The UAB becomes member of the Mental Health Cluster of Catalonia

The Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona has been accepted as a member of the Mental Health Cluster of Catalonia, which already has 27 member entities.

07/11/2013

In the latest meeting of the Board of Trustees of the Mental Health Cluster of Catalonia, on 9 October 2013, the UAB was unanimously accepted as a member of the cluster.

The Cluster aims to be regarded as a middle ground for knowledge, experience, teaching and research in the field of Mental Health, as well as offer individuals suffering from mental disorders and their families an area in which research, teaching and healing of these pathologies.

The Mental Health Cluster of Catalonia represents a geographic concentration of interconnected businesses, services and institutions which share strategic challenges in assistance, training, research and creation of synergies.

Among the main challenges of the association are the cross-curricular programmes developed to promote the social and professional integration of people with mental disorders. It organises social activities as a means of preventing and treating these disorders and as an integration element with which to break barriers and overcome stigmas. The cluster seeks to contribute to a growth in mental health teaching and enabling activities and foster a specialised university system. It also aims to hold international conferences in mental health and promote the application of ICTs in the sector. It also looks to sign more collaboration and integration agreements with other strategic technological networks in the country. And lastly it seeks to create conditions favouring business investments in the fields of biotechnology and biomedicine.

Presided by Alfons Icart, the cluster is formed by 27 entities: the City Council of Sant Boi de Llobregat, Alimmenta, Ammfeina, Benito Menni Complex, Assistencial en Salut Mental, Germanes Hospitalàries del Sagrat Cor de Jesús, Bionexo Ibérica SA, CataloniaBio, CIPAIS, Consell Comarcal del Baix Llobregat, CPB Serveis Salut Mental, Federació SMC Salut Mental Catalunya (Fecafamm), Ferrer, Fundació Marianao, Fundació Orienta, Fundació Parc Taulí, Observatori de Salut Mental de Catalunya (OSAMCAT), Health University of Barcelona Campus, Innobaix, Institució Balmes SCCL, Institut Pere Mata, Lundbeck España SA, Miret Editorial, Oryzon, Barcelona Science Park (PCB), the UAB Research Park, Sant Joan de Déu Healthcare Park, Starlab, the UAB and the Spanish National Distance Education University (UNED).