The “la Caixa” Foundation Selects Five Projects from Cima Universidad de Navarra for the 2026 Research and Innovation Grants

. The “la Caixa” Foundation has selected five projects from Cima Universidad de Navarra in its 2026 Research and Innovation Grants calls, for which it will receive more than 1.5 million euros.

Three of the grants were awarded through CaixaImpulse, a call that helps transfer scientific knowledge to society by fostering the transformation of innovative projects into services, patents, or spin-off companies. It is a highly competitive call that had a success rate of 5.1% this year. Specifically, 449 proposals were submitted, of which 24 Spanish projects were selected; three of them were led by Cima. “Thanks to these results, Navarre has become the third region with the most funded projects in this call, behind Catalonia (13 grants) and the Community of Madrid (five grants). Securing funding in this highly competitive environment reflects the exceptional calibre of our researchers and the strength of their scientific proposals,” says Lucía Vanrell, director of the Technology Transfer Unit at Cima Universidad de Navarra, whose department supported the researchers throughout the application process.

Dr. Pedro Berraondo, a researcher with Cima’s Cytokine-Based Therapies Group, is coordinating a project on cancer immunotherapy aimed at enhancing the immune response and reducing side effects. Selected in Phase III (the stage closest to clinical application), the project has been awarded 500,000 euros. The second project focuses on a new strategy to overcome resistance to cancer treatment. It is led by Dr. Alfonso Calvo, a professor at the University of Navarra and a researcher in Cima’s Solid Tumour Programme, and has received 50,000 euros. Finally, Dr. Karmele Valencia, principal investigator of Cima’s Lung Cancer Therapeutic Innovation Group, is coordinating a study of a new tool to combat lung cancer. This project has received 50,000 euros in funding.

Health Research

Meanwhile, the “la Caixa” Foundation’s Health Research Call 2026 received 800 proposals, of which 23 from institutions in Spain were selected. Cima is leading a research project seeking new drugs to enhance immune infiltration in tumours. With a grant of 550,000 euros, it is directed by Dr. Álvaro Teijeira, principal investigator of Cima’s Antitumour Immune Response Dynamics Group. “Cancer immunotherapy has revolutionized the treatment of various types of cancer by helping the immune system recognize and attack tumour cells. However, many patients do not benefit from it because immune cells cannot effectively penetrate certain tumours. A major barrier is the abnormal network of blood vessels that feeds many tumours and prevents immune cells from accessing them. The goal of this project is to develop a type of therapy that modifies these blood vessels so that immune cells can access tumours more easily,” explains Dr. Teijeira.

Finally, Dr. José Luis Lanciego, a researcher with Cima’s Gene Therapy for Neurodegenerative Diseases Group, is a partner in another project selected in the Health Research Call, which has been awarded 440,000 euros. Coordinated by the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, the project seeks new strategies to treat epileptic and motor symptoms in neurological disorders.