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The AMGEN Foundation offers it support to a European science dissemination project coordinated by the Barcelona Science Park

By 22 de April de 2010November 18th, 2020No Comments
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 22.04.2010

The AMGEN Foundation offers it support to a European science dissemination project coordinated by the Barcelona Science Park

The Barcelona Science Park (PCB) has received funding amounting to 65,000 euros from the Amgen Foundation in order to sponsor a European project designed to disseminate current research in the field of health by means of a portal that will offer several different activities aimed towards young students and patients. Its objective is to contribute to the improvement of society's science culture and to foster scientific vocations amongst young people, as well as to provide information on the latest advances and applications of biotechnology in this field by means of different online and onsite activities (scientific experiment workshops, interactive games, debates, etc.) in schools and museums throughout Europe.

The project, called XploreHealth, will be officially presented at the end of this year and has the support of the European Union. The funding granted by Amgen to the PCB has been carried out by means of United Way Worldwide, a non-profit organization that aims to improve the quality of life of people via education and health. At present it is present in over 45 countries and has more than 1,800 branch offices. Several European institutions are participating in this initiative, coordinated by the Barcelona Science Park, which will address different topics of interest, such as the drug development process, genomics and biotechnology, ageing, neurodegenerative diseases, infectious pathologies, cancer, cardiovascular disorders, diabetes and obesity.

According to the general director of the Barcelona Science Park, Fernando Albericio: “This programme will help to stir young people’s curiosity about the world of technology and science. Our objective is to educate future generations of scientists, given that here at the PCB we firmly believe in the importance of science education and the need to make science more accessible to society. In this sense, education in biotechnology is essential due to its importance in science and in our lives and the Amgen Foundation’s contribution has a very significant relevance”.

Jordi Martí, general director of Amgen Spain, has expressed that “Here at the Amgen Foundation we are extremely pleased to offer our support to an educational programme for young people, who will perhaps become future scientists who will be able to research new drugs and hence improve the health of many people. Amgen, as a biotech company dedicated to the research and development of human therapies for serious diseases, therefore contributes to its objective of serving society and improving patients’ health”.

In the past few years biotechnology has undergone significant development and there have been advances that have improved the quality of life of many patients by means of biomedical innovation. For this reason, and in line with its mission to serve patients, Amgen believes in the importance of collaboration in training activities on biotechnology applied to human health, which is how the funding offered to the PCB will support the development of activities in the educational programme related with this field.

The Amgen Foundation and United Way Worldwide (UWW) are working together to support the efforts of non-profit organizations outside the United States. By means of this collaboration, the Amgen Fondation has created an international consultancy donation fund in the UWW. Since 1999, the international consultancy donation fund of the UWW has helped companies, foundations and individuals to achieve their philanthropic and charity donation objectives.