The director of the Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), Luis Serrano, and the president of the Mujeres por África (Women for Africa) Foundation, Maria Teresa Fernández de la Vega, this morning, at the CRG headquarters in Barcelona, signed a collaboration agreement to launch projects and activities of common scientific interest, with women scientists from Africa taking centre stage.

In particular, both organisations have expressed their intention to collaborate on biomedical research programmes and projects for African women; promote research and training on health-related issues, life sciences and biomedicine; drive the transfer of scientific discoveries from the lab to people, prioritising the study of diseases that particularly affect the African population; and organise conferences and seminars on topics related to biomedical research that involve the participation of women scientists from Africa.

The Centre for Genomic Regulation and the Mujeres por África Foundation will also collaborate in setting up networks of African researchers, particularly women, and encourage cooperation between these and Spanish and European networks, as well as foster exchange and scientific cooperation.

During the signing ceremony, Maria Teresa Fernández de la Vega stressed "how enormously important knowledge generation is for everyone, but especially for women, and of course for African women, as generating knowledge implies freedom, tolerance and an open mind, and because through science, reason triumphs against prejudice and imposition."

For his part, Luis Serrano also stressed the key role to be played by research and development in the future and progress of African countries. To this end, the CRG is interested in helping boost research in Africa as well as gender equality by participating in various projects and initiatives related to these two of the centre's strategic areas. Luis Serrano explained that "the agreement we have signed today will allow us to join forces and work together to train new generations of Africans and Europeans promoting equally talent, and training, as well as scientific knowledge and its transfer to society. Cutting-edge science with women scientists and no barriers, to which the CRG is proud to contribute."

The CRG is an international biomedical research centre of excellence whose mission is to discover and advance knowledge for the benefit of society, public health and economic prosperity. The CRG believes that the medicine of the future depends on innovative science today. This necessitates an interdisciplinary scientific team focused on understanding the complexity of life, from the genome to the cell, up to the entire organism and its interaction with the environment, providing an integrated view of genetic diseases.

The Mujeres por África Foundation, which aims to promote the development of the African continent through its women, earlier this year launched the project "Ellas Investigan" (Science by Women), for which it is collaborating with several Severo Ochoa centres to promote and support the work of female African researchers in key areas such as energy, climate change, health, and agriculture and food security, as well as make their achievements visible.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION AND INTERVIEWS:
Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG)
Laia Cendrós, press officer - Tel. +34 93 316 02 37