Sobre nuestro hub
Las Islas Canarias son una región ultraperiférica de la Unión Europea, y una Comunidad Autónoma española. Se trata de un archipiélago buen conocido por su buen clima, su belleza y su imponente sector turístico. Canarias está situada al Noroeste del África Occidental, justo unos kilómetros al oeste de la costa del Magreb, en la misma latitud que Florida.
Las regiones ultraperiféricas de la Unión Europea (RUPs) están dotadas de una tratamiento especial conforme al artículo 349 del Tratado de Funcionamiento de la Unión Europea. Esto es así para atenuar sus dificultades estructurales ocasionadas por la distancia al continente europeo, su frecuente fragmentación territorial, y la carencia de una masa crítica debida al relativamente poco tamaño y población. Sus naciones vecinas son, habitualmente, países en vías de desarrollo. Aunque estos hechos geográficos se han considerado tradicionalmente como inconvenientes, las políticas europeas actuales los consideran activos que deben ser apalancados. Ciertamente, las localizaciones geoestratégicas de las RUPs, junto su enorme biodiversidad, geología, largas líneas costeras, cielos limpios, dimensión infraestructuras logísticas y estabilidad política y económica, las hace enormemente atractivas para llevar a cabo actividades de elevado valor añadido, que no son factibles en otros lugares. Por ello, las regiones ultraperiféricas han sido consideradas las avanzadillas de la Unión Europea en el mundo (véase COM/2008/0642 final).
In particular, the Canary Islands is located in a strategic crossing among three continents: Europe, Africa and America. It is the best possible location to conduct and organize direct international collaboration and cooperation with West_Africa West Africa and [wikipedia:Latin_America|Latin American] countries. Moreover, the Canary Islands have reputed scientific and academic institutions, very good infrastructures, great logistic capabilities and convenient telecommunication and transport connections, strengthened thanks to its tourism activity. The University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (ULPGC), in the island of Gran Canaria, and its sister University of La Laguna (ULL), in the island of Tenerife are important Spanish universities. The Canary Islands Institute of Astrophysics (IAC), and its two observatories, are among the main worlwide facilities in the field, hosting the largest optical and infrared telescope in the World, GRANTECAN, in the island of La Palma, alonside with several one-of-a-kind instruments. The Canary Islands Oceanic Platform, in the Eastern costline of Gran Canaria, is a unique and novel large research infrastructure. The very convenient conditions of the Canary Islands, alongside its competitive EU-approved fiscal regime, have attracted the interest of large cinema producers, with several blockbusters having already been filmed.
A Solid Base for International Cooperation for Development
Gran Canaria hosts since 2014 one of the six Humanitarian Response Depots of the United Nations World Food Programme, which adds to the Logistic Center for Humanitarian Aid and to the Center for Cooperation with Africa, both of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.
The Spanish Government has also placed the headquarters of its main tool for public and economic diplomacy with Africa in Gran Canaria: Casa Africa has the goal of strengthing the role of the Canary Islands as a political, economic and logistical platform to Africa in order to contribute to promote Hispano-African relations through dissemination, educational and cultural activities, and to support internationalzation, mainly in the political-strategic area, of Spanish companies interested in acting in Africa.
The University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (ULPGC) has long played a substantial role in international collaboration and cooperation for development. By means of its specialized University Center for International Cooperation for Development (CUCID) promotes and participates in a large array of develoment cooperation activities. The University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (ULPGC) also hosts UNITWIN/UNESCO Chairs.
Much of the current cooperation activies at the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (ULPGC) are focused on health and education issues, with the University Institute for Biomedical and Health Research (IUIBMS) playing a major role. A remarkable intiative has been the cooperation with the University of Zambeze, in [[wikipedia:Mozambique|Mozambique], to set up the Faculty of Health Sciences (FCS). A dedicated chair and group at IUIBS are devoted to medical technology research and innovation, with collaborations across the World.
Our Vision
Our hub will provide opportunities for collaboration among students, academics, researchers, health providers, innovators and bussinesses. Applying the best international knowledge and capacities to the local and regional circumstances will make medical technology, training and education broadly available to cooperating regions. We foresee a network of such hubs across the World, which will leverage medical technology everywhere, providing new innovation, employment and bussiness opportunities and, above all, better health and medical care options for every human being, as well as a framework for international collaboration and friendship.
