma) and Girona.
The TECNIO groups of the UdG: Cidsav (with a laboratory accredited by the ISO ISO9001:2008 standard), Lippso and Technosperm.

Indicators of the Food and Health Line (LAS)