8th edition of CRAASH Barcelona program
In 2025, CRAASH Barcelona held its eighth edition, with eight innovative teams from Catalonia selected to participate —two more than in the previous edition— reinforcing its role as one of the leading acceleration programs in the BioRegion of Catalonia.
Promoted by Biocat and CIMIT Boston, the program guided projects with high potential for impact in healthcare and medical technology, helping them validate their value proposition, advance their business model, prepare for market access and connect with mentors, investors and international clinical and business stakeholders.
This year, CRAASH Barcelona introduced a new partnership with the i4KIDS network, led by SJD Barcelona Children's Hospital, which made it possible to support several projects focused on pediatrics for the first time. This strengthened the program’s ability to address specific clinical needs and connect entrepreneurial innovation with areas of healthcare that offer significant value to society.
The eight selected projects reflected the diversity and growing maturity of Catalonia’s health innovation ecosystem. The participating solutions included aCUP-E: a system of flexible electrodes for neonatal brain monitoring; Cost-effective Stroke Prevention: an artificial intelligence platform for personalized stroke prevention; EOLO: a portable simulator for training in mechanical ventilation; Guttmann Cognitest: a digital cognitive assessment tool; HairUpLaser: a laser device for hair regrowth; Sputum test: a rapid test to detect Pseudomonas aeruginosa in sputum; MedVision PRO: an artificial intelligence system for the automatic recognition of surgical instruments; and Textur: a proposal for adapted and enriched meals for patients with dysphagia.
The eighth edition was structured into three acceleration phases over twelve weeks, combining in-person and virtual sessions. The program began with an in-person kickoff in Barcelona from September 8 to 10, featuring on-site training in market access, business models, healthcare regulation, funding and an overview of the Catalan ecosystem. The sessions featured internationally renowned speakers such as John Collins of CIMIT, Katharine d’Amico of The Swala Institute, Meike Bomhof of Hull Associates, and representatives from the Catalan Health Institute, among others.
The program continued with a second phase focused on validating the solutions in real clinical settings, with activities such as Barcelona Week, sessions on impact assessment, pediatric and adult market access, validation and pilot testing, and the use of artificial intelligence, as well as a joint module with Germany’s innovation ecosystem to facilitate international feedback and explore opportunities for cross-border collaboration. The third phase included sessions on funding and connecting with international investors and culminated in a final event where the teams presented their projects to investors, mentors and sector professionals.
With this latest edition, CRAASH Barcelona consolidated its value as an acceleration platform for transforming innovative healthcare projects into solutions ready to grow, scale up and generate impact.
