Local Health Unit of Coimbra

The Coimbra Healthcare Integrated Delivery System in Portugal, with over 11,000 employees, is a model of healthcare excellence, exemplifying the benefits of integrated care and innovation.  This expansive system combines public health, primary and specialized care, rehabilitation, and palliative care, offering a seamless patient journey from prevention to long-term management. Its unified approach ensures comprehensive, coordinated healthcare, enhancing patient outcomes and operational efficiency.

Key to Coimbra's success is its commitment to innovation, fostered by a culture of continuous learning and cross-disciplinary collaboration. The close connection with academic and research institutions, particularly the University of Coimbra and the Coimbra Academic and Clinical Center (CACC), keeps the system at the forefront of medical, scientific, and technological progress. This integrated environment is ideal for developing and implementing innovative healthcare solutions, from advanced diagnostics to novel patient care models.

As a leading example of how integrated healthcare systems can operate, Coimbra's approach not only improves patient care but also contributes significantly to the broader healthcare landscape, setting a standard for future healthcare models worldwide.

In the field of clinical research and innovation, Coimbra’s Healthcare Integrated Delivery System, through its Centre for Innovation and Development, actively supports the conduct of interventional and non-interventional studies across all clinical areas, including an Investigator-Initiated Clinical Trials Unit and a Biobank, both within the scope of the CACC. 

In 2025, 161 interventional clinical studies were active at ULS Coimbra, across 27 clinical departments. A total of 65 new studies were submitted during the year.

In the same year, ULS Coimbra recorded 279 new submissions of non-interventional studies, 20 of which were funded and had an associated financial agreement.

In 2025, the Innovation Management Office (Gabinete de Gestão da Inovação, GGI) of the Centre for Innovation and Development (Centro de Inovação e Desenvolvimento, CID) supported the implementation of 24 R&D&I projects, representing a total of €5.9 million in funding for ULS Coimbra. The innovation projects supported by the GGI involved various ULS Coimbra departments, notably Cardiology, Medical Imaging, Neurology, Ophthalmology, Oncology, Respiratory Medicine, and Information Systems and Technologies.

Throughout 2025, the Clinical Trials Unit – Coimbra Academic and Clinical Centre (CTU-CACC) provided increasing and progressive support for investigator-initiated clinical trials (IICTs), supporting 26 trials.