NOVA Medical School secured €480,000 in funding in the 2024 Call for Exploratory Research Projects in All Scientific Domains (PeX) promoted by the portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT). The institution will thus see eight projects funded out of a total of 27 applications submitted as a host institution, with an approval rate of 29.62% above the national average (16%).
The eight approved proposals were selected for their innovative nature and disruptive potential in different areas of biomedical research. Each will be coordinated by researchers from the two research units at NOVA Medical School – iNOVA4Health and CHRC:
- Ana Falcão, PhD researcher at the Molecular Mechanisms of Disease laboratory (led by Miguel Seabra);
- Ana Pimenta Marques, principal investigator of the Cytoskeleton in Development and Disease group;
- Bárbara Mendes, PhD researcher at the Nanomedicine and Clinical Oncology laboratory (led by João Conde);
- Catarina Homem, principal investigator of the Proliferation and Fate Regulation Stem Cells group;
- Cláudia Almeida, principal investigator of the Neuroscience of Aging and Alzheimer group;
- Hugo Miranda, principal investigator of the Dismetabolism in Brain Diseases group;
- João Ferreira, PhD researcher at the Proteostasis and Intercellular Communication laboratory (led by Paulo Pereira);
- Rita Teodoro, principal investigator of the Neuronal Growth and Plasticity group.
At the national level, 404 PeX projects will be funded with a total investment of around €24 million from the FCT budget. Each project will last 18 months and receive up to €60,000.
The results achieved reinforce NOVA Medical School's position as a leading institution in scientific research in Portugal. Additionally, under this call for proposals, the School will go from five projects funded in 2023 (€50,000 each) to eight in 2024 (€60,000 each), which represents almost double the total funding obtained in the previous year - a clear indicator of the growth and competitiveness of its scientific activity.