4th edition of Tech Transfer Day
The 4th annual Tech Transfer Day was held in 2025, consolidating this event as the benchmark gathering for technology transfer offices, research centers, universities, hospitals, health research institutes and health innovation support stakeholders in Catalonia.
Organized by Biocat, the event brought together more than 120 professionals from academia, business and investment to analyze the strategic challenges of technology transfer in the life sciences and to promote new collaborations within the ecosystem.
Biocat CEO Robert Fabregat and Vall d’Hebron Research Institute Director Begoña Benito kicked off a day that focused on the need to strengthen the connection between the knowledge generated in the scientific and clinical ecosystem and the pathways that allow it to be brought to market, to industry or to the healthcare system.
One of the main focuses of the event was the debate on how to redefine the indicators for technology transfer offices to go beyond numbers and better measure the real impact of their activities. In a panel discussion moderated by Biocat Director of Innovation and Business Development Núria Martí, representatives from CERCA, the University of Barcelona, IDIBAPS and the Center for Genomic Regulation agreed on the need for more flexible, useful and homogeneous indicators that can reflect the complexity of technology transfer and reduce the administrative burden that often limits the activity of TTOs.
During the session, they discussed the divergence between what is reported and what transfer offices actually do, as well as the underrepresentation of interinstitutional collaborations, the value of know-how and trade secrets, and the need to measure social and economic impact beyond contracts with the private sector. Participants emphasized that indicators should not be an end in themselves, but tools to make the impact of research on society visible, including benefits for patients, cost savings for the healthcare system and value generated for the ecosystem as a whole.
The event also included inspiring cases of innovation and transfer in Catalonia. Giving the Catalan artificial intelligence ecosystem effective technology transfer mechanisms, fostering startup creation and facilitating market access for solutions. Ysios Capital shared the features of the new InceptionBio fund, aimed at early stage projects and focused on assets in biotechnology, diagnostics, medical technologies and artificial intelligence. Plus, the Vall d’Hebron Research Institute presented its new innovation management model, aimed at structuring the transfer process, supporting projects from the early stages and fostering the creation of spinoffs with social and economic impact.