The new structure, 50% managed by the EOC and 50% by USI, will be located in the Bios+ building in Via Francesco Chiesa, where the Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB) and the Institute of Oncology Research (IOR), both affiliated to USI, are already located, making a further contribution to the research sector in Ticino, which is becoming increasingly important in our Canton.
The Institute for Translational Research was established as an evolution of the Laboratories for Translational Research (LRT), which the EOC had set up in 2021 and continues to manage today with the narrow financial margins allowed to the Institution by legislative regulations, particularly for research projects.
"Now the Laboratories will become a true Research Institute," says USI Rector Luisa Lambertini, "and this will be very important for both academic standing and institutional recognition. Alongside the basic research carried out by the IRB in the field of immunology in particular, and that of the IOR in the field of oncology, the IRT will deal with more applied research closer to the patient’s bedside, becoming a "pillar" for consolidating translational research in our Faculty of Biomedical Sciences."
The management of the new IRT will be a joint effort, similar to the model currently in use in Ticino within the field of informatics, with the IDSIA (Dalle Molle Institute for Artificial Intelligence Studies) managed, in this case, by USI and SUPSI on an equal footing. It is a successful model, which has proved to work very well," explains Glauco Martinetti, EOC General Director. "We have not been able to create an entity with legal personality because the regulations do not allow the EOC and USI to do so. The IRT will function as a "joint" institute, characterised by a shared scientific project and balanced core funding. This arrangement will ensure continuity and uphold our academic identity."
The IRT, as we were saying, will be based in Bellinzona, where the EOC Laboratories are already operational. Four research divisions will merge into the new Institute:
The four leaders of the research divisions will have a mixed contract, i.e. part EOC and part USI.
All other staff members will be offered either an EOC contract or a USI contract, depending on their specific area of expertise.
The scientific head of the new IRT will be Professor Alain Kaelin , Director of Istituto Neurocentro della Svizzera Italiana (EOC) and Full Professor at USI , as well as Director of the Doctoral School.
Kaelin will report to the EOC-USI Joint Commission , which already governs collaboration between the EOC’s hospitals and the University (and will have the final say on the new IRT). An external scientific committee comprising Swiss and international experts will also be established and given an advisory role.
"The IRT will be the first biomedical research institute in Ticino to feature a fully integrated decision-making process between our hospital and academic institutions ," says Kaelin, "it will serve as the first "nucleus" for our goal of developing a university hospital in the coming years-a hospital where training, clinical practice, and research are closely interconnected. Our efforts will be focused on this direction."
Where will the funds for the IRT come from? Approximately one million francs per year will ensure basic stability from the EOC and another million from USI. The amounts mentioned will be supplemented by competitive funds, which researchers will need to secure through participation in proposal calls from the Swiss National Science Foundation, the European Union, and other international institutions. Additionally, private contributions may come from philanthropic foundations or wealthy individuals who are involved in research funding. The Canton has also indicated its willingness to consider providing support.
"Thanks to the partnership with USI," explains Professor Alessandro Ceschi, Head of the Medical Education and Research Area at the EOC, "access to federal and cantonal funding will be broadened and made easier. However, this collaboration is also a strategic decision for the future. While academic collaboration was already strong, we are now elevating it to a higher level, fostering a true integration of the two institutions at an organisational level."
The watchword, therefore, is to build synergies. "The IRT," confirms Patrick Gagliardini, USI Pro-Rector for Research, "constitutes a further, significant building block in the biomedicine ecosystem in Ticino. With USI, EOC, IRB, IOR, and now IRT, a more articulated network is being built, capable of attracting funds and talent, especially in view of strategic projects such as the recent candidature to create a National Centre of Competence in Research (NCCR) in Ticino on ageing, financed by the Swiss National Fund (the selection is in progress)".
"With the IRT, for once, our Canton has managed to bring together its different academic, hospital and institutional souls. This is no small feat," concluded USI Rector Lambertini and EOC General Director Martinetti.
