10th edition of d·HEALTH Barcelona: a pioneering and benchmark program for training health entrepreneurs in Catalonia

Design Health Barcelona (d·HEALTH Barcelona) celebrates its 10th edition, consolidating itself as a pioneering and benchmark acceleration program in Catalonia for training entrepreneurial talent in health innovation. After nine editions training more than three hundred professionals, Biocat is launching the call again this May, which will remain open until July 31.

The program is inspired by Stanford University's biodesign methodology, which allows participants to identify unmet clinical needs and develop innovative technological solutions to address these challenges. This year, the part-time eight-month format is maintained to make it compatible with participants' professional activities.

This edition strengthens collaboration with health institutions, technology centers and leading professionals in the sector, while maintaining the commitment to knowledge transfer and generating impact for citizens and patients. In this context, d·HEALTH 2025 includes the participation of six hospital centers, expanding the scope and diversity of clinical areas to detect needs. Four of these continue as collaborators from the previous edition: Bellvitge Hospital, Sant Joan de Déu Hospital, Santa Creu i Sant Pau Hospital and Dr. Josep Trueta University Hospital. In fact, one of the main new features is the incorporation of two new reference hospitals: Hospital Clínic de Barcelona and Hospital del Mar, which join as new clinical immersion spaces, following the program's rotational model of collaboration with different hospital centers each edition.

Among the academic updates, the inclusion of new content related to artificial intelligence applied to health, sustainable entrepreneurship and the social impact of projects stands out, as well as more personalized follow-up from Eurecat as technological collaborator, providing expert knowledge in technological validation and prototype development.

How does d·HEALTH Barcelona work?

The program, in hybrid format, offers a practical training experience that simulates the complete health innovation cycle, from need detection to solution proposal. It is structured in five main phases, combining theoretical training, work in multidisciplinary teams and practical activities:

• Kick-off (September): introduction to the program and key biodesign concepts.
• Clinical immersion (October): two in-person weeks at collaborating hospitals where participants observe operations firsthand to detect unmet clinical needs.
• Need validation (November-January): teams analyze and select needs with the most improvement potential and begin generating initial solution concepts.
• Prototyping and business model (February-May): development of value proposition, business model definition, clinical validation, prototype design and development roadmap. Includes hybrid sessions and collaborative activities.
• Graduation Week (June): final phase where teams prepare and present their project to an audience of health sector professionals, investors, entrepreneurs and innovation experts.

The 2025 edition begins on September 22, 2025 and ends on June 3, 2026.

A decade boosting talent and entrepreneurship

Since its launch in 2013, and through ten editions, d·HEALTH Barcelona has been the seed of numerous projects, some of which have become startups and spinoffs, but mainly it has been a breeding ground for innovation professionals who currently work or lead innovation teams in hospitals, centers and companies in the sector. It has also served as a connection space for professionals from health, engineering, business, research and design fields, both nationally and internationally, with a common goal: improving people's health through health innovation.

Successful cases emerging from the program include Usmima, which currently markets its MOWOOT medical device for chronic constipation treatment. Within the program framework, this startup found the necessary boost to obtain funding and prepare for European market expansion, contributing to healthcare system sustainability through innovative solutions.

HEECAP also stands out, developing a device to improve respiratory strength in critical patients through electrostimulation. Its success, derived from collaboration with reference hospitals, exemplifies how d·HEALTH Barcelona has helped create projects with direct impact on healthcare improvement and reduction of hospitalization-associated costs.

Finally, Loop Diagnostics, another program spinoff, develops rapid sepsis diagnostic technologies using immunological biomarkers. Thanks to d·HEALTH Barcelona's support, Loop Diagnostics has secured funding to accelerate its product to market, aiming to transform emergency diagnostics and save lives in hospital settings.

Through its nine editions, d·HEALTH Barcelona has demonstrated tangible impact in transforming Catalonia's health sector. To date, program participants have detected over 8,051 clinical needs in different hospital environments. This figure reflects not only the teams' observation and analysis capacity but also the program's commitment to innovation focused on real patient and healthcare professional needs. Annually, detected needs are classified, validated and studied to identify those with high clinical and market impact potential, leading to new projects.

 Regarding participants' professional development, 90% of alumni have improved their employment situation within the health sector after completing the program. Many have accessed new leadership opportunities in innovation, entrepreneurship, product development or project management within hospitals, biotech companies, pharmaceuticals and research centers. This trend consolidates d·HEALTH Barcelona not only as a project accelerator but also as a career accelerator within the health ecosystem.

In total, d·HEALTH Barcelona has trained over 170 participants and collaborated with 10 hospitals and 4 companies.

Open call

The call to participate in the new edition of d·HEALTH Barcelona is now open until July 31. If you want to be part of the program, don't miss this opportunity. Check all details and register at Biocat's website.

d·HEALTH Barcelona has support from the Catalan Ministry of Health, EIT Health and Tech Barcelona.