A scientific initiative born at the right place in the ideal moment

Abstract

The birth of a journal is always an exciting occasion from every standpoint. This statement turns particularly evident when, like in the present situation, one is witnessing the launching of an internationally driven medical/biomedical journal that will be anchored in the hospitals and academic and research institutions that constitute the Porto Health Sciences Pole. This pole is localized at the Asprela Campus and is one of the best Clusters on Health and Life Sciences involving Assistance, Research and Innovation in Europe. The scope and functionality of the Porto Health Sciences Pole has been recently reinforced by the creation of two Hospital-Faculty consortia (University Center of Medicine resulting from the articulation of the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Porto with São João Hospital Center and Clinical Academic Center through the articulation of ICBAS with Porto Hospital Center) and by the inauguration of the Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde – i3S (Institute for Research and Innovation in Health of the University of Porto) which has been built and started being managed in October by a Consortium of the University of Porto with IBMC, INEB and Ipatimup. The mission of i3S is to integrate complementary competences in Cancer, Host-interaction and Response, and Neurobiology and Neurologic Disorders, in order to become a leading international player in health and life sciences and technologies. Putting all this together with the creation, in 2014, by IPO-Porto and Ipatimup, under the auspices of the Organisation of European Cancer Institutes — OECI, of the first Comprehensive Cancer Center of Portugal (PCCC — Porto Comprehensive Cancer Center), and the dynamics of the interaction of hospitals with pharma and medical devices companies promoted by Health Cluster Portugal, it seems obvious that it would be impossible to find a better site and a most adequate opportunity for launching the Porto Biomedical Journal (PBJ). As an enthusiastic member of some of the tribes that will benefit a lot from the mutual reinforcement of the several institutions that constitute the Porto Health Sciences Pole and PBJ, I just want to say “Welcome and long life to the Porto Biomedical Journal”.