Biocat and FarmaIndustria promote connection between research and industry at 25th Farma-Biotech Program
The meeting, organized with Farmaindustria, connected seven initiatives in the BioRegion with large pharmaceutical companies to promote new models of public-private partnership.
Biocat played a central role in the 25th Farma-Biotech Program held in Barcelona recently, helping 7 highly innovative Catalan biomedical projects connect with more than 15 leading pharmaceutical companies. This was the first edition focusing exclusively on initiatives from Catalonia, reinforcing Biocat and Farmaindustria’s joint commitment to translational research and innovation in healthcare.
The event falls under an agreement Biocat and Farmaindustria, the business organization for the pharmaceutical industry in Spain, signed in December 2023 to drive more efficient public-private partnership models and promote development of new drugs and advanced therapies. Biocat acted as a catalyst, identifying projects with high potential to disrupt and facilitating direct meet-ups for their leaders with R&D managers at the top pharmaceutical companies.
Seven Catalan projects with high potential for translation
From 28 applications submitted, Biocat selected 7 projects based on their maturity, innovation and impact. The initiatives focus on significant healthcare challenges like amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), high blood pressure, diseases of the nervous system, oncology, rare diseases and new pain killers for chronic pain. The selected projects are from:
- University of Barcelona
- University of Lleida
- Hospital Clínic – IDIBAPS
- Nema Health
- noctuRNA Therapeutics
- OneChain Immunotherapeutics
There is no deadline for applications to the Farma-Biotech Program, which offers ongoing opportunities for Catalan research groups to connect with the pharmaceutical industry.
“This meeting helps drive public-private partnerships and raises awareness of a portfolio of highly disruptive business opportunities, particularly in advanced therapies and projects in the early stages,” explained Biocat CEO Robert Fabregat. “Biocat’s role is to facilitate these interactions that make Catalonia a hub of healthcare innovation in Europe.”
Farmaindustria President Fina Lladós also took part, highlighting, “Collaborations like this allow us to position Catalonia and Spain as global leaders in healthcare innovation and advance towards our end goal, which is for patients to benefit from better, faster access to innovative treatments and advanced therapies.”
Since it was established in 2011, the Farma-Biotech Program has analyzed over 1,000 applications, from which over 160 have been chosen to be pitched to companies with the capacity to carry out clinical development of new drugs. This edition consolidates Biocat and Farmaindustria as strategic partners in effective transfer of biomedical research to industry and the global market.