The IIS Aragón receives the Aragonese of the Year award in the Science and Technology category

Daniel Orós, scientific director of the Aragon Health Research Institute, and Óscar López, executive director of the institute, accept the Aragon of the Year award in the Science and Technology category.

El Health Research Institute (IIS) Aragon has wonthe Aragonese of the Year award in the category Science and Technology. Daniel Orós, scientific director of the Aragon Health Research Institute and Oscar LopezThe institute's executive director, have taken to the stage to receive the well-deserved award presented by Elma Saiz, Minister of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration and Government Spokesperson.

"The institute is more than just research; it was founded over a decade ago with the aim of improving the health of the people of Aragon, which is our most precious asset, integrating research as a fundamental pillar," said Daniel Oros after receiving the award.This research-based medicine, with health centers and with and for people, is a successful model that gives us wings to develop future projects "And that Aragon be a pioneer in the field of research," he added.

For his part, Óscar López pointed out that the research model, from its origin, It is a research-based medicine within healthcare facilities."It's a type of medicine that we have readily available at the Lozano Blesa and Miguel Servet University Hospitals."

He also added that it is a project that is already a reality and that "it is being carried out at the heart of public healthcare, and that Research with and for the people, because that's what matters most to us.«.

In this category, readers could choose between María José Martínez, National Research Prize winner; The Wave; the Ebro River Basin Authority (CHE); and the Aragon Health Research Institute (IIS Aragón).

A leading figure in health research

With more than 1400 researchers, the IIS Aragon It is positioned as one of the leading healthcare providers in the region. This center comprises the university hospitals.Lozano Blesa and Miguel Servet, and Primary Health Care.

The purpose of the IIS Aragón is facilitate research and innovationin the field of health. Among its main objectives is: to bring basic research and applied health services, create a quality research environment, build an ideal place for the talent acquisition and positioning for international excellencewith leading research groups in fundraising. 

To achieve all this, the institute has over €16 million allocated to research. In total, there are 100 research groups. different areas of healthNeuroscience, mental health, and the senses; medical engineering and data science; immunity, cancer, and infectious diseases; cardiovascular health, metabolism, and nutritionPrimary care, nursing, care and public health; and advanced therapies. 

In the last decade, the IIS Aragón has promoted more than 1000 clinical trials, with more than 560 currently active. "These are a reflection of the impact that the work of the IIS Aragón is having on the development of our community," explains the institute's scientific director. Daniel Oros.

Regarding this past year, 2025, the institute has increased its spaces and infrastructure. "It has been a very [significant] year." positive, consolidation and growthWe have increased the spaces dedicated to research in healthcare centers, with the new Translational Research Unit in the Miguel Servet University Hospital, inaugurated in September 2025. In addition, we have promoted the new Advanced Therapies Unit which, for the first time in Aragon, will allow the production of innovative therapies such as CAR-T therapies for patients from Aragon."

Looking ahead, the main objective of the IIS Aragón is to continue bringing research closer to the patient, consolidating the profile of the clinician-researcher"It is also essential to strengthen the relationship with society, patients, and new ways of evaluating scientific impact not only through publications, but also through its real usefulness in health," acknowledges Daniel Orós.

This is not the first time the IIS has aspired to win an Aragonese of the Year award. In 2022, the Neuroscience Group of the IIS Aragón won the award in this same category; however, this time the nomination includes the entire institution. "This nomination puts us in value a way of understanding health research"It is useful, accessible, and focused on improving people's lives," Orós concludes.

Photography: Jaime Galindo / Miguel Ángel Gracia

Source: The newspaper of Aragon