Catalonia receives European funding to continue efforts to bring health research to patients
Transbio, in which nine regions in southwestern Europe are participating, is one of the three projects chosen from among 86 proposals.
By Biocat
The Southwest European Space Territorial Cooperation Program committee (Interreg Sudoe) has approved the Transbio project to foster the transfer of research in health sciences to the market, in which four Catalan bodies —Biocat, the Barcelona Science Park, the UAB Research Park and CataloniaBIO— are participating alongside 32 bodies from eight other regions in France, Portugal and Spain. This highly competitive call received 86 proposals and only three have been approved to receive funding.
Over the coming two years, Transbio will work to bring together research centers, technology platforms, universities and companies in an interdisciplinary network to more effectively transform the results of research into an economic reality in the field of biotechnology and health. Biocat will coordinate Catalan participation in this European project.
The Transbio project is the continuation of Interbio, which from 2009 to 2012 facilitated numerous actions and had a significant impact on the innovation ecosystem in five regions (Catalonia, Midi-Pyrenees, Lisbon, Aquitania and Valencia): some twenty transnational cooperative projects, a map of technology platforms associated with research in the life sciences arena, top-notch scientific events, training programs for young researchers like the Summer School on Medicines, more than 100 training and mobility grants, and shared best practices published in a white book.
To achieve this milestone, all of the organizations associated with the project from the nine European regions (Catalonia, Galicia, Balearic Islands, Valencia, Aquitania, Limousin, Languedoc-Roussillon, Midi-Pyrenees and Lisbon) will work together to create an innovative ecosystem. “Such a wide variety of bodies involved ensures all stakeholders in the innovation arena, both private and public, are represented,” says Dr. Alex Casta, Biocat head of Innovation and Technology Transfer.
The focal points will be:
- Consolidating and promoting joint thematic hubs of excellence.
- Improving the innovation ecosystem and fostering technology transfer.
- Encouraging cooperative transnational projects that bring together public research and companies, as well as those among laboratories (research groups).
- Contributing to the development of companies.
- Developing relations and interactions with other European bioclusters.
The European Committee created Interreg Sudoe to support regional development by co-funding transnational projects with ERDF funds.
Follow the project on Twitter @biocat_en with the hashtag #Transbio.
Questions:
Biocat Business Development Department
Dr. Alex Casta (Head of Innovation and Technology Transfer)
acasta@biocat.cat
Tel. +34 93 310 33 89
