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As well as the aforementioned mobility activities, the programme has been involved in the organisation and support for complementary training activities more intensively than in previous years. Three initiatives should be pointed out in this context:
(a) Participation, with financing of two persons from CIBEROBN, at the Encuentro de Doctorado de Excelencia, in Mahón, promoted by the CIBERESP;
(b) Support for the thematic Workshop entitled “How to tackle the Obesity epidemic in European children”, with the participation of several international speakers and of the CIBEROBN, held in Saragossa from 19-20 September 2016; and particularly (c) the scientific meeting “New Frontiers in Obesity Research”, an initiative jointly arranged with the European Society of Endocrinology, held in Cordova from 28 - 30 November, which was attended by 150 people with 25 high-level international speakers, with over 65 members of the CIBEROBN going to this. This set of activities has enabled complementing the training components of the programme, extending its scope to practically all the groups in the CIBEROBN. Scientific Management’s strategy is to go on in this approach, and joint training courses are already being prepared with other thematic areas of the CIBER, such as CIBERDEM, as well as renewing cooperation with the CIBERESP in the Doctorate School.
Lastly, and as a training feature of the very greatest importance, we should point out here that a total number of 129 Doctoral theses (30 of these international) were completed in 2016, which represents the consolidation of a growing tendency in this important training activity, with a figure doubling the number of theses defended in 2011.
The overall financing assigned in this programme in 2016 came to 39,884 EUR. This means a very considerable increase, of almost 70%, in the funds used as compared with the previous year. Put into perspective, it may be considered that the training and mobility programme of the CIBEROBN has been consolidated, and due to its flexibility has become a valuable tool not only in the professional development of researchers (especially younger ones) but also in the reinforcement of international connections
and collaboration of the groups forming part of our CIBER. In this setting, this programme made a very considerable contribution to reinforcing the interest and synergies of the combination of universities and hospitals in the CIBER, with very good results in the training of research staff. Similarly, and without being reflected in terms of financing, the training programme has covered stays of post-doctoral researchers at the centres in the consortium of our CIBEROBN, as well as of doctoral candidates who have received grants from other countries to do their doctoral theses at CIBEROBN groups. All of this has had a very decisive effect on consolidating our CIBER’S position as an international benchmark in Obesity and Nutrition.
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