The Catalunya Talent Bridge program, announced by President Salvador Illa last March, aimed to recruit the first 26 researchers before the end of 2025, with the goal of reaching 78 within three years. The Department of Research and Universities explained that the deployment will take place during the first quarter of this year through a specific line of the Beatriu de Pinós call.
“"We have stopped receiving funding, and this will not be recovered. It is an irreversible decision by the US National Institutes of Health."
These cuts, driven by Donald Trump's policies, affected ten Catalan biomedical research projects, involving a loss of knowledge and resources valued at nearly 5.5 million euros until 2029. These projects continue but without Catalan participation.
Martínez-Picado regrets that neither the Generalitat nor the State has compensated for these losses, unlike countries such as Canada, Belgium, or Denmark. The researcher calls on any person or institution that can provide funds to ensure the future of the affected projects, especially those related to infectious diseases.
