It is a step closer to the creation of a university hospital center: the University of Corsica is creating a health research institute in Corsica and a hospital-university chair. Two tools designed to strengthen medical training and research, while meeting the specific health needs of the population.
To unify, structure, and strengthen health research on the island, the University of Corsica’s ambition is to create two complementary tools. On one hand, the Corsican Health Research Institute, responsible for conducting research. On the other hand, the university chair, tasked with promoting the research findings.
According to Professor and Director of the new institute, Liliane Berti, this regional structuring sets the groundwork for the future university hospital center.
“There is research in hospitals, research in universities, certain Regional Health Agencies like dentists also conduct research…,” she explains. “The idea is to consolidate everything in this structure to make us more readable, to start working together to conduct translational research. This means the link between the scientific world and the world of medical research, from the laboratory to the patient’s bedside and vice versa.”
Three key areas have been defined to address the specific challenges of the region: public health, infectiology, and aging. These broad themes encompass diverse research topics such as oncology, public policies on aging, and modeling and AI in epidemiology.
While the University of Corsica opened the first year of access to health studies in 2004, it has expanded its offerings with the second year of the General Medical Sciences Training Diploma starting in 2025, and will launch the third year next September.
With the creation of the institute, the University aims to attract researchers and allow its students to get involved in research and undertake laboratory internships. The chair, on the other hand, will be used to communicate about the research projects.
“The hospital-university chair will be an additional showcase for organizing seminars and sponsoring events to facilitate collaboration with civil society and continue dialogue on the various research projects,” explains Dominique Federici, the Dean of the University of Corsica.
The ultimate goal is to support “our health research institute and to engage with institutional actors, civil society, and external partners in this field,” he concludes.
The first call for projects has already been launched: applications are open until mid-May for an official start next academic year.
