CAC – Clinical Academic Centers

Definition

Clinical academic centers are integrated structures of care activity, teaching, clinical and translational research, which associate healthcare provider units, higher education institutions, and/or public or private research institutions, according to article 3 of Decree-Law No. 61/2018, of 3 August, which defines the legal regime applicable to clinical academic centers.

Objectives

  1. Clinical academic centres have as their main objectives the advancement and application of knowledge and scientific evidence for the improvement of health, aiming especially:

  1. The effective use of synergies in the various areas of activity and the potential for sharing highly qualified and specialised human resources, stimulating the rationalisation and maximisation of the use of human, financial and technological resources made available to its members;

  2. The creation of innovative programmes and strategic partnerships that enable qualitative advances in care, teaching, clinical and translational research activities and contribute to diversifying and broadening the sources of funding for these activities;

  3. The promotion of a common culture focused on scientific and clinical excellence in an international context, both at the level of human and material resources, ensuring the combination of basic, translational and clinical services research and health education that are necessary to achieve significant improvements in healthcare;

  4. The establishment of the focus of the activity on the promotion of the quality of healthcare provided to the population based on an adequate response to their different needs.

2. In pursuit of the objectives referred to in the previous paragraph, clinical academic centres shall act to promote:

  1. The modernisation and training of health education, in its graduate, post-graduate and continuing education dimensions, taking advantage of the synergies that can be created with the education and training of future professionals from the health institutions that integrate the clinical academic centres;

  2. The development of integrated actions to promote quality health care based on the contributions of basic and clinical health sciences and the medical services of the health care units;

  3. The development of actions that contribute to the development of innovative integrated care based on increasing articulation between primary care, hospital, continued and palliative health care;

  4. The development of collaborative research projects with the reinforcement of national and international cooperation, developing to the maximum the opportunities offered by the participation of its members in national and international research networks (article 4 of Decree-Law no. 61/2018, of 3 August).

Applicable legislation

Decree-Law No. 61/2018, of 3 August – Creates the legal regimen for clinical academic centers and university hospital-pilot projects.