Albert Barbera
Director of External Strategy at Vall d'Hebron Institut de Recerca (VHIR), Barcelona, Spain
Albert Barberà holds a degree in Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences and a PhD in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from the University of Barcelona (UB). His scientific training has been complemented with a postgraduate degree in Financial Management from the University Pompeu Fabra, and with a Master’s in Science Management and Leadership coorganized by three Universities in Barcelona (UPF, UB and UAB). His professional career combines experience in research and in knowledge management and innovation in the area of biomedicine and health.
He has wide experience in project management; knowledge management and innovation; institutional strategy definition, implementation, and evaluation to promote research; implementation and evaluation of human resource programs in science to attract and retain talent. He currently participates in the Postgraduate of Management of Health Services, University of Girona, teaching research management.
After his postdoctoral stay at Mount Sinai School of Medicine and Rockefeller University in New York, he joined the Institute of Biomedical Research August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS) first as a researcher and later being responsible for the management of national and international projects. Since 2008 he has had various positions related to the management; strategy design and implantation of science and innovation, first as manager of Spanish Network of Diabetes and Metabolic Diseases (CIBERDEM) of the Institute of Health Carlos III, then as Scientific Coordinator at IDIBAPS, as Director at the Girona Biomedical Research (IDIBGI), as CEO of BIOCAT, and finally as Director General of Health Research and Innovation at the Health Department in the Generalitat de Catalunya.
After a couple of years back to academia as director of the eHealth Center of the Open University of Catalonia; he is currently the Director of Advanced Therapies Hub and Technological Platforms at the Vall d'Hebron Institute of Research (VHIR).