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• The CNIO has unveiled a plaque honoring Seve Ballesteros to kick off the activities at the SBF-CNIO Laboratory.

• The event was attended by Mercedes Vinuesa, the General Director of Public Health, Quality, and Innovation, Belen Prado Sanjurjo, the Deputy Minister of Health Planning and Infrastructure for the Community of Madrid, and Joaquin Arenas, director of the Carlos III Institute of Health and Vice President of the CNIO Board of Directors.

• The SBF-CNIO Laboratory has introduced Dr. Massimo Squatrito, from the Sloan Kettering Memorial Hospital in New York, who will launch a project aimed at studying the resistance to treatments for gliomas and meduloblastomas in hopes of finding relevant therapeutic targets for their reversal.

• Mercedes Mila and Carlos Garcia Hirshfeld introduced the event attended by prominent journalists, sports and social personalities from Spain such as Eduardo Inda, Paloma Segrelles and Hipolito Rincon, among others.

• Brain tumors make up around 3% of all known cancers and 100,000 new cases are diagnosed around the world each year.

Madrid, 24 April 2012. - The Seve Ballesteros Foundation, a private non-profit institution dedicated to raising funds for research into brain tumors, has turned over a check today, Tuesday, to the CNIO for the amount they estimate will be collected in the Second Annual Seve Ballesteros Foundation Challenge, a charity golf tournament that has brought together more than 11,500 golfers in 144 golf courses throughout Spain and abroad to battle this kind of cancer. At the event today, Ivan Ballesteros gave thanks for warm welcome the Second Challenge has received and for the mass participation of clubs and golfers. He also confirmed that 112 golf courses and 9,000 of the golfers who signed up have already participated. The tournament will go on until the end of August.

Ivan Ballesteros, Vice President of the foundation, has handed over a check for 100,000 euros to Maria Blasco, director of the National Center for Cancer Research (CNIO) that will be used to finance a research project to be developed at the SBF-CNIO Laboratory. It was officially inaugurated this morning with the unveiling of a commemorative plaque honoring Seve Ballesteros. The event was attended by several figures from the research field including Mercedes Vinuesa, the General Director of Public Health, Quality, and Innovation, Belen Prado Sanjurjo, Deputy Minister of Health Planning and Infrastructure for the Community of Madrid, and Joaquin Arenas, Director of the Carlos III Institute of Health and Vice President of the Board of Directors for the CNIO Foundation.

This project has allowed the laboratory to bring in Dr. Massimo Squatrito from the Sloan-Kettering Memorial Hospital in New York, one of the most prestigious oncological centers in the world. In this way, during these moments of uncertainty, the Seve Ballesteros Foundation, thanks to the help of so many supporters and of the CNIO, has managed to strengthen the Spain’s scientific fabric of by bringing in researchers from one of the most recognized centers in the world to continue their research in our country. The project will aim to predict the resistance of gliomas and meduloblastomas to treatment with the ultimate goal of finding new therapeutic treatments to combat resistance.

Mercedes Mila and Carlos Garcia Hirschfeld hosted the event which drew in many familiar faces from the social, journalistic, and sports world including Eduardo Inda, Paloma Segrelles, and Hipolito Rincon, among others.

They have all joined together to show their support for the work of the Seve Ballesteros Foundation, and further promote research into brain tumors that will take place in partnership with the CNIO.

The 2nd Challenge has the support of the Jesus Serra Foundation, the Royal Golf Federation of Spain (RFEG), a multitude of regional federations, and the Supreme Council of Sport-Youth Sports Foundation.

 144 golf courses and more than 11,500 participants give their best shots to support brain tumor research

 A total of 142 clubs in Spain will participate in the 2nd Annual “Seve Ballesteros Foundation Challenge” which will also for the first time also include international participation with a club in Bali and another in Cap Cana also joining in. All participating golf courses have donated a large portion of the green-fee paid by participants to the Seve Ballesteros Foundation, who will in turn use it to finance research into brain tumors at the Seve Ballesteros-CNIO Laboratory.

Each participating golf club has organized the tournament at their facilities and has been responsible for choosing the type of game, stroke play (stableford or medalplay), as well as the general terms and conditions of their tournament (shotgun start or by hours, 18 holes, etc.) Also, each golf course has been allowed to hold other competitions simultaneously such as best tee off (driver), putt, approach, or precision.

