Barcelona Health Innovation Week 2026 features 56 activities from 52 organizers in edition marked by AI, technology transfer and talent
The week once again made Catalonia a meeting point for the life sciences and healthcare ecosystem, with a varied program of events on digital health, industrial development, cutting-edge research and funding. A total of 56 activities were held by 52 organizations.
The 2026 edition of Barcelona Health Innovation Week featured 56 activities held by 52 organizations, demonstrating the vitality of the BioRegion of Catalonia. Throughout the week (February 16 to 20), hospitals, research centers, universities, startups, companies, investment funds and innovation support organizations put together an intense agenda, creating spaces to share knowledge, forge partnerships and accelerate high-impact projects.
Digital health and artificial intelligence were the recurring themes of this year’s edition. The session “Transforming Digital Health: Innovation, Business and Game Changing Alliances” (Arvor – IDIAP Jordi Gol) explored the role of partnerships and business models in digital transformation. “From Pilot to Patient? Why 80% of AI Health Projects in Spain never Scale” (Digital Health Connector) focused on the barriers preventing AI health pilots from scaling up. Regulatory compliance was also in the spotlight with “From Pilot to EU Rollout: Making AI Translation Quality Compliance Ready in Healthtech” (Seprotec Multilingual Solutions), which addressed quality and compliance in regulated environments.
Another main focal point was technology transfer and market access, with activities aimed at advancing from concept to implementation. “From Concept to Market: Why Clinical Evaluation must Start at the First Sketch” (Veranex) underscored the importance of integrating clinical assessment from the earliest stages, while “MAR Tech Transfer Academy” (Hospital del Mar Research Institute Barcelona) provided practical tools to drive transfer projects forward. “From Research to Real Impact” (We Purpose) also stood out, focusing on how to translate research into tangible impact. At the same time, regulation had its own space with “CE marking of MDAI according to MDR/IVDR and AIA” (TECNO-MED INGENIEROS) and the webinar “From Compliance to Capability: Working with Digital and AI powered tools for Regulatory Affairs and other Quality processes” (ASPHALION), which delved deeper into key requirements and processes for bringing innovation to market.
In the pharmaceutical and biotechnology development arena, the week featured highly specialized sessions like “Analytical Challenges and Pitfalls in Biologics Development: Scientific Perspectives on NBEs and Biosimilars” (Midas Pharma España SLU), “Polysorbates and beyond: Optimizing surfactant strategy in biologic drug formulation” (Croda Pharma) and “ATMP Catalonia Series: Challenges in Biomanufacturing” (Biocat), which focused on the industrial and manufacturing challenges of advanced therapies. Topics like analytical strategy and the risks along the path from R&D to commercialization were also addressed in several sessions led by Midas Pharma España SLU.
Entrepreneurship and funding also featured prominently. Sessions like “What’s New in Fundraising? Investor Fireside Chat and Fundraising Bootcamp” (Life Science Nation) and “From Funding to Growth: The Healthtech Startup Journey” (Capital Cell) brought together entrepreneurs and investors to discuss funding and growth, while “Connect & Learn: European Innovation Council (EIC) funding opportunities” (Xarxa TECSAM) introduced EU funding opportunities for the ecosystem. In the same vein, “Startups and Record Breaking Funding Rounds: The vision of the Lawyers Behind the Success” (Hospital Clinic – IDIBAPS) offered insight into successful funding rounds and transactions.
In this context, Biocat played an active role with three of its own initiatives during the week: the presentation of the “2025 BioRegion of Catalonia Report”, the session “ATMP Catalonia Series: Challenges in Biomanufacturing”, and the activity “BioEmprenedores Interview”, which featured leading figures in healthcare entrepreneurship.
With this fourth edition, Barcelona Health Innovation Week has consolidated its position as a benchmark event for showcasing health innovation and putting Catalonia firmly on the global map. Thank you to the 52 organizations that took advantage of this opportunity to share their innovation, open the doors of their facilities and present their latest developments. See you next year!