Lisbon, Sep 7 (IANS): Portugal has raised 46 million euros ($45 million) for health research and development projects from 2021 to August this year, the Agency for Clinical Research and Biomedical Innovation (AICIB) said.

The funding raised "corresponds to 2.96 per cent of the total European funding available for collaborative projects in the health area and has already exceeded the 2 per cent target set by the Portuguese government", Xinhua news agency quoted the AICIB as saying in a statement issued on Tuesday.

A total of 61 research and development projects were financed during the period, seven of which were coordinated by Portuguese national entities, it said.

The largest share of funding, or 49 per cent, was allocated to research institutes, followed by higher education institutions, with 22 per cent, it said.

Around 94 percent of the funding went to the "health cluster", and the rest to the "cancer mission", both from the European Union's key funding program 'Horizon Europe' for research and innovation, it added.