UsMIMA, ZeClinics and Sense4Care gain funding through European Horizon 2020 program
<p>The latest call for proposals from the European Commission has selected four Catalan SMEs to receive a total of €4.7 millions</p>
UsMIMA, ZeClinics and Sense4Care, Catalan SMEs working in healthcare and the life sciences, have been selected after the latest call for proposals under the European Horizon 2020 program to receive funding and business guidance.
Together with the smart mobility company BusUp, the four Catalan projects will receive a joint total of €4.7 millions to invest in innovation activities, validations, trials, business plans, pilot programs or the marketing phase.
According to information from the Barcelona office of the European Commission, this latest phase of the Horizon 2020 program will grant a total of €80 millions to 58 small and medium-sized companies in 16 countries, with the chosen businesses receiving up to €2.5 millions or up to €5 millions for projects in the health arena. This capital will be used to develop projects and take them to market.
UsMIMA, based in Cervelló, has developed a device called MOWOOT, which is a non-invasive, non-pharmacological solution to chronic constipation that simulates the abdominal massage techniques used by professional therapists. It is the first start-up to be created out of the d·HEALTH Barcelona master in biodesign (an initiative of Biocat), which will kick off its fourth edition in January 2017.
With the funding received, usMIMA will conduct international multi-center clinical trials with the aim of cutting manufacturing costs and developing a new product that incorporates connectivity.
ZeClinics, based in Barcelona, conducts drug discovery and biomedical research with zebrafish in order to make new drugs more effective. Sense4Care is a high-technology company spun off from the UPC that focuses on care for chronic illnesses and has developed a device to monitor Parkinson's symptoms at all times in the real world.