The invisible engine

When Joaquim Teixeira first heard about the Champalimaud Foundation (CF), it wasn’t in the media or a job ad, it was through a friend, who then invited him for a Happy Hour. “There were maybe twenty people at most, but the atmosphere had gravity. You could sense that something meaningful was about to happen and you wanted to be part of it”, he recalls.

Back then, the CF building was still new, the neuroscience programme existed in people but not in structure, and much of what would become CF was still just an idea. But even at that early stage, there was something magnetic about “this bold new institution with a vision that felt larger than a set of labs or departments”.

At the time, he was focused on a startup he’d co-founded in technology transfer and intellectual property management. In 2012, that company was hired by CF to assess a portfolio of patents related to prostate cancer. “It must have gone well”, he smiles, “because one thing led to another”. Soon, his work expanded to managing CF’s intellectual property and helping shape its Office of Sponsored Programmes, the beginning of a long journey.

“I didn’t join because I had it all figured out”, he says. “I joined because there was a place where figuring things out had value”. That mindset of curiosity, adaptability, and trust, would define his path at CF. “There was urgency, purpose, and trust. Most of us were just starting our careers after our PhDs, and we knew very little about everything that supports science. But the culture here gave us confidence. You move first, learn through doing, and the leadership trusts you before you even trust yourself”. That trust, he explains, is the invisible engine that drives CF forward. “You don’t need to wait for permission to contribute. You’re stretched, challenged, but also held up”.

Over time, his roles multiplied and morphed: managing sponsored programmes, innovation projects, intellectual property portfolios, and later helping design key spaces in the Pancreatic Cancer Centre, including the Infusion Suites (dedicated to chemotherapy). “The inspiration came from first-class travel: private, comfortable, dignified”, he says. “Those rooms hold people in some of the hardest moments in their lives. They bring calm and respect. Impact doesn’t always have to be loud, sometimes it’s in quiet design choices that protect dignity”.

The sense of belonging has shaped not just his career, but his perspective on what makes an institution endure. “Responsibility comes before comfort. You step into roles before they fully exist. You’re not given a job description, you just start building it. And because people trust your intent, you grow”.

He laughs remembering how young everyone was in those early days. “When I look at old photos, I ask myself: would I have hired any of these people? Probably not. But someone saw in us the potential to rise to the occasion”.

Asked about his biggest challenge, he doesn’t hesitate: “Building structures that stand the test of time while running at full speed”. From twenty people to over a thousand, CF’s growth has been extraordinary and keeping up requires constant reinvention. “You can’t stop. You can’t tell patients to go home for a month while you reorganise”, he explains. “So you adapt while the train is moving. It’s uncomfortable, but that’s how you grow”.

When it comes to what keeps the wheels turning behind the scenes, he names the culture itself as “the quiet hero”.
“There are so many people you don’t see, from the front desk to the back office, the cleaning staff, the administrators. They make everything work. When things work, you don’t see them and that’s the point. It’s only when they’re missing that you realise how essential they are”.

He lights up when talking about colleagues like Cátia Feliciano, who, curiously (or maybe not!) shares the “Behind the Scenes” spotlight with Joaquim in this 20 Years, 20 Stories series. “She’s one of the most dedicated people I know, a force of nature. I admire her work, the silent kind that moves things forward”.

Looking ahead, he sees the next twenty years as both exciting and unpredictable. “Artificial intelligence, machine learning, the speed of innovation – all of it will reshape what we do. But I trust we’ll keep maturing, becoming a world reference for intelligent therapies and translational science. More than that, I think we’ll keep redefining what a purpose-driven foundation can be. CF is not just distributing funding, it’s showing how it can be done. We build the future before others can imagine it”.

And when asked about legacy, his answer is humble. “Legacy isn’t being remembered, it’s continuity. It’s about whether the work stands the test of time. Most of us will fade in three generations, and that’s fine. What matters is that the mission stays strong and courageous”.

He smiles at the thought of someday being at CF, not as a collaborator but as a patient or visitor. “You hope you’re building a place you can come back to”, he stops and adds, “And maybe you’ll joke and say, ‘In my day, this would be unacceptable,’ or, ‘It’s full of robots now, give me a person!’ But you’ll know it was worth it”.

In the end, his story, and the many others like it, reminds us that the CF’s strength lies not only in its discoveries, infrastructures and buildings, but in the people quietly shaping its foundations every day. “There’s meaning in the work itself. You come in, solve problems, support people and one day you look back and realise you’ve been building something larger than yourself”. That’s the essence of CF’s behind-the-scenes story: trust, courage, and the quiet belief that even the invisible work can leave a lasting mark.

Joaquim Teixeira, Advisor to the CF Board on Research and Innovation 

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

Full 20 Years, 20 Stories Collection here.