The session focused on the exposome, prevention, population cohorts and scientific collaboration as key tools to accelerate health innovation with real impact on population health
The institutional opening was led by IDIVAL’s Managing Director, Galo Peralta, and the Director‑General for Innovation, Technological Development and Industrial Entrepreneurship of the Government of Cantabria, Javier Puente, who highlighted the importance of strengthening collaborative health projects and leveraging the potential of European programmes. During the welcome remarks, they emphasised the joint work of research, healthcare and management professionals, considered essential to turn innovative ideas into projects with clinical and social impact.
Puente stressed the favourable moment Cantabria is experiencing in terms of innovation, supported by the regional Digital Agenda and the Smart Specialisation Strategy, where the health sector plays a key role. He also recalled that since 2024 the region has been participating in the design of the future Horizon Europe framework (2028–2034), which allows anticipating emerging trends such as a stronger focus on knowledge transfer to the market, public‑private collaboration and the promotion of new innovative companies emerging from the scientific ecosystem.
European research programmes within Horizon Europe
Marta Marín, National Contact Point for the Health Cluster and the European Innovation Council at the Spanish Foundation for Science and Technology (FECYT), outlined the opportunities that Horizon Europe offers in the health field and encouraged research teams to participate in a programme that, she noted, funds 100% of eligible costs for many projects. Marín highlighted that Spain maintains a strong position within this European ecosystem, ranking among the countries with the highest participation, return and leadership in health projects.
During her presentation, she detailed the priorities of the current programme and the future European framework, shaped by a broader vision of health and by concepts such as One Health, which connects human, environmental and social health. She placed particular emphasis on the concept of the exposome—the set of environmental, social and biological factors that influence health—and on a call expected for 2027 focused on studying how climate change affects these exposures and, consequently, the onset of diseases. She also stressed the need to build international and interdisciplinary consortia and to begin preparing proposals well in advance, given the high competitiveness of these programmes.
Population cohorts and health research ecosystems
Javier Crespo, Scientific Director of Cohorte Cantabria, explored the role of the exposome as a tool to better understand health and chronic diseases. He described it as “the circumstances that surround us,” from climate, urban environment and diet to social relationships and lifestyle habits, noting that these factors explain a significant share of diseases such as obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disorders.
Crespo explained that studying the exposome requires large population cohorts capable of continuously measuring the environment and its effects on individuals. In this regard, he highlighted the potential of Cohorte Cantabria, which already includes more than 51,000 participants and has high population representativeness. He noted that this infrastructure could become a relevant partner in future European projects thanks to the density of available clinical data, the existence of a biobank, access to longitudinal information and the ability to contribute a climatic and social context different from that of other cohorts, particularly those in northern Europe.
Roundtable: the role of research in healthcare transformation
The session concluded with a roundtable moderated by María Luisa Sámano, IDIVAL’s health research manager, in which researchers and managers analysed how research can contribute to transforming European healthcare systems.
Olga de Cos, researcher in IDIVAL’s Health Economics Group and professor at the University of Cantabria, presented the experience of the European SAM project, a SUDOE initiative based on a digital twin of the territory capable of incorporating social and territorial determinants of health to provide tailored recommendations for each patient. She explained that the project integrates information on social vulnerability and local health assets—such as accessible routes, green spaces or community resources—with the aim of advancing towards more preventive and personalised care.
For his part, endocrinologist Luis Alberto Vázquez from Marqués de Valdecilla University Hospital advocated for greater involvement of clinicians in international prevention projects, especially in light of the rise in metabolic diseases linked to lifestyle and environmental factors. He stressed that obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease are closely related to environmental and social determinants and called for strengthening preventive strategies supported by scientific evidence and new technologies, including artificial intelligence, to reach more vulnerable populations.
The project management perspective was provided by Andrés Ramos from IDIVAL’s Medical Oncology Group, who shared the team’s experience in a European proposal focused on exposome and paediatric cancer. Ramos highlighted the learning gained from building international consortia and the importance of identifying strategic partners to address highly specialised projects.
The session closed with concluding remarks from Marta Marín, who addressed practical questions on funding and managing European projects and encouraged researchers and managers to make use of the existing support ecosystem to promote new proposals. She emphasised that collaboration, early planning and interdisciplinary work will be key to increasing Cantabria’s presence in Horizon Europe.
