The composition, functions and rules of procedure of the Governing Bodies, Management, Participation Bodies and Scientific Committees are reflected in the Statutes of Biogipuzkoa HRI, added to which are all of the aspects indicated in the Internal Regulations.

Governing Bodies

Biogipuzkoa HRI has the following Governing Bodies, professional association members or individuals, whose composition, functions and mechanisms of renewal are reflected in its Statutes:

General Meeting

The composition, functions, powers and rules of procedure of the General Assembly are reflected in the Statutes of Biodonostia. As indicated in Article 7 of said Statutes, the General Assembly is the highest Body of expression of the will of the Association, and will go about its functions according to the stipulations of the legal system and of its Statutes. The General Assembly is made up of all Members and is the highest governing and decision-making Body. Its functions are established by the registered Statutes of Biodonostia HRI, added to which are all of the aspects indicated in the Internal Rules of Procedure.

Single-person bodies: Chairperson, Deputy Chairperson and Secretary-Treasurer

Chairperson The Chairperson of the Association represents the Body in institutional, judicial and administrative matters, although they can delegate said representation. The Chairperson also establishes the agenda for the sessions and presides over them. This position will be held by the head of the Basque Government Health Department. Deputy Chairperson The Deputy Chairperson of the Association substitutes the Chairperson in the event of absence, illness, or vacancy, and performs all of the functions delegated by the Chairperson. This position will be occupied by the Director General of Osakidetza-Basque Health Service. Secretary-Treasurer The Secretary-Treasurer takes minutes minutes of the agreements taken at the meetings, issues certificates with the approval of the Chairperson and executes all of the functions attributed to their position by the rules of the associated administrative Bodies. This position will be held by the natural person appointed for the purpose by the Basque Foundation for Health Innovation and Research.

Executive Committee

The Executive Committee acts as Governing Body on delegation by the Association’s General Assembly. The General Assembly will be able to appoint, from among its members or not, an Executive Committee made up of a minimum of 4 and maximum of 6 members, for a period of 4 years: The composition of the Executive Committee will distinguish between Ex-Officio Members and Freely Appointed Members. Ex-Officio Members are those appointed due to their position.

  • Representation of the Basque Government Director of health research and innovation.
  • Person holding the position of Manager of the Health Organisation in the headquarters of which Biodonostia HRI resides, or the person delegated by them.
  • Representation of the Basque Foundation for Health Innovation and Research.

Freely Appointed Members are those who are appointed by the General Assembly.

Management Bodies

The Biogipuzkoa HRI will have a Scientific Director and a Administration Management-Director.

Scientific Director:
Itziar Vergara Mitxeltorena, MD, MPH, Ph.D.
direccion@biodonostia.org

Administration Management-Director:
Arantza Abad Alba
arantza.abad@biodonostia.org

Participation Bodies

Internal Scientific Committee

This Body will be made up of a minimum of 20 and maximum of 30 members freely appointed and dismissed by the General Assembly or from among personalities of professional and scientific renown in the Association’s field of action. The Internal Scientific Committee will be made up of:

  • The Scientific Director of Biogipuzkoa HRI, who will act as its Chairperson.
  • A member of the Units or Services providing Support to R&D&I, who will act as the Secretary.
  • The Coordinators of each of the Areas or Research at the Institute or a representative delegated by said Coordinators.
  • An additional professional researcher who, in view of their background and field of research, is of interest to the Committee. This person will be proposed by the Committee Chairperson and following agreement of the Coordinator of the corresponding Area.
  • Representatives of the Scientific Partners, provided that said Organisations are not already represented under one of the previous criteria. It is established that the Scientific Partners will be subdivided into Health Organisations and non-Health Organisations, with both types of Organisation being represented on the Internal Scientific Committee by one of the Scientific Partners falling within each of the two types.
  • One representative of the Basque Health Service Organisations making up the Institute.
  • One representative of the Gipuzkoa Healthcare Area MRE.
  • Those persons responsible for Training, Innovation and Quality at the Biogipuzkoa HRI.
  • One representative of the Collaborative Research staff in Predoctoral Training.
  • One representative of the Collaborative Researchers in Postdoctoral Training.
  • A representative holding post-graduate training responsibilities.
  • Additionally, depending on how the Institute is scientifically composed at any time with respect to the Basque Public Health System institutions, the Chairperson can, if they consider it to be of interest for the Committee, propose a representative of the Osakidetza Services Organisations connected to the Province of Gipuzkoa, with proven activity in the field of research.
  • Citizens’ representative.
Scientific Committees

External Scientific Advisory Committee

This Body will be made up of a minimum of 4 and a maximum of 6 members freely appointed and dismissed by the General Assembly from among personalities of professional and scientific renown in the Association’s field of action.

The Committee is currently composed of the following members:

  • Dr Toni Andreu (Specialist in Genetics and Genomics of Rare Diseases, Scientific Director of EATRIS).
  • Dr Antonio Bernad (Research Professor at the Spanish National Research Council, Immunology and Oncology Department of the National Centre for Biotechnology).
  • Dr Pedro Miguel Etxenike (Chair of Condensed Matter Physics at the University of the Basque Country. President of Donostia International Physics Center).
  • Dr José Mª Miró (Senior Consultant in Infectious Diseases at the Hospital Clínic in Barcelona. Professor at the Barcelona University Faculty of Medicine and Researcher at the August Pi i Sunyer Biomedical Research Institute, IDIBAPS).
  • Dr Miguel Ángel Piris (Specialist in Anatomical Pathology and Molecular Diagnosis of Cancer. Head of the Anatomical Pathology Service at the Jiménez Díaz Foundation University Hospital).
  • Dr Mª Cruz Rodríguez (Director of the Neurology Department at the University Clinic of Navarra, Director of Neuroscience at the Centre for Applied Medical Research).

Clinical Research Ethics Committee

The Basque Country has a medicine Research Ethics Committee (CEIm) accredited by the Basque Autonomous Community, which reviews clinical trials with medical devices, studies with health products, observational studies with medical devices and multi-centre research projects. The Biodonostia HRI also has the Gipuzkoa Healthcare Area REC, which provides its services to the entire province of Gipuzkoa, assessing single-centre research projects.

Informative brochure for the researcher (Spanish version).

Body responsible for animal welfare (Animal Experimentation Ethics Committee)

An Animal Experimentation Ethics Committee (CEEA) manages and reviews Research Projects requiring experiments with animals. This committee has the purpose of ensuring the animals’ welfare and of adapting the design of the experiments carried out to current regulations, collaborating with researchers in analysing the ethical implications of the projects and issuing reports when called to do so.


Organisational Chart

Vertical Area Coordinators

Transversal Area Coordinators

References of R&D&i Support Units and Platforms