The Valdecilla Health Research Institute (IDIVAL) welcomed the visit of Antonio Ortega Llamas, Innovation and Technology Transfer Officer at the Maimónides Institute for Biomedical Research of Córdoba (IMIBIC), and José Francisco Galve Agudo, Post-Award Project Management Officer at the Aragón Health Research Institute (IIS Aragón).
This stay was part of the Mobility Program for Managers of the Clinical Research Management Network (REGIC), an initiative that promotes the exchange of knowledge and best practices among associated centers. The goal is for research and innovation management professionals to gain first-hand knowledge of methodologies, procedures, and tools applied in other institutes, thus fostering specialization, cooperation, and mutual learning.
Over the course of three days, the two professionals explored different work areas at IDIVAL related to innovation and project management, including internal organization, idea management, technology assessment, knowledge transfer, and innovation support programs. This immersion allowed them to compare organizational models and explore possible synergies with their own centers.
Both Antonio Ortega and José Francisco Galve highlighted the positive value of their experience at IDIVAL, emphasizing the opportunity to compare organizational methods, discover new ways of working, and reflect on potential improvements to implement in their home institutions. They stressed that the exchange not only enabled them to learn from the daily practice of the Cantabrian institute but also to contribute their own experiences, generating genuine feedback and laying the foundations for future collaborations.
For José Francisco Galve, the experience was highly rewarding, as it provided insights into how other institutes organize themselves in key aspects such as monitoring national and international projects or management systems. “Although we share tools, each center adapts them differently, and this opens opportunities to identify best practices we can incorporate into our daily work,” he noted.
Similarly, Antonio Ortega pointed out the similarity between IDIVAL and IMIBIC in their links with both the hospital and the university, stating that “learning about the structure of the innovation unit and services such as prototyping or usability testing has been very enriching, as it opens the door to future collaborations and to sharing approaches that complement what we do in Córdoba.”
Through its participation in this program, IDIVAL reinforces its commitment to the continuous improvement of research and innovation management, consolidating its role as a reference center within the REGIC network and contributing to the creation of a shared knowledge ecosystem that benefits the Spanish healthcare and scientific system as a whole.
