Local Health Unit of Coimbra

The Coimbra Hospital and University Center (CHUC) offers specialized care in all areas of health, from prenatal to elderly care, covering the entire life cycle of individuals and families. Clinical and translational research is one of the components of our mission and one of our priorities.

The Coimbra Hospital and University Center (CHUC) is the largest healthcare institution in Portugal. It consists of two general hospitals (Hospitals of the University of Coimbra and the General Hospital), the Pediatric Hospital of Coimbra, two maternity hospitals (Bissaya Barreto Maternity and Daniel de Matos Maternity), and a psychiatric hospital (Sobral Cid Psychiatric Hospital). It offers specialized care in all areas of health, from prenatal to elderly care, covering the entire life cycle of individuals and families.

CHUC simultaneously acts as a proximity center for the population of the Coimbra district and as a tertiary reference unit for the Central Region, serving approximately two million inhabitants. As of 2021, it hosts 18 recognized reference centers (the highest number in Portugal) and participates in 10 European reference networks (the highest number in the Iberian Peninsula, alongside the Vall d'Hebron Hospital in Barcelona).

Our main goal is to provide excellent care, focused on the individual and associated with undergraduate and postgraduate teaching and the best health research. Clinical and translational research is one of the components of our mission and one of our priorities. The Innovation and Development Unit (UID) is responsible for promoting and managing research at CHUC, with a team comprising a Directorate, technical assistants, project managers, and clinical study coordinators (currently eight professionals) who support researchers in attracting, submitting, and developing clinical and translational studies. This activity is carried out across all branches of the Hospital Center, with a dedicated headquarters building renovated for this purpose.

In 2019, there were 126 active trials at CHUC, involving 826 patients. We aim to increase this activity by investing in new strategic centers such as Ophthalmology and Pediatrics. Due to the capacity and commitment of its staff, CHUC is currently a national benchmark in innovation in healthcare services. As of December 31, 2020, CHUC was a partner in 21 ongoing projects with international funding. The most prominent areas are neurological and cardiovascular diseases, but these projects also cover other areas such as anesthesiology, pulmonary diseases, vision disorders, and endocrine diseases.

Our institution has been connected since its inception to the University of Coimbra (UC) and the Faculty of Medicine (FMUC), one of the oldest and most prestigious in Europe. CHUC and UC have joined forces in the Coimbra Academic and Clinical Center (CACC) consortium, which aims to leverage synergies, create strategic partnerships, introduce innovative programs, and promote a culture of clinical and scientific excellence and quality in care delivery. This consortium (Coimbra Health) is a member of the M8 Alliance, a collaborative network of world-class academic centers, universities, and academies whose main mission is to improve global health (medicine, research, and care delivery) and develop scientifically proven solutions for the world's health challenges.