1st edition of Advanced Therapies Europe in Barcelona
Barcelona hosted Advanced Therapies Europe for the first time, one of the leading European gatherings in cell and gene therapies. Holding this event in the Catalan capital reinforced Catalonia’s position as a European hub for advanced therapies and helped project the BioRegion’s capabilities internationally in a strategic area for the future of healthcare.
From September 2 to 4, 2025, more than 500 international professionals, over 350 companies and organizations from the sector and more than a hundred speakers gathered at Hotel Arts in Barcelona. The event, led by Phacilitate with strategic support from Biocat and the Blood and Tissue Bank, generated nearly 1,000 networking meetings and connected therapeutic developers, pharmaceutical companies, hospitals, investors and service providers, consolidating Barcelona as a benchmark hub for debate, collaboration and the generation of opportunities in this field.
The BioRegion of Catalonia had a prominent presence in the program, with the participation of companies, hospitals, investors and institutions linked to the Catalan ecosystem and the ATMP Catalonia initiative. This representation highlighted Catalonia’s growing maturity in advanced therapies, as well as its ability to combine scientific knowledge, clinical infrastructure, specialized talent, investment and industrial capacity.
Biocat played an active role in the main strategic debates at the congress, with Montse Daban, Biocat Strategic Foresight and International Relations Director, taking part in several sessions on the program. The discussions addressed the major challenges facing the sector, such as effective patient access to approved therapies, the scalability of manufacturing models, economic sustainability, the need to attract more investment and the importance of strengthening public-private collaboration to accelerate the translation of research into clinical practice.
The congress also highlighted that Europe had a solid scientific foundation but needed to move towards more streamlined, coordinated and patient-centered models to maintain its global competitiveness against other regions. In this context, the BioRegion of Catalonia contributed to the debate with a vision grounded in scientific excellence, clinical capabilities and collaboration networks involving institutions, healthcare centers, companies and investors.
Confirmation that Advanced Therapies Europe would return to Barcelona in 2026 reinforced the strategic value of this inaugural edition and consolidated the city as a benchmark venue for the European advanced therapies community.