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design of COEN future scientific strategy. Dr. Miguel NED. The main objective of CIIIEN is providing a
Medina, CIBERNED Deputy Scientific Director and forum in which to share progress and information of
member of the Scientific Advisory Committee of the interest on neurodegenerative diseases among the
CIEN Foundation, represents both institutions in the scientific community.
COEN Oversight Group.
CIIIEN was created in 2013 and consolidates the
Phase II of the initiative was launched during the merger of the two major scientific conferences on
year 2013, with the aim of catalyzing collaborative neurodegenerative diseases in general and Alzhei-
research between centers with a critical mass of re- mer's disease in particular, organized in Spain: the XI
sources and expertise to thus promote a radical International Symposium Advances in Alzheimer's Di-
change in research on neurodegeneration. To do sease, promoted annually by the Queen Sofia Foun-
this, the countries participating in COENs contribu- dation and CIEN Foundation, and the 9th CIBERNED
ted a total amount of 5.5 million € (of which Spain Scientific Forum, which brought together every year
has provided 600,000 €) in this call to establish an in- more than the 58 research groups constituting the
novative and progressive research program to ad- CIBER in Neurodegenerative Diseases.
dress the major challenges in this field. The call was
intended to encourage the community to think out- Unifying both congresses is a first step in creating a
side the pre-established frameworks and stimulate new operating structure in the two main institutions
new and creative approaches and solutions to the devoted to research on neurological and neurode-
challenges of research in neurodegeneration. generative diseases in Spain: CIEN Foundation and
CIBERNED, both under the Ministry of Economy and
This call of Pathfinder projects intends to combine Competitiveness through the Institute of Health Car-
the strengths of research groups through Centers of los III. This new structure seeks greater effectiveness
Excellence in at least two partner countries to pro- and efficiency in research, promoting the interac-
vide a truly collaborative effort and value that will tion of the different research groups.
advance our approach to research neurodegene-
ration. The projects would address issues that are not This third edition of CIIIEN was once again chaired
easily financed through standard grant mechanisms by Her Majesty Queen Sofia and the scientific pro-
from CoEN partners, and is expected to further co- gram consisted of three plenary sessions and five
llaboration between Centers of Excellence, the pro- scientific sessions. Among the invited speakers at the
jects would also serve to provide a platform for conference can be highlighted some international
future collaboration with industry. researchers who are leaders in their field of research
such as Zaven Khachaturian, President of the US
5.4. International Congress in Research 2020 Alzheimer’s disease Prevention Campaign;
and Innovation on Neurodegenerative Martin Rossor, Clinical neurologist from the British Na-
Diseases (CIIIEN) tional Health System, an expert in prevention of de-
mentia, especially Alzheimer’s disease; or David
During 21st to 23rd September 2015, it was held in Rubinsztein, Deputy Director of the Medical Rese-
Malaga the Third International Congress on Rese- arch Council in Cambridge, a scientist pioneer in
arch and Innovation in Neurodegenerative Diseases proposing autophagy positive feedback (a process
(CIIIEN), promoted by the Queen Sofia Foundation that plays a role in the elimination of toxic proteins
in collaboration with CIEN Foundation and CIBER- abnormally accumulated in the brain of patients) as
CIEN Foundation Annual Report 2015 / 92
