The Endocrinology and Clinical Nutrition Research Center (CIENC) has as a general purpose the development of highly specialized teaching and research in the broad field of Endocrinology, Diabetes mellitus and Nutrition, both in its basic aspects and in its clinical applications. Likewise, CIENC will favor at all times close cooperation among its members, as well as collaboration with other Institutions whose interests converge with the CIENC's purposes.

In the 1990s, our work began to develop a line of research, led by Dr E. Romero with funding from the Social Security Health Research Fund and supported by the National Institute for Pituitary Hormones (NIPH) of The United States, which, after reviewing and approving our projects, included us in its list of groups chosen to receive the purified animal hormones and other reagents necessary for our research. In the field of collaboration with private industry, our research projects on growth hormone were of interest to certain pharmaceutical laboratories. In the same way, the field studies that were carried out with diabetic patients and the Special Education Program for these patients, which had the support of the Salamanca Savings Bank, created the need to create a University Institute of the UVA itself. (Institute of Endocrinology) according to agreement number 13/91 of the Social Council.

The creation of the Institute made it possible to establish a reference center through which it was possible to channel the aid that came from public plans and those that were offered by private entities to attend to the training of research personnel in this specialty and to develop research projects and contracts with companies within the legal framework of the General University Foundation. The Institute's activity was relaunched when more than 20 new researchers joined the Institute between 1999 and 2010 and Dr. Daniel de Luis was appointed to the Executive Directorate of the Institute.

Currently the interaction of more than 30 researchers with a profile clearly focused on translational research, as well as the development of projects funded by the Health and Education Departments of the Junta de Castilla y León, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Ministerio of Science and Technology through the CENIT program (Center for Industrial Technological Development (CDTI)), the thematic network RETICEF (Thematic Network for Research on aging and frailty), the General Foundation of the UVA and the CARTIF Center has allowed the creation of various stable groups of research that have responded to different public institutions, to the Society in general and to various private companies with which it has collaborated in research actions: Novonordisk, Abbott, Novartis, Nestle, Nutricia, Menarini, Gullon, Lilly, Boehringen, Almirall, Fundación Mutua Madrileña, Obra Social Caja Burgos and Foundation Centers for Science Studies.