Tech Transfer Day consolidates position as benchmark event for innovation and technology transfer offices in the sector in Catalonia
This third edition of the event brought together over 120 participants, twice as many as the first one held in 2022.
Record turnout at the third annual Tech Transfer Day, which brought together over 120 representatives of Innovation and Technology Transfer Offices and Agents from universities, research and technology centers, and hospital research institutes in Catalonia. The event was held by Biocat on April 25 at the CosmoCaixa Science Museum in Barcelona, giving stakeholders in the healthcare innovation ecosystem the chance to share and promote their experiences. This time, the focus was on securing funding and on acceleration programs.
Biocat CEO Robert Fabregat and “la Caixa” Foundation Program Manager Àlex Esteban kicked off the program with an institutional welcome. The Biocat CEO highlighted the uniqueness of this event: “There’s no other initiative that invites all the technology transfer offices (TTOs) in the sector to take part. It’s one of a kind.” He also encouraged continued commitment to research and innovation as a trait that sets the ecosystem apart. Àlex Esteban highlighted the “la Caixa” Foundation’s commitment to biomedical research: “One example is the CaixaResearch Institute, which will be built over the coming years.”
Then Jaume Argerich, a professor at the University of Barcelona (UB), tackled one of the main challenges facing Technology Transfer Offices: securing funding for the innovation projects. The expert had some advice to share, including: “The importance of assigning financial value to each phase, estimating how much money is needed for each one, asking open questions as to the project’s feasibility, establishing the organization’s participation in the future project, and seeing how we can provide specialized support,” he explained.
There was also a space to present various acceleration programs, like Bring-IT, run by the Parc Taulí Research and Innovation Institute; InnoPau, from the Sant Pau Research Institute; and TRIP Clinics, by IRB Barcelona. And calls for funding like the EIT Health Deep Tech Venture Builder Program, which will be launched this September; the Catalan Ministry of Health validation tests (PERIS 2022-2027), also about to open the second call with €2 million earmarked for digital solutions, therapies and medical devices; the Mercat-PoC grants from the Catalan Institute of Finance and Catalan Ministry of Research and Universities; and the FITA funds, managed by Grow Venture Partners, which has invested in 14 companies.
Biocat Director of Innovation and Business Development Núria Martí, brought the event to a close with a look at the CRAASH Barcelona acceleration program, which is now taking applications for its seventh edition, and the Invest BioRegion Portal, created last year based on the 2022 Tech Transfer Day.