A turning point for the CIC

This report is also the first to be presented under a new leadership team at the Center. For this reason, I would like to begin by expressing my sincere gratitude to Prof. Eugenio Santos, who led the CIC from its creation and whose vision, commitment, and tireless work over more than two decades were essential in building the institution we are today. This transition is not a break with the past, but rather the continuation of a project built collectively over 25 years and now entering a new phase of growth.

Over these two years, the CIC has reached multiple institutional milestones. We have implemented changes in the internal organization of the Center, set up our new Strategic Plan for the 2024-2029 period and signed a new institutional agreement between the three institutions that support the CIC: the University of Salamanca (USAL), the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), and the Foundation for Cancer Research at the University of Salamanca (FICUS). This agreement provides a stronger framework for governance, long-term planning, and shared commitment among the institutions that sustain the Center. Importantly, it also brings a substantial increase in the Center's budget, fulfilling a long-standing institutional aspiration that has now become a reality.

We have also obtained new accreditations and renewed several key recognitions, including the CSIC-MaX; the Center of Research Excellence in Castilla y León, awarded by the Castilla y León Education Ministry; the AECC-Centers accreditation from the Scientific Foundation of the Spanish Association Against Cancer; the Biosanitary Center accreditation from the Castilla y León Health Ministry; the University Institute accreditation from the Quality Assurance Agency for the University System in Castilla y León; and the UCC+i accreditation from the Spanish Foundation for Science and Technology.

At the same time, the Center has undergone a broad renovation of its scientific and general infrastructure, with an investment exceeding EUR 1.5 million. These improvements have strengthened our experimental capacity, modernized shared services, supported a more sustainable institutional model, and prepared the CIC for the next stage of its development.

This period has also been marked by a clear commitment to gender equality and to increasing the visibility of women researchers at the Center. We have aspired to achieve equitable representation in all institutional committees and have actively prioritized the visibility of our female scientific staff and their leadership in institutional, educational, and outreach activities. The creation and continued activity of the Equality Commission, together with the participation of CIC women researchers in schools and public engagement initiatives, reflect our conviction that scientific excellence must go hand in hand with fairness, diversity, and social responsibility.

Scientific renewal has been another defining feature of 2024-2025. The internal promotion of Dr. Carmen Guerrero and Dr. Mercedes Dosil, two University of Salamanca professors, to R4 group leaders has strengthened our research areas within the Center. At the same time, the incorporation of new talent, including Dr. José Alberto López Domínguez (USAL), Dr. L. Francisco Lorenzo-Martín (USAL) and Dr. Mónica Álvarez Fernández (CSIC), has expanded our research portfolio and opened new scientific directions. These appointments illustrate a deliberate strategy: to combine the consolidation of internal leadership with the attraction of outstanding external talent.

Our research community has delivered results that reflect the breadth and quality of cancer science at the CIC. Across 28 research groups and 11 thematic lines, our teams published nearly 400 articles, 74% of them in Q1 journals, covering cancer biology, precision oncology, genome stability, the tumor microenvironment, experimental therapeutics, and translational medicine. These achievements underscore the Center's capacity to combine fundamental discovery with clinically relevant questions and innovative experimental models.

The Center has also made important progress in competitive funding and internationalization. During 2024-2025, the CIC secured EUR 16.4 million in new awards, bringing its active funding portfolio to EUR 31.5 million across 108 projects. International funding has been especially relevant, including the award of an ERC Starting Grant to Dr. L. Francisco Lorenzo-Martín for the NEXT-CRC project on colorectal cancer. This was complemented by national and regional funding, as well as by eight commercial agreements with leading pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, totaling more than EUR 1.3 million in private investment. These achievements confirm the growing competitiveness of the CIC and its capacity to connect basic discovery, technological innovation, and translational research.

Training and outreach have remained central to our mission. In 2024-2025, the CIC supervised 43 doctoral theses and 35 master's theses; organized 77 scientific seminars; and launched new training activities in leadership, scientific writing, career development, and other non-academic skills. Our Master's Program in Cancer Biology and Clinical Research was ranked among the top five bioscience programs in Spain. During this period, we also launched a new graduate program for Ph.D. students, incorporating new mechanisms to monitor, support, and strengthen their training trajectory. At the same time, we have reinforced our commitment to public engagement. We welcomed approximately 3,500 students to our facilities, developed new educational and outreach activities, and partnered with AECC Salamanca in the “El Conocimiento Cura” initiative to bring cancer research closer to patients and society.

The celebration of the 25th anniversary of the CIC in 2025 has given this period a special meaning. Through multiple scientific, institutional, and outreach activities, we have had the opportunity to look back on what has been achieved, to recognize the people who made it possible, and to share our work with society. The official visit of Her Majesty Queen Letizia was an important moment in this anniversary year and a recognition that extended well beyond the scientific community.

Behind each of these achievements are the people who make the CIC work every day: researchers, technicians, administrative staff, students, platform personnel, and support teams. I would like to thank all of them for their dedication, professionalism, and commitment during these two years. The work summarized in this report is the result of that shared effort. We close this period with enthusiasm for what has been accomplished and with deep confidence in what lies ahead. At the same time, we are fully aware of the challenges that remain. Among them, achieving María de Maeztu accreditation from the Spanish State Research Agency stands as a major institutional goal, together with our continued commitment to technological renewal, infrastructure modernization, and the recruitment, retention, and promotion of outstanding scientific talent.

Above all, we are convinced that, through the collective commitment of everyone at the CIC, the Center will continue to grow stronger in the years to come.