The Director General for Funds and Relations with the European Union of the Government of La Rioja, Jesús Ángel Garrido Martínez, addressed today the meeting of the Commission for Territorial Cohesion Policy and the EU Budget (COTER) of the European Committee of the Regions (CoR) in Brussels to highlight the upcoming expansion of the Biomedical Research Centre of La Rioja (CIBIR), known as CIBIR+ which he described as one of the most significant milestones promoted by the region within the framework of the European Union’s cohesion policy.
The Director General underlined that the project, recently presented by the President of the Government of La Rioja, Gonzalo Capellán, “constitutes a clear, visible and recognisable example of how European funds help transform citizens’ lives, strengthen biomedical research and enhance the region’s scientific capacity”.
The expansion of CIBIR will double the space dedicated to research, support progress in the study of diseases — including cancer — and consolidate La Rioja as a hub for health innovation. The CIBIR+ project also reinforces an integrated model of research, innovation and knowledge transfer aimed at improving healthcare delivery and citizens’ health outcomes.
The total investment amounts to €12.86 million, of which €5 million is financed through the ERDF La Rioja Programme 2021–2027. This expansion will increase La Rioja’s capacity to attract competitive research projects, strengthen cooperation with the healthcare system and promote the transfer of scientific results into clinical practice.
“CIBIR+ shows that cohesion policy is not an abstract concept, but a concrete tool that improves people’s lives,” Garrido stated. He also stressed the need for Europe to “better showcase and communicate these projects”, highlighting in this context the modernisation of the Sagasta Secondary School in Logroño, “a century-old, emblematic public institution that has been equipped with state-of-the-art facilities thanks to European funding”. In closing, Garrido emphasised that La Rioja is a region strongly committed to cohesion, innovation and the protection of citizens’ rights, fully aligned with the European Union’s strategic priorities.