It was an amazing turn out for the first get-together for all involved in the LS4Future Associate Laboratory, that also includes ITQB NOVA, iBET, IGC and IPOLFG.
Last February 8th, the Associated Laboratory LS4FUTURE held its 1st General Meeting at Palácio Flor da Murta in Oeiras. It received over 225 participants, including directors, with the participation of NMS Vice-Dean for Research, Patrícia Calado, and the NMS coordinator for LS4FUTURE and iNOVA4Health, Paulo Pereira, researchers and support staff from all five associated institutes.
LS4FUTURE coordinator, Inês Cardoso Pereira from ITQB NOVA, and the Coordination Office introduced the associated laboratory, and were followed by scientific presentations from researchers from all thematic lines, including our own António Jacinto as coordinator of Mechanisms of Disease for Precision Medicine.
António Jacinto believes that “LS4FUTURE has an extraordinary potential to contribute to the advancement of life sciences for the benefit of society, bringing together many research groups of excellent quality and great diversity” also observing that “at the 1st meeting of this new Associate Laboratory cycle, we could witness a vibrant collaborative spirit and many examples of inter-disciplinary research and innovation”.
NMS was also present in the morning sessions with presentations from researchers Ana Marques, Jacinta Serpa and Natália Marto. Oeiras Municipality Councillor for Education and Research, Pedro Patacho and Oeiras Valley Coordinator Elisabete Brigadeiro also gathered to discuss science and the main strategic goals of the program.
In the afternoon, the breakout rooms allowed participants to join key discussions addressing the objectives of each thematic line, as well as the three main initiatives of the associated laboratory: Career Development, Internationalisation and Translation, where Judite Costa and Rita Rocha from NMS were moderators.
LS4FUTURE aims to be a unique infrastructure in Portugal dedicated to address health and sustainability challenges in a transdisciplinary way, providing effective solutions by combining public and private resources in a solid partnership.
For additional information about the Associated Laboratory LS4FUTURE please visit the website.