Fundación Columbus was founded in 2017 to give children with ultra-rare diseases access to advanced therapies that can improve their life expectancy and quality of life.
Through an ambitious mission, we bring together specialists, clinical and scientific teams, manufacturers, and regulatory experts to develop new therapies that otherwise wouldn’t exist, given how little commercial interest they attract.
We use culture as a bridge to bring this reality closer to society and build broader support.
As a nonprofit foundation, we are registered with Spain’s national Registry of Foundations under registration number 1930.
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At Fundación Columbus, health is the heart of our work, innovation is the engine that drives us to find new answers, and culture is the bridge that connects us with people. With these three pillars, we build a solid foundation that allows us to act as effectively as possible against ultra-rare diseases and develop real solutions.
We drive advanced, effective therapies for children with ultra-rare diseases around the world, because every breakthrough can open a new chance at life. Treatments such as gene therapy bring hope and help improve their quality of life.
Through programs and consortiums, we drive scientific innovation forward toward new, specialized treatments. We also act as a voice for science outreach and build bridges between researchers and business initiatives.
Music and culture help us bring these diseases closer to society. Through them, we connect with people, raise awareness, and raise funds to act as quickly as possible.
Sant Joan de Déu is one of Europe’s leading pediatric hospitals and the most active center for child healthcare in Spain. It treats more than 22,000 children with rare diseases every year, making it a reference point for complex pediatric cases and a key partner in advancing new therapeutic options.
Its role is essential on the clinical side: identifying patients, coordinating medical governance, administering treatments, and providing long-term follow-up. This is what allows advanced therapies to reach children safely, rigorously, and consistently.
Together, we work to turn scientific progress into real options for patients with ultra-rare diseases who have no therapeutic alternatives. This partnership also helps build a model that can accelerate the development of future therapies.
Elpida is the foundation that channels support through research and development. It’s a nonprofit organization with 501(c)(3) status, created to facilitate philanthropic collaboration and support the launch of studies from the US.
With its involvement, we’re able to advance clinical research into ultra-rare diseases that, given their complexity, rarely attract large-scale commercial development.
Together with Fundación Columbus and clinical partners like Sant Joan de Déu, this model helps accelerate treatment development for children with ultra-rare diseases. Elpida operates in the United States, and Fundación Columbus in Europe.
Since 2017, Fundación Columbus has worked to turn hope into real therapeutic options for children with ultra-rare diseases who currently have no available treatment, or whose access to one is extremely limited.
We drive the development of advanced therapies, especially gene therapies, by supporting translational research and building clinical programs that connect science, medicine, regulation, manufacturing, and funding. We do this in partnership with hospitals, researchers, biotech companies, public institutions, families, and leading voices in the world of culture, including conductor Ramón Tebar, mezzo-soprano María José Montiel, and cellist Ángel Luis Quintana, who, together with Il Soldato, an extraordinary historic cello by Giuseppe Guadagnini, embody the power of music as a vehicle for awareness and solidarity.
Through initiatives like the RenHacer Festival, the Foundation turns culture into a bridge between science and society, one capable of mobilizing support, raising awareness, and opening new avenues of funding, so that no child is left behind simply because their disease is too rare.
Damià Tormo Carulla
President and Trustee
Making sure innovation creates real impact for society, and for those who need it most, is what brought us together, and remains our greatest passion and motivation.
Damià Tormo Carulla
President and Trustee
Winner of the 2017 Princess of Girona Foundation Award, he is an internationally renowned scientist recognized for his research in the fight against cancer, and the founder, director, and advisor of several American and Spanish biotechnology companies, including Artax Biopharma, Highlight Therapeutics (formerly Bioncotech), Restaura Biotech, and PTS.
2025 Rei Jaume I Award for Emerging Entrepreneurs.
Trustees serve on a voluntary basis, in accordance with Spain’s Foundation Law 50/2002. View our bylaws (PDF, in Spanish).
Javier García Cogorro
Secretary and Trustee
An international business leader and executive with a career on both sides of the Atlantic. He was Vice President at Eli Lilly and CEO of Viralgen, and today serves as a board member of several biotechnology companies, including Artax Biopharma, Highlight Therapeutics, Vivet Therapeutics, and Aura Biosciences.
San Sebastián’s Tambor de Oro, 2023.
Trustees serve on a voluntary basis, in accordance with Spain’s Foundation Law 50/2002. View our bylaws (PDF, in Spanish).
She holds a degree in Biochemistry and a Master’s in Drug Research, Development and Innovation from the University of Navarra. She has more than eight years of experience in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical sector, working in new drug development, commercial strategy, and business development. She has worked as a Project Manager for patient associations, fostering collaboration among families, healthcare professionals, and institutions.
