FERRER INTERNACIONAL SA

Their core work

Ferrer Internacional is a Spanish pharmaceutical company based in Barcelona, active in the development and commercialization of cardiovascular medicines. In EU-funded research, they served as the industry pharmaceutical partner in the SECURE trial — one of the largest H2020 clinical studies testing a fixed-dose combination pill (polypill) for secondary cardiovascular prevention in elderly patients after myocardial infarction. Their contribution to consortia is grounded in pharmaceutical product expertise, clinical trial execution, and the translation of research findings toward real-world medication use. Beyond cardiovascular R&D, they also participate in industry-academia talent exchange by hosting postdoctoral researchers through programmes such as INTREPiD.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

Ferrer's earliest H2020 engagement (from 2015) was deeply product-specific — centred on clinical evidence for their polypill in a defined cardiovascular indication, involving elderly patients and hard endpoints like myocardial infarction. By 2017, a second, structurally different project appeared: a research excellence postdoctoral programme with no direct therapeutic focus, built around researcher mobility, mentoring, and inter-sector training. This shift suggests Ferrer was expanding its EU research identity beyond product-led trials toward broader positioning as an industry research host.

Ferrer appears to be broadening its research engagement from product-specific clinical trials toward industry-academia talent pipelines, which may signal interest in future consortia that include researcher mobility or industry training components alongside core pharmaceutical R&D.

How they like to work

Ferrer consistently participates as a partner or participant rather than a project leader — they have not coordinated any H2020 project. This is typical for large pharmaceutical companies that join academic-led consortia to contribute product access, clinical expertise, or industry perspective without carrying administrative coordination burden. Their presence in 19-partner networks across 10 countries suggests comfort working in large, international consortia.

Ferrer collaborated with 19 unique partners across 10 countries through their two H2020 projects, with the SECURE trial accounting for most of that reach. Their network is internationally distributed, consistent with multi-site clinical trial consortia.

What sets them apart

Ferrer is the pharmaceutical company behind the polypill tested in the SECURE trial, which is one of the most clinically significant cardiovascular prevention studies in the entire H2020 Health pillar. Their value to any cardiovascular or preventive medicine consortium is direct: they bring a commercially developed, clinically validated fixed-dose combination product — something academic partners cannot replicate. For consortium builders in elderly care, cardiovascular outcomes, or medication adherence research, Ferrer fills the critical industry-to-clinic bridge that grant evaluators specifically look for.

Highlights from their portfolio

• SECURE
  A large multi-country RIA clinical trial testing the polypill for secondary cardiovascular prevention in elderly patients — one of the most commercially relevant H2020 health trials, directly tied to Ferrer's core pharmaceutical product.
• INTREPiD
  Ferrer's role as third-party partner in CRG's prestigious MSCA-COFUND postdoctoral programme demonstrates an industry-facing research talent strategy that goes beyond their own therapeutic pipeline.