50 Years Later: Science, Health Innovation, and Democracy in Catalonia
11.12.2025 - 16:00
11.12.2025 - 18:30
Parc de Recerca Biomèdica de Barcelona (PRBB)
Govern de Catalunya
This program is aligned with the strategy of the Generalitat to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the recovery of democratic rights and freedoms, connecting the scientific and democratic progress of Catalonia and its current leadership in health research and innovation.
The meeting will provide a historical and forward-looking perspective and will contribute to:
- Bridging generations and thus highlighting the qualitative and quantitative progress of health research in Catalonia;
- Showcasing the international relevance Catalonia has achieved over the past 50 years: an ecosystem positioned as both a refuge and a driver of scientific innovation;
- Fostering social and political debate by placing science as a cornerstone of freedom and an advanced society.
Program
Antoni Plasència, General Director of Research and Innovation in Health. Department of Health of the Government of Catalonia
He will welcome the participants to the event and place the significance of this commemoration within the context of the country's scientific trajectory. His intervention will highlight how health research has become, over these fifty years, a key element for social transformation and democratic empowerment, and will connect this evolution with the experiences and testimonies that will be presented during the two sessions.
Objective: To explore the historical and prospective evolution of health research and innovation in Catalonia, through the stories of key figures who have been protagonists and witnesses of this change.
Moderator:
- Josep Samitier, Director. Institute of Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC) / Professor of Electronics. Faculty of Physics, University of Barcelona (UB)
Speakers:
- Montserrat Vendrell, Partner, Asabys Partners
- Antoni Andreu, Former Director General of Research and Innovation in Health. Department of Health of the Government of Catalonia / Former Executive Director. EATRIS
- Anna Messeguer, Group Leader. Vall d'Hebron Institut de Recerca (VHIR)
Objective: To debate the importance of academic freedom for scientific progress, analyze risks stemming from restrictive geopolitical contexts, and highlight opportunities for Catalonia as a hub for attracting talent.
Moderator:
- Robert Fabregat, CEO. Biocat
Speakers:
- Emilià Pola, CEO. ICREA
- Arcadi Navarro, Director. Pasqual Maragall Foundation / Professor of Genetics. UPF
- Marta Arenas, Healthcare Innovator. Stanford Biodesign
- Mercè Crosas, Director of Computational Social Sciences and Humanities. Barcelona Supercomputing Center / former Secretary of Open Government. Generalitat de Catalunya.
- Olga Pané, Minister of Health. Generalitat of Catalonia
Organizer:
