IDIAPJGol has created an Internationalisation Committee to strengthen external collaborations and achieve global leadership in primary care research. The group is coordinated by the Institute’s director, Josep Basora; the deputy director, Anna Berenguera; and researcher Felipe Villalobos, who has been appointed International Relations Commissioner of IDIAPJGol. The Committee, currently in the process of being established, will also include various professionals from the centre working in research, project management, administration, and communication.
This internationalisation strategy was presented to the members of the External Scientific Committee during their most recent ordinary meeting, held on 28 and 29 April 2026.
New strategic plan
The creation of this Committee is part of the Institute’s new Strategic Plan for the 2026–2030 period, which is being developed collaboratively. The plan foresees increasing the Institute’s international presence by strengthening relationships with global research centres and networks, as well as identifying opportunities to lead international projects. The group will also promote training and education through exchange programmes, short research stays for investigators, and the involvement of international experts in training activities.
“The aim is to position IDIAPJGol as a strategic partner in research and training in Primary Care at an international level,” says Villalobos, who adds that “the ultimate goal is to become the preferred partner in Europe for primary care research projects and to lead more international initiatives.”
Strong starting position
The International Relations Commissioner highlights that “we start from a very strong position; we are leaders in primary care research in Spain, we participate in relevant international projects, we are part of global research networks, and our research findings have an impact on health policies.” He also emphasises the international recognition of SIDIAP, which “is one of our main assets and must be further strengthened.”
For Villalobos, the Internationalisation Committee will provide a strategic framework for all international initiatives in which IDIAPJGol is involved. The first step will be to map existing international collaborations across the Institute’s four cores: mental health, healthy ageing, chronic diseases, and health services evaluation. This analysis “will allow us to be more equitable and transparent with research groups” and “to identify new collaboration opportunities beyond our borders.”
About Felipe Villalobos
The new International Relations Commissioner is a physician and, since 2021, a researcher in epidemiology and public health at IDIAPJGol, with a focus on vaccine safety and effectiveness.
He is involved in European initiatives such as VAC4EU and participates in international real-world data studies, particularly in the context of COVID-19 and dengue vaccination.
He is Secretary General of the International Society of Pharmacovigilance (ISoP), Commissioner of the World Health Organization Coalition of Interested Parties Network (WHO-CIP Network), collaborator in a working group of the European Network of Centres for Pharmacoepidemiology and Pharmacovigilance (ENCePP), and a member of the European Health Parliament.
