Picks of February: 2026 continues strong momentum from 2025 with more investment, clinical innovation and new facilities
February was one of those months when all the pieces fall into place: funding to accelerate R&D, artificial intelligence integrated into clinical practice, startups making the leap to international markets and large companies consolidating Barcelona as a hub, while the country activates scientific facilities that will feed the pipeline in the coming years.
Let’s start with a look at the funding secured by healthcare startups and scaleups: Biorce raised €44 million to apply artificial intelligence in clinical trials. At the same time, Pharmacelera closed a €6 million round to expand into the United States and continue developing its drug discovery platform based on quantum mechanics and artificial intelligence. Plus, Gyala Therapeutics received €3.7 million in public funding to advance its leukemia drug. Orikine Bio secured €2.7 million to advance its Foldikine™ platform of bispecific cytokines for reprogramming immune responses in autoimmunity and chronic inflammation. Oxolife was chosen for the EIC Accelerator and will receive €2.5 million, with the option of up to an additional €10 million in co-investment from the EIC Fund. Finally, D-Sight mobilized €2 million in funding to accelerate clinical validation of its neuroprotective therapies. In this context, the presentation of the 2025 BioRegion of Catalonia Report provided figures and perspective on the current situation and also kicked off Biocat’s 20th anniversary celebrations.
In news from startups, Devicare announced its expansion into the United States with the acquisition of IP-6 International, Inc. (IP6 Gold® brand), strengthening its portfolio and presence in a key market. Wivi Vision celebrated its 10th anniversary, a symbol of a maturing entrepreneurial ecosystem. The generational handover remains strong with 4YFN 2026, where 16 startups from the BioRegion of Catalonia will boost their international visibility and connections next week in the “Catalonia Health Innovation Ecosystem Pavilion”, promoted by Biocat and TIC Salut i Social.
This month also marked a moment of maturity for Catalan venture capital: Belgian company Agomab Therapeutics, backed by Asabys, is paving the way to go public on the Nasdaq. Since 2017, it has raised €300 million in various rounds.
In research, IRB Barcelona launched the first fully integrated Spatial Omics Platform in Spain, allowing the scientific community to map biological activity within its original tissue context, rather than relying solely on “decontextualized” samples. Meanwhile, Hospital del Mar has developed a public AI tool to support breast cancer detection in mammograms, a significant step forward in applied research and real world validation.
In terms of new facilities, the Medical Emergency System (SEM) inaugurated its new headquarters: Espai SEM Granvia, in L’Hospitalet de Llobregat, a new 22,500 m² building with 6 floors and space for more than 700 professionals. Approximately €60 million has been invested in the new facility, mostly through the ERDF Catalonia 2021–2027 program. Net-Pharma also announced it will be opening a hub in Sant Quirze del Vallès (Barcelona). The new space, which will go by the name Net-Pharma Hub, is set to open this May, with 7,600 m² and room for 28 offices and 2 labs.
In the hospital arena, Vall d’Hebron University Hospital successfully performed a global first partial face transplant from a donor who had received euthanasia, a milestone demonstrating the system’s clinical and organizational capacity to undertake highly complex procedures. Additionally, Sant Joan de Déu Hospital has received accreditation as the only center in Spain authorized to administer a gene therapy for metachromatic leukodystrophy, a great example of how Catalonia is consolidating its role in advanced therapies even for rare diseases.
To sustain this leadership over time, the Government of Catalonia announced €45.8 million to strengthen research groups, including an annual increase of €25 million in baseline funding for the 42 CERCA centers to ensure a stable foundation that allows scientific excellence to continue translating into clinical impact and innovation. At the same time, ICREA also celebrated its 25th anniversary this month, a milestone that marks a quarter century of promoting research talent and helps explain the strength and international projection of the Catalan research system. Similarly, La Unió celebrated its 50th anniversary at an event recognizing the association’s longstanding commitment to the country, its people and Catalonia’s health and social system.
Turning to large companies Sanofi has announced it will establish a new hub in Barcelona as a talent and operations node. The 15,000 m² facility combines the capacity of two buildings and will host more than 1,000 employees of the pharmaceutical company by 2027. Meanwhile, Almirall announced earnings of €46.2 million in 2025, four times more than the previous year, surpassing €1 billion in turnover.
Barcelona Health Innovation Week 2026 was the clearest proof of the ecosystem’s vitality: 56 activities held by 52 organizations turned Catalonia into an intense meeting point for hospitals, research centers, universities, startups, industry and investors. The program focused mainly on digital health and AI, while also reinforcing the pillars of technology transfer, regulation and market access.
And February drew to a close with recognitions that sum up the current situation in the BioRegion. Rob Surgical received an Industry 4.0 award, and its impact was also highlighted at La Nit de Catalonia.health with the Lifetime Achievement Award presented to Jaume Amat, founder of Rob Surgical, recognizing his outstanding career. On the same stage, the 2026 Catalonia.health Award honored Aortyx as an example of transfer with clinical ambition, while the National Research Award went to biochemist Luis Serrano for his research in molecular design.