Page 8 - Memora anual Fundación CIEN 2015

1.1. Who we are

A Foundation from the public sector
The Research Center for Neurological Diseases (CIEN, for its acronym in
Spanish) Foundation was established by resolution of the Council of
Ministers on December 27, 2002. It is a non-profit public sector
Foundation by definition, with state-wide scope and competence.
Currently under the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness through
the Carlos III Institute of Health.

Support, promote and coordinate research in neurological diseases,
but especially in neurodegenerative diseases, are among its founding
objectives. Among its aims are also highlighted its unifying and
coordinating role of leading research groups in this field.

Collaboration with the Queen Sofia Foundation
CIEN Foundation is one of the best examples of public-private
collaboration in scientific research in Spain. Since its establishment,
manages and coordinates the Alzheimer Project Research Unit (UIPA,
from its acronym in Spanish), created by the Queen Sofia Foundation
and located in the Alzheimer Center that bears its name.

Since April 2007, CIEN Foundation headquarters are set at the
Queen Sofia Foundation Alzheimer Center. This site located in the
Madrid district of Vallecas, was conceived as a pioneer Center in
Spain in which comprehensively address the impact that Alzheimer's
disease causes on both patients and their family environment. It
came to address the social health proposed by the Alzheimer Project
of the Queen Sofia Foundation.

A Center of reference in Spain on Alzheimer’s disease research

UIPA and CIBERNED are the only two institutions in Spain participating in the
Èuropean Union Joint Programming for Disease Neudegenerative
Diseases (JPND). Its excellent infrastructures, modern methodologies
and cutting edge technologies at their disposal as well as the
available critical mass of researchers were the criteria most valued by
representatives of this organization after being proposed by the
Carlos III Institute of Health.

In addition, both CIEN Foundation as CIBERNED are integrated into
the international Network of Centers of Excellence in Research on
Neurodegeneration (COEN).