Skip to main content

Access to Innovation Program in the Healthcare System of Catalonia

One year after its launch, Biocat, together with the Department of Health, the Catalan Health Quality and Evaluation Agency (AQuAS), and the Catalan Health Service (CatSalut), held the PASS 2025 Conference on July 8 at the Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau.

The event, key to assessing the first year of the Catalan Health System Innovation Access Program (PASS), brought together nearly 200 professionals and prominent representatives from the sector, including hospitals, startups, institutions, and public entities.

The PASS 2025 Conference highlighted the program’s progress and the collaboration among the promoting entities. Robert Fabregat, CEO of Biocat, emphasized several key milestones: “At Biocat, we have launched two essential tools: the Navigator, which helps identify available instruments and resources in the BioRegion to accelerate innovation, and the Innovation Platform, which enables self-assessment and facilitates connection between innovators and the healthcare system.

In addition, we have visited 17 hospitals across the region and are currently in discussions with territorial primary care management teams, because our goal is for the innovation needed to transform the system to reach every corner of the territory. The PASS program also aims to help reduce territorial inequalities.”

One of the most significant moments of the conference was the first-ever presentation of the priority needs of the Catalan healthcare system, defined by CatSalut, which will serve as a guide for upcoming PASS program calls.

Ignasi Carrasco, Director of the Healthcare Area at CatSalut, highlighted that out of 260 identified needs, seven areas have been prioritized.

Agenda

9:30 AM - 9:45 AM | Opening of the event: Inauguration and welcome remarks
  • Robert Fabregat, CEO. Biocat.
9:45 AM - 11:00 AM | Update on the PASS Program: Tools and innovations.

Moderator:

  • Ramon Maspons, Director of Innovation. AQuAS.

Speakers:

  • Carme Pratdepàdua, Head of the mHealth.cat Office. TicSalut Foundation.
  • Sandra García-Armesto, Director. AQuAS.
  • Assumpta Ricart, Manager of Integrated Health Processes. CatSalut.
  • Robert Fabregat, CEO. Biocat.
11:00 AM - 11:45 AM | Roundtable: Lessons Learned with Companies from the Accompaniment Unit Pilot

Moderators:

  • David Pijoan, Project Manager. Department of Innovation and Business Development. Biocat.
  • Rosa Vivanco, Head of the Department of Health Technology Assessment and Quality of Care Services. AQuAS.

Speakers:

  • Alfons Carnicero, Co-founder & CEO. ABLE Human Motion.
  • Alicia Martínez, CEO & Co-founder. Time is Brain.
  • Mariona Serra, Director. GoodGut.
  • Maria de Martí, Chief Technological Officer. MiMARK.
11:45 AM - 12:15 PM | Coffee break
12:15 PM - 1:00 PM | Round table: The adoption of innovation from the perspective of hospitals

Moderators:

  • Núria Castany, Project Manager. Department of Innovation and Business Development. Biocat.
  • Cristina Mallol, Healthcare Innovation Lead. CatSalut.

Speakers:

  • Patricia Pesudo, Director of Strategic Drive and Transformation. Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau.
  • Oriol Estrada, Director of Healthcare Strategy and Innovation. Hospital Germans Trias i Pujol.
  • Sara Manjón, Manager. Consorci Hospitalari de Vic.
  • Laia Masip, Project Manager in Medical Technology and Innovation at the 3D Lab. Hospital Verge de la Cinta.
1:00 PM - 1:30 PM | Presentation of the challenges and needs of the Healthcare System of Catalonia (CatSalut) Open call presentation (Biocat)
  • Ignasi Carrasco, Director of the Healthcare Area. CatSalut.
  • Robert Fabregat, CEO. Biocat.
1:30 PM - 1:45 PM | Closing
  • Antoni Plasència, General Director for Health Research and Innovation. Government of Catalonia.
1:45 PM - 3 PM | Networking cocktail

Summary of the PASS 2025 Conference in 1 Minute

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CNc0MgaiQfs

Organized by:

Event Partner

Sign up for our newsletters

Stay up-to-date on the latest news, events and trends in the BioRegion.