Brain tumors represent around 3% of all known cancers and 100,000 new cases are diagnosed around the world each year. The 2^nd Annual Seve Ballesteros Foundation Challenge hopes to raise, thanks to the help of its many participants, around 100,000 euros to be used for brain tumor research projects at the SBF-CNIO Laboratory. Brain cancer affects men and women almost equally with children under 10 and adults over 50 being most at risk (the average age is 56). Nonetheless, the Seve Ballesteros Foundation will continue to promote other fundraising initiatives to carry out the project in its entirety.

Location of golf courses

 The tournament will have several categories adapted for men and women as well as handicapped golfers wishing to participate in the event.  Prizes will be awarded to male and female scratch winners as well as to first and second place male and female winners in the handicap division. There will also be a “Special Seve Ballesteros Prize” that each golf course will award in the categories it sees fit: Senior, Junior, and Special Category Prize. In total, 1,200 trophies will be awarded across Spain.

The 2^nd Annual Seve Ballesteros Challenge will also have a “0 Hole” in which all those wishing to collaborate with the foundation, whether or not they play golf, can donate. Account Number: 0182 7378 13 0201526339

About Seve’s Most Personal Project: The Seve Ballesteros Foundation

On 5 October 2008, Severiano Ballesteros was diagnosed with a brain tumor. After four brain operations and being hospitalized for 72 days at the La Paz University Hospital (Madrid, Spain), Severiano decided to found the Seve Ballesteros Foundation, his most personal project yet. The foundation’s main mission, decided in June 2009, is to collect funds for research into tumors affecting the central nervous system, and to a lesser degree, support underprivileged golfers with their professional development. The Seve Ballesteros Foundation currently operates in Spain and the United Kingdom where it works in close collaboration with Cancer Research UK (CRUK).

The Seve Ballesteros Foundation thanks the Jesus Serra Foundation, the Royal Spanish Golf Federation, the Supreme Council of Sport, and Grafitigolf.com for their participation and support.

Date: Tuesday April 24th, 2012 from 11:00 a.m.
Location: National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO) (C / Melchor Fernandez Almagro 3, Madrid)

From the Seve Ballesteros Foundation we continue promoting your spirit of excellence and your memory for others to be benefit from new researches against brain tumors in the near future. As you wanted and you still promote. And also for the benefit of others golf players, young talent, in order to help them to fulfill their dreams.

Forever with us.

More than 100,000 Golfers and 140 Golf Courses will Participate in the 2^nd Annual “Seve Ballesteros Foundation Challenge”

• The Seve Ballesteros Foundation has announced a public call for research projects to be launched at the SBF-CNIO Laboratory (established in 2011) under a group dedicated specifically to brain cancer.
• The Jesus Serra Foundation, the Royal Spanish Golf Federation, the Supreme Council of Sport- Youth Sport Federation, and all regional golf federations support the project.
• Brain tumors represent around 3% of all known cancers with 100,000 new cases diagnosed every year around the world, 4,000 thousand of which are in Spain.

Madrid, 13 March 2012. - The Seve Ballesteros Foundation, a private non-profit institution dedicated to raising funds for brain tumor research, has launched the 2^nd Annual Seve Ballesteros Foundation Challenge, a charity golf tournament that will be played simultaneously in more than 140 golf courses around the world. More than 11, 000 amateur golfers are expected to participate in the tournament, one of the largest golf events in Spain, bringing out their best shots in a show of solidarity and charity.

Two of the main developments in the second edition of the tournament, which is officially supported by institutions such as the Jesus Serra Foundation, the Supreme Council of Sport- Youth Sports Foundation and various regional federations are:  the internationalization of the event with the participation of golf courses in Bali and Cap Cana, Dominican Republic  and the broadening of the days the tournament can be played to allow more flexibility as requested by the directors of the participating golf courses.

Funds collected in this second edition of the tournament will be used to finance brain tumor research projects launched at the SBF-CNIO Laboratory. The laboratory, first opened in 2011 with funds collected in the first edition of the tournament, is dedicated to advancing knowledge of the central nervous system and developing new treatments to improve the quality of life of those suffering from by brain cancer.

