The year 2024 was marked by accelerating change and deepening uncertainty. Global temperatures crossed the critical 1.5°C threshold, dengue cases reached record highs, and a deadly Marburg virus outbreak unfolded in Rwanda. Amid these global challenges, ISGlobal’s team of almost 600 staff and students from 50 countries continued to lead and collaborate on innovative science-based solutions to improve health outcomes, reduce inequities, strengthen resilience in times of crisis, and provide trusted, evidence-based guidance in an increasingly complex world.

We are proud to celebrate the accomplishments of our researchers, from unravelling malaria vaccine protection, to predicting the health impact of extreme temperatures, and advancing the fight against tuberculosis or Chagas disease. Our work also contributed critical evidence for the adoption of stricter air quality guidelines in Europe. In total, 2024 saw 632 scientific publications, 30 PhD defences, and 158 new projects secured. We were especially honoured to have three scientists appointed as ICREA Research Professors -prestigious positions funded by the Government of Catalonia- in recognition of their excellence in infectious disease epidemiology, the assessment of public health policies, and environmental health.

A major milestone was the renewal of the Severo Ochoa (SO) distinction, alongside the launch of our new Strategic Plan, which embraces the growing interconnection between infectious and non-communicable diseases, the environment, and climate change. The SO programme will be central to this effort, harnessing data and analytical tools, fostering interdisciplinary collaboration, and bringing research closer to society through participatory approaches that can drive meaningful change. We were also proud to receive recognition from the Spanish Data Protection Agency for our institutional culture in protecting personal data – an often unseen but critical component of public trust in health research.

At ISGlobal, we strongly believe in nurturing our strategic partnerships, particularly in LMICs. This year, we signed a landmark agreement with INSERM, France, to address chronic diseases in the context of climate change. We continued to advance shared initiatives with Fiocruz, Brazil, and deepened our long-standing partnership with the Manhiça Health Research Centre (CISM) in Mozambique. Locally, we joined forces with the Unesco Chair in Life Cycle and Climate Change (ESCI-UPF) to strengthen the Catalan health system’s resilience to climate change.

On the policy front, we contributed high-quality analyses to Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, and worked closely with the Spanish government to bolster the country’s contribution to high-impact global health initiatives.

One of the highlights of the year was seeing a record 30 doctoral students complete their theses, out of the 150 predoctoral students enrolled. We also expanded our offer of online training courses to better support early-career researchers around the world.

Finally, a thank you to all of you—research and non-research staff, students, partners, and supporters. It’s your daily energy, passion and commitment that make ISGlobal what it is. Here’s to continuing our efforts together in the year ahead.