The
Advisory Council for Research and Innovation in Health is a consultative body
that provides a service to the Catalan Ministry of Health and, in particular,
the Directorate-General for Regulation, Planning and Health Resources, by
promoting and coordinating research and innovation in health.

The
creation of advisory councils for research and innovation in health has been
commonplace in many countries and international organizations since the end of
the 20^th century. Other examples of such advisory councils on a
global level are the World Health Organization’s Advisory Committee on Health
Research (ACHR); the Advisory Council on Health Research (RGU) in the
Netherlands; and the State Health Research Advisory Council (SHRAC) in Western
Australia. They are made up of independent members of the body they advise, but
the members are appointed by the director general or minister and therefore
must report all suggestions and proposals to that person.

The
Advisory Council for Research and Innovation in Health is made up of more than
20 members, including such professionals in the field of health as Joan Bigorra, the director of innovation at Hospital Clínic in Barcelona; Gabriel Capellà, the scientific director at the Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL); and Joan X. Comella, the director of the Vall d’Hebron Research Institute (VHIR).