To accomplish this, the Seve Ballesteros Foundation has announced a public call for research projects to be launched in association with a subgroup of the CNIO and linked specifically to this kind of cancer. The project hopes to advance the knowledge surrounding the disease.

Brain tumors affect men and women almost equally, while children under 10 years of age and adults over 50 are the groups most at risk (the average age is 56 years old). Every year 4,000 people in Spain are diagnosed with some form of brain tumor while the figure jumps to 100,000 around the world.

The Largest Charity Golf Tournament in Spain goes International

More than 140 golf courses in Spain, representing 33% of all associated clubs, will participate in the 2^nd Annual Seve Ballesteros Challenge and for the first time will  include a golf course in Bali and another in Cap Cana  (Dominican Republic). The Bali Handara Kosaido- Bali Junior Golf Community and the Punto Espada Golf Club have wished to participate in the charity golf tournament which opens the door for more international expansion in future tournaments.

All participating golf courses will donate a large part of the green-fee payed by golfers to the Seve Ballesteros Foundation which will in turn use the money to finance brain tumor research projects and further develop research projects at the Seve Ballesteros-CNIO laboratory.

Each participating golf course will organize the tournament in their own facility and decide the type of stroke game played (stableford or medal play), as well as tournament specifics (tee time, 18 holes, etc.) Also, each golf course will be able to compliment the tournament with additional competitions such as best driver, approach shot or precision.

The tournament will have several categories adapted for men and women as well as handicapped golfers wishing to participate in the event.  Prizes will be awarded to male and female scratch winners as well as to first and second place male and female winners in the handicap division. There will also be a “Special Seve Ballesteros Prize” that each golf course will award in the categories it sees fit: Senior, Junior, and Special Category Prize. In total, 1,200 trophies will be awarded across Spain.

The 2^nd Annual Seve Ballesteros Challenge will also have a “0 Hole” in which all those wishing to collaborate with the foundation, whether or not they play golf, can donate. Account Number: 0182 7378 13 0201526339

About Seve’s Most Personal Project: The Seve Ballesteros Foundation

On 5 October 2008, Severiano Ballesteros was diagnosed with a brain tumor. After four brain surgeries and being hospitalized for 72 days at the La Paz University Hospital (Madrid, Spain), Severiano decided to found the Seve Ballesteros Foudation, his most personal project. The foundation’s main mission, decided in June 2009, is to collect funds for research into tumors affecting the central nervous system, and to a lesser degree, support underprivileged golfers with their professional development. The Seve Ballesteros Foundation currently operates in Spain and the United Kingdom where it works in close collaboration with Cancer Research UK (CRUK).

The Seve Ballesteros Foundation thanks the Jesus Serra Foundation, the Royal Spanish Golf Federation, the Supreme Council of Sport, and Grafitigolf.com for their participation and support.

The next edition of the Challenge will be presented to media on Tuesday March 13^th at 10:30 am in the Royal Spanish Golf Federation (RFEG) and will take place on 7^th and 8^th  April 2012.

• In his new position, he will be responsible for the funding of the foundation’s strategic projects, the development and implementation of patronage and sponsorship policy, as well as the institution’s social presence and visibility

Madrid, 27 December 2011.- The Seve Ballesteros Foundation, a private non-profit institution dedicated to raising funds for the advancement of brain tumor research and to supporting talented young golfers with their professional development, has named Jose Ignacio Fernandez Vera as their new general manager.

His new duties, which he will perform in addition to his responsibilities in the Management Office at the National Center for Cancer Research (CNIO), include managing the foundation’s strategic fundraising projects and the development and implementation of sponsorship policy. He will also be responsible for developing the institution’s social presence and visibility. In this sense, for the new director, “This stage represents the biggest professional challenge I’ve ever faced as it means working with the legacy of an extraordinary and globally renowned person who was convinced that cancer research is the only hope against cancer.”

Jose Ignacio Fernandez Vera, born in Salamanca in 1968, is a lawyer and also holds a Masters in Science, Technology, and Communication. He has ample experience in scientific management and in the development, especially in the economic arena, of research, development, and innovation projects.

