NOVA Medical School critical mass is very rich and diverse, combining clinical and biomedical researchers, nutritionists, clinicians and patients, which creates a stimulating and fertile innovation ecosystem that goes from the need to the solution, allowing the development of translational research of excellence. The multidisciplinary environment at NOVA Medical School enables the translation of basic research findings in clinical settings, and allows proven interventions to become standard practice, increasing the speed at which new treatments reach patients, and improving human health and well-being.

NOVA Medical School research is organized in eight research areas spanning the entire medical field where biomedical researchers, nutritionists and clinicians perform complementary research approaches, thus contributing to finding solutions to fight emerging health problems. The eight research areas are: I) Healthy Brain; II) Retina and Vision; III) Cardiorespiratory Function and Infection; IV) Musculoskeletal Health; V) Cardiovascular, Renal and Metabolism; VI) Nutrition and Food Science; VII) Cancer; VIII) Health Promotion and Care.

Research at NOVA Medical School is institutionally organized in two Research Units, funded by the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) - CHRC and iNOVA4Health - gathering more than 40 research groups and more than 200 researchers (PhD & MD holders). The CHRC is a multidisciplinary and multi-institutional research unit that aims to support, develop, and foster clinical, public health and health services research, producing robust evidence to improve current clinical practice, health policy and healthcare services organization. The iNOVA4Health is a translational research unit that brings together a multidisciplinary and multi-institutional team of biomedical researchers, technological researchers, and clinicians, with different but complementary expertise on molecular mechanisms of disease, disease diagnosis and treatment, preclinical development, and clinical trials.

The aforementioned Research Units are integrated into two Associated Laboratories - LS4Future and REAL -, with the aim of enhancing collaborative research work, fostering the careers of researchers, and responding to the challenges of sustainable development in a conscious and innovative manner.

NOVA Medical School is also a founding member of two Collaborative Laboratories: Value4Health Colab, which aims to accelerate the fundamental restructuring of Healthcare delivery towards a paradigm shift to Value-Based Healthcare and Patient Empowerment; and Colab Trials, which aims to increase innovation in the health sector through leveraging the development of innovative health technology products.

Additionally, NOVA Medical School is a founding member of CCAL (Centro Clínico Académico de Lisboa), which brings together multidisciplinary teams in an outstanding work of innovation and knowledge creation for the benefit of the health of the future. Through CCAL, NOVA Medical School has close collaborations with more than 10 hospitals and 4 primary care units in the Lisbon area, having therefore a rich collaborative network of clinicians in all medical areas and a privileged access to patients.

NOVA Medical School is part of networks such as EIT Health, an international network that brings together experts from business, research, and education to create innovative solutions in Health. NOVA Medical School is also an integral member of EATRIS, an European infrastructure for translational medicine, that brings together resources and services for research communities to translate scientific discoveries into benefits for patients.

In summary, NOVA Medical School is part of a very dynamic, rich and multidisciplinary ecosystem that seeks to develop translational research of excellence and to promote a scientific approach consistent with innovative care practices. This unique and diverse ecosystem, in which clinicians, biomedical scientists, nutritionists, and other health-related professionals collaborate and work in different approaches, allowing a bidirectional knowledge circuit from the molecule to the patient.