Spanish National Center for Cardiovascular Research (CNIC)

The Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares Carlos III (CNIC) is a leading international research center dedicated to understanding the basis of cardiovascular health and disease and to translating this knowledge into improved patient care.

The CNIC belongs to the Instituto de Salud Carlos III campus in Madrid. The CNIC adopted its current form after a “relaunch” in 2006, made possible through a partnership between the Spanish government and the Pro CNIC Foundation, a panel of leading Spanish companies and charitable foundations. Through this partnership, the Pro CNIC Foundation injected significant private investment and also applied its combined expertise to the management and promotion of the CNIC, permitting the incorporation of Dr. Valentín Fuster as General Director and the development of a new strategic plan.

The CNIC’s ultimate goal is for newly generated knowledge to be translated into societal benefits and a tangible return for the Spanish public sector. The center’s resources are all oriented toward translating research results into changes in clinical practice and opportunities for the business sector. To achieve this goal, the center promotes close partnerships between basic and clinical investigators and pioneers their participation in population-based clinical and observational studies, one of the center’s core commitments.

Another core activity at the CNIC is training. The CNIC-JOVEN Training Plan covers all levels from senior high school to postdoctoral research and is dedicated to ensuring a strong base of talented biomedical researchers in Spain.

Of the more than 400 staff at the CNIC, 85% work directly on research projects, as members of technical units or research groups. The CNIC’s researchers are selected through an international competitive process and are evaluated periodically by an external evaluation committee composed of 10 internationally renowned research scientists. The CNIC recently obtained renewed status as a Severo Ochoa Center of Excellence, an award given to the 8 top research centers in Spain.