NOVA Medical School hosted, on March 12 and 13, the 1st Retina4Future Congress, bringing together biomedical researchers, clinicians, companies, and representatives of patient associations from 19 European countries to discuss the latest advances in retinal disease research.
The meeting marked the first major in-person gathering of the Retina4Future network, funded by the European Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST), and brought together around 86 participants from scientific and clinical institutions across Europe.
Coordinated by Sandra Tenreiro, researcher at NOVA Medical School and Chair of the European action, Retina4Future currently brings together around 300 members from 37 countries, fostering collaboration between fundamental science, clinical research, industry, and patient associations.
Retina4Future aims to accelerate the transfer of biomedical research into clinical practice by promoting the integration of different areas of knowledge and strengthening international collaboration in the field of retinal diseases.
NOVA Medical School plays a central role in this initiative — it is the first time the School leads a COST Action — positioning it at the center of a European network of excellence in an area where several research groups carry out relevant work. These include teams led by researchers Sandra Tenreiro, Miguel Seabra, Paulo Pereira, Gabriela Silva, and Paulo Gameiro, among others with active collaborations in retinal disease research.
COST Actions are highly competitive European research collaboration networks that promote the development of new international partnerships, functioning as platforms for the creation of research consortia and for the training of early-career researchers. In the case of Retina4Future, participation in the network has already enabled the integration into three consortia for competitive European project applications, further strengthening the international visibility of NOVA Medical School.