BiocatEcosystem
Picks of October: INBRAIN Neuroelectronics closes €46 million round of funding, more science facilities, cutting-edge hospitals and new appointments
While the kids are collecting chestnuts and dressing up to go trick-or-treating, the BioRegion of Catalonia is celebrating advances in science and technology this October: new innovative treatments, groundbreaking hospitals, growing startups and scaleups, and companies making strides towards consolidation. Packed with tradition and innovation, we wish you a happy Castanyada and Halloween!
- We’re kicking off this section with the huge round of funding INBRAIN Neuroelectronics closed: €46 million ($50 million). The startup will use the funds to further develop their neurological technology for the graphene-based implant, which is a direct competitor for Neuralink, founded by magnate Elon Musk. Also in investment in startups and scaleups, two innovative companies from the BioRegion of Catalonia have secured new funds for development. Fecundis closed a €2.4 million seed round to fuel its growth in the fertility sector. And Biointaxis, the business project to develop a gene therapy for a serious, rare disease called Friedreich ataxia, has secured €2.17 million in public funding, highlighting the public sector’s commitment to supporting advanced therapies for minority diseases.
- The BioRegion of Catalonia continues to strengthen its science and healthcare facilities. In the news this month, BEI and CriteriaCaixa are funding the future CaixaResearch Institute, while the new Hospital Marina in the 22@ district and the expansion of Fundació Sanitària Mollet will bolster healthcare in the province of Barcelona. Plus, the new Hospital Clínic is expected to be operational by 2035. Centrient Pharmaceuticals opened an innovation laboratory in the Almirall R&D facility to foster research and development collaborations with universities and startups, and Swiss group Bioinnova announced it will set up an incubator for pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies in the Barcelona tech district next year.
- Hospitals in Catalonia are on the front lines of important advances in science and technology, including Hospital Bellvitge with the first face transplant in the world from a donor in controlled cardiac asystole, a huge step forward in reconstructive surgery. Additionally, Vall d’Hebron Hospital led an innovative project in stroke care and has also been ranked the 27th best hospital in the world, 5th in Europe and 1st in Spain by ‘World’s Best Smart Hospitals 2025’, thanks to its specialization in remote medicine and robotics. Finally, Hospital Clínic has installed the most advanced automated laboratory system in the world and has worked with Hospital Sant Joan de Déu to create a platform to produce advanced therapies, including CAR-T.
- In news from startups and scaleups, Oryzon has its sights set on the Nasdaq after gaining approval for its borderline personality disorder therapy, in order to expand globally. Plus, the Inbiomotion breast cancer test will be distributed in Italy thanks to a deal with SPA Farma. And Time is Brain has been highlighted by Sifted as one of the emerging companies in the European medtech sector and Nen Health won the Digital Health Hub Foundation - Digital Health Awards! Congratulations!
- In business, big pharma corporations in Catalonia are on the move. Galenicum has committed to the dermatology sector, acquiring four brands from Ferrer to expand in this field. Grifols has secured a deal valued at €122.7 million in the United States, reinforcing its international presence. Laboratoris Ordesa has decided to move its headquarters back to Barcelona, in a symbolic return after leaving in the wake of the 2017 independence referendum, and Reig Jofre has moved into the digital health market through a partnership with DyCare to provide home rehabilitation services using artificial intelligence in Spain and France.
- The 11 members of the panel of experts led by Dr. Manel del Castillo to reform public healthcare have been announced. With big names like former secretary of Public Health and general practitioner Carmen Cabezas and prestigious oncologist Josep Tabernero.
- Looking to investment funds, the Catalan Institute of Finance (ICF) has invested €3 million in the CRB Digital Health III fund, the first to specialize in digital health. The fund’s investment strategy, which aims to raise €50 million, is to invest between €500,000 and €1.5 million in 25 companies, initially, with up to €4 million more for the most promising ones.
- The BioRegion of Catalonia has new leadership in key positions. Pep Pomar has been appointed director of the Catalan Institute of Health (ICS), bringing his experience the lead the country’s main healthcare provider. Manel Balcells is returning to CIMTI as director and Fina Lladós will take over as president of Farmaindustria, the association that presented the first sector-wide report on the social and environmental impact of the pharmaceutical industry in Spain this month.
- On the subject of environmental sustainability, this month we compiled the initiatives that organizations in the BioRegion of Catalonia have launched over the past year (October 2023- October 2024) to reduce their carbon footprint focusing on energy and water use, waste generated, production, packaging and transportation.
- And let’s round this off with some of the most anticipated news in the sector: registration is now open to attend the presentation of the 2024 BioRegion of Catalonia Report on February 17, 2025 in Barcelona, which will kick off the third Barcelona Health Innovation Week. Sign up now!