She holds a degree in Business Administration. She is part of the Fundación Oceanogràfic de Valencia, where she serves as Vice President and as a member of its Board of Trustees. She is also part of the management team of companies such as Fomento Urbano and Avanqua.
Trustees serve on a voluntary basis, in accordance with Spain’s Foundation Law 50/2002. View our bylaws (PDF, in Spanish).
She holds a law degree. Since 2000, she has worked at a Valencia-based family business, handling management and legal duties. She has served as a trustee of the Fundación Tú Creas in Madrid, which develops educational projects for young people at risk of social exclusion in Guatemala and Spain. She has also been a member of the governing board of the Asociación Española de Migrañas y Cefaleas (Spanish Migraine and Headache Association).
Trustees serve on a voluntary basis, in accordance with Spain’s Foundation Law 50/2002. View our bylaws (PDF, in Spanish).
She holds a law degree. She has built her career in the food industry, particularly in People and Quality, helping manage the growth of several companies. She currently focuses on asset management within the family business. She also collaborates with the NGO Mundo Justo.
Trustees serve on a voluntary basis, in accordance with Spain’s Foundation Law 50/2002. View our bylaws (PDF, in Spanish).
He holds a degree in Business Administration and Management and a Master’s in Management Control and Finance from the University of Valencia, as well as a Master’s in Taxation from the Valencia Association of Economists. He has 10 years of experience as a financial and tax consultant for biotechnology and health sciences companies, and specializes in R&D and innovation (R&D&I) taxation.
Winner of the 2017 Princess of Girona Foundation Award, he is an internationally renowned scientist recognized for his research in the fight against cancer, and the founder, director, and advisor of several American and Spanish biotechnology companies, including Artax Biopharma, Highlight Therapeutics (formerly Bioncotech), Restaura Biotech, and PTS.
2025 Rei Jaume I Award for Emerging Entrepreneurs.
Trustees serve on a voluntary basis, in accordance with Spain’s Foundation Law 50/2002. View our bylaws (PDF, in Spanish).
An international business leader and executive with a career on both sides of the Atlantic. He was Vice President at Eli Lilly and CEO of Viralgen, and today serves as a board member of several biotechnology companies, including Artax Biopharma, Highlight Therapeutics, Vivet Therapeutics, and Aura Biosciences.
San Sebastián’s Tambor de Oro, 2023.
Trustees serve on a voluntary basis, in accordance with Spain’s Foundation Law 50/2002. View our bylaws (PDF, in Spanish).
She holds a degree in Biochemistry and a Master’s in Drug Research, Development and Innovation from the University of Navarra. She has more than eight years of experience in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical sector, working in new drug development, commercial strategy, and business development. She has worked as a Project Manager for patient associations, fostering collaboration among families, healthcare professionals, and institutions.
She holds a degree in Business Administration. She is part of the Fundación Oceanogràfic de Valencia, where she serves as Vice President and as a member of its Board of Trustees. She is also part of the management team of companies such as Fomento Urbano and Avanqua.
Trustees serve on a voluntary basis, in accordance with Spain’s Foundation Law 50/2002. View our bylaws (PDF, in Spanish).
She holds a law degree. Since 2000, she has worked at a Valencia-based family business, handling management and legal duties. She has served as a trustee of the Fundación Tú Creas in Madrid, which develops educational projects for young people at risk of social exclusion in Guatemala and Spain. She has also been a member of the governing board of the Asociación Española de Migrañas y Cefaleas (Spanish Migraine and Headache Association).
Trustees serve on a voluntary basis, in accordance with Spain’s Foundation Law 50/2002. View our bylaws (PDF, in Spanish).
She holds a law degree. She has built her career in the food industry, particularly in People and Quality, helping manage the growth of several companies. She currently focuses on asset management within the family business. She also collaborates with the NGO Mundo Justo.
Trustees serve on a voluntary basis, in accordance with Spain’s Foundation Law 50/2002. View our bylaws (PDF, in Spanish).
He holds a degree in Business Administration and Management and a Master’s in Management Control and Finance from the University of Valencia, as well as a Master’s in Taxation from the Valencia Association of Economists. He has 10 years of experience as a financial and tax consultant for biotechnology and health sciences companies, and specializes in R&D and innovation (R&D&I) taxation.
Our motivation comes from our commitment to those who need it most. That’s why we act with honesty and transparency. We invite you to visit our portal and see for yourself exactly how we put every donation to work.
