Local roots, global reach

Before there was a building by the river, before there were retreats and bustling labs, there was only an idea and a handful of conversations sparked across Lisbon, Boston, and New York.

It was 2005. Rui Costa, then a young neuroscientist in the U.S, remembers hearing about a bold plan: a foundation in Portugal that wanted to reinvent how science could be done. “I first heard about Champalimaud on the news and then during a tour that Leonor Beleza and João Silveira Botelho were doing across the U.S.. They met with young researchers and the big question at the time was: ‘Are we going to give money away, build our own institute, or both?’”.

At that point, there was a bit of speculation, fueled by enthusiasm and uncertainty in equal measure. But something about those conversations stuck with him. Two of Portugal’s most respected scientists, Maria de Sousa and António Coutinho, had already introduced Rui as someone “interesting to talk to.” Coutinho would soon suggest, half seriously, half prophetically: “Why don’t you join the Gulbenkian Institute of Science (IGC)? We’re going to do something with Champalimaud. Think about it.” Rui smiled at the idea and threw down a friendly challenge: “I’m joining NIH, but if you renovate a whole floor for neuroscience labs, I’ll come.” A year later, that promise began to take shape. 

On December 29, 2006 (a date etched in his memory) Rui met Leonor Beleza and João Silveira Botelho in Lisbon. “When we met in the U.S., I had been very opinionated,” he smiles. “I told them not to just hire retired Nobel Prize winners but to invest in young people.” That night, they agreed. The meeting ended with Rui giving a verbal commitment: he was in.

He wouldn’t physically move until 2009, but by then he was already helping to design many things, from the vivarium to the lab benches, together with Marta Moita, Zach Mainen, and Susana Lima. “There was so much volatility, but also so much energy. We all wanted things to happen.” Those early years were defined by improvisation, ambition, and an almost reckless optimism. “There was this amazing, super-dreamy, super-young community, with a strong scientific vision but also a different vision about how to do science.”

He pauses, then adds: “I think my biggest contribution was to be really passionate about it. I was more of a glue, helping to make things happen between people and ideas. From writing the first grants to literally getting the kitchen fridges in place,” he laughs. “But mostly, it was about putting in energy, generosity, and joy. It felt like something big for Portugal, for southern Europe.” 

That sense of purpose had deep roots. Rui vividly remembers how, during the first retreat, over dinner, he reminded Coutinho of a question he had once asked him in his IGC PhD interview (Rui later joined the GABBA PhD programme): “What’s your 10-year dream?” Rui’s answer back then was simply: “To have a neuroscience institute in Portugal.” He smiles recalling that moment. “Ten years later, I said to Coutinho, ‘Well, here we are.’ I don’t think he remembered”.

As the dream took shape, new realities began to set in and growth brought new challenges. “Starting was hard, but going from a few to many was even harder. Not everything scales up.” As the organisation expanded, keeping everyone aligned around a shared vision became more complex. “It’s about communication, not just clarity, but genuine communication. People need to feel they belong to that vision”. Looking back, Rui believes alignment should be a continuous process. “In retrospect I would have advocated for something more systematic, ongoing orientation programmes, regular reflection, more generic retreats across the entire organisation. You don’t replace visions, you evolve them”.

Still, what he misses most is the sense of community. “It’s the most community-driven place I’ve ever worked in.”. He smiles recalling how many ideas emerged organically. “Like the Ar (outreach events) that were born at one of the annual retreats or this series you’re doing now, someone has an idea, people brainstorm, and it becomes something real. That’s precious”.

And there were, of course, the lighter moments, like the lab furniture ordered from China. “Around the same time we were looking for lab benches with the help of João (Silveira Botelho), Zach was heading to China for a talk and so, together with a local broker, he went to these warehouses, visited different factories, looking for the perfect furniture while I was at the lab space on speaker phone with him.” When it finally arrived, Rui laughs, “it came in hundreds of unassembled pieces that nobody knew exactly what to do with, until we found a carpenter from Nelas (a small town in central Portugal)”. Then there was the day everyone thought the long-awaited lab equipment had arrived, only to discover it was glassware borrowed as props for a TV show that was going to be filmed in the Teaching Lab. Rui laughs again: “Megan (Carey) was devastated. I just hugged her and said, ‘We’ll get everything up and running soon’”.

Now, as President and CEO of the Allen Institute, Rui sees the next 20 years as a time for deeper integration, between research and the clinic, across disciplines, and between technology and humanity. “Technology, engineering, and AI will transform not just the results, but the very process of doing science.”. To him, the future lies in connecting what has long been separate: “In medicine and science, everything is divided into specialties, but the body, and the world around it, is fully integrated.” He believes this spirit of connection is alive at CF, where areas like brain–body physiology, linking the nervous system, immunology, and cancer, hold the key to understanding chronic disease and aging. “These are cross-cutting themes that can bring researchers together on major projects, in collaboration with other foundations or technology partners.”

He refers to this concept of being glocal: strong locally, with global impact. “You start local, build partnerships, and then go global. You do proof of concept, then partner for scale.” 
He smiles, stretching his hands wide, as if to hold the whole story in them. “The biggest challenge, and the greatest opportunity, is to stay innovative and meaningful as the world scales up. You can be small, but go deeper, go faster.”

Rui Costa, Former Principal Investigator and Co-Director of the Neuroscience Programme and Former Coordinator of the Scientific Advisory Board, Champalimaud Foundation. President and CEO, Allen Institute.

Text by Catarina Ramos, Co-coordinator of the Champalimaud Foundation's Communication, Events & Outreach Team

Full 20 Years, 20 Stories Collection here.