He began at CNIO in 2004 where he developed his professional career and held several positions including director of Research Support, director of Institutional Relations and assisted in the Management Office where he was responsible for the funding of the center’s strategic projects, sponsorship revenue, technology transference expenditure, and visibility.

In the second quarter of 2011, he drove forward the constitution and launched the Community of Spanish Scientists in the United Kingdom, an ambitious project developed by the Office of Culture and Science at the Spanish embassy in London and financed by the Roviralta Foundation.

Previously, as coordinator of the Transference Area for the National Agency of Evaluation and Foresight since 2003, he edited a study on the System of Analysis and Evaluation of Technological Merit.

The new director of the Seve Ballesteros Foundation began his professional career in this field in the mid-90’s at the University of Salamanca, where he was Director of the Transference Office of Research Results and contributed to several important achievements such as the launching of the Center for Cancer Research. He has also been executive advisor for the State Secretary of Scientific Politics and Technology and has managed the Area of Special Genome Actions in Spain where he coordinated the formation of private investment pools that permitted the Hispanic-Canadian International Convocation to mobilize more than 12 million euro and facilitated the creation of four national platforms of “omic” technologies.

• The Seve Ballesteros Foundation raised 340,000 pounds (400,000 euro) for brain cancer research with the II Edition of “VIVA LA VIDA”, an event held in partnership with Cancer Research UK.

• The UK has once again showed its immense support for Seve: golf greats, entrepreneurs, journalists, and showbiz personalities showed up to commemorate the legendary Spanish golfer’s courageous spirit and help raise funds for cancer research in his memory.

• José María Olazábal, Seve’s friend and captain of the Ryder Cup, and Ivan Ballesteros, Vice President of the Seve Ballesteros Foundation, shared their fond memories of the legendary player with guests.

London, 15 December 2011. – The Seve Ballesteros Foundation, a private non-profit institution dedicated primarily to the fundraising, financing, and promotion of research into brain tumors, has raised a total 340,000 pounds (400,000 euro) at the II Edition of “VIVA LA VIDA”, a gala and charity auction held in partnership with Cancer Research UK.

“VIVA LA VIDA” is also a tribute to Seve Ballesteros with some of golf’s greatest players joining the effort to his commemorate his legacy. The event was attended by the captain of the Ryder Cup, José María Olazábal, who shared some of his best memories with the legendary player, along with popular sports journalists Johnny Vaughan and Cotter Ander, formal footballer Ken Brown and comics Jimmy Tarbuck and Patrick Kielty, among others.

The event, which took place at the Museum of Natural History in London, was organized by Ben Shephard and included a charity auction. There was no shortage of millionaire bids for things like a golf class from Nick Faldo, the chance to play a game with Matteo Manassero and for a special 2012 Ryder Cup package.

For Ivan Ballesteros, nephew and Vice President of the foundation, “Seve’s spirit and commitment to helping current and future brain tumor victims through his foundation is truly inspiring. VIVA LA VIDA is a way of paying tribute to Seve and of maintaining his legacy alive through the financing of first-class cancer research that helps better the quality of life and survival rate for those suffering some form of brain cancer.”

About Seve’s most personal project: the Seve Ballesteros Foundation

On 5 October 2008, Severiano Ballesteros was diagnosed with a brain tumor. After four operations and being hospitalized for 72 days at the La Paz Univeristy Hospital (Madrid), Severiano decided to start the Seve Ballesteros Foundation, his most personal project yet. Formed in June 2009, the foundation’s main mission is to raise funds for brain tumor research and to a lesser extent, support young underprivileged golfers with their professional development. The Seve Ballesteros Foundation currently operates in Spain and the UK, where it works in partnership with Cancer Research UK (CRUK).

About Cancer Research UK

Cancer Research UK is the world’s largest cancer charity. Its work, which focuses on the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of cancer, has saved millions of lives and is funded entirely by public goodwill. Cancer Research UK supports all aspects of cancer research through the work of 4,800 scientists, doctors and nurses.

Together, Cancer Research UK and the Seve Ballesteros Foundation hope to become the greatest funders of brain cancer research in the UK and to date have raised more than 1.5 million pounds.