Picks of July: more capital, certifications and transfer projects
In July, the Catalan life sciences and healthcare ecosystem saw a combination of major investment commitments, regulatory milestones for startups and scientific advances with a clear translational focus.
- In investment in Catalan healthcare startups and scaleups, Oryzon secured a €12 million capital increase and reached an agreement with COFIDES that could bring in up to an additional €25 million to strengthen its balance sheet and advance its clinical programs. Meanwhile, Time is Brain raised €3 million and obtained European certification for its stroke monitoring technology.
- As for business news, Rob Surgical obtained CE marking for the ROB® surgical robot to be used in urology procedures. Plus, Doctomatic was recognized as a real world implementation case in a WHO Regional Office for Europe report on artificial intelligence in health.
- Regarding news and developments in the investment funds established in the BioRegion of Catalonia, CriteriaCaixa announced that it expects to invest €300 million in early stage science and technology startups by 2030. This decision bolsters the availability of specialized capital and carries on in the footsteps of the former Caixa Capital Risc fund, which is now operating as Criteria Capital Risc. At the same time, Ipsen’s acquisition of Memo Therapeutics has allowed Ysios Capital to divest one of its portfolio companies. The deal includes an initial €200 million plus milestone payments that could take the total to over €700 million.
- Research has yielded some of the most promising advances for the future. The fetaLife project, led by the BCNatal clinical center, achieved 21-day survival in an experimental prototype of an artificial placenta and is preparing new validation and regulatory phases for a first human study from 2028. A consortium led by IBEC has developed photosensitive drugs that restored visual functions in animal models of blindness without the need for gene therapy or implants. At the same time, research professionals at the Southern Catalonia Biomedical Research Institute identified the SUCNR1 receptor as an essential mechanism in the liver’s metabolic adaptation, with potential future implications in diabetes, obesity and liver disease. Sant Pau Research Institute and Hospital de Sant Pau also described a protein pattern that evolves according to the stage of Huntington’s disease and could contribute to the development of new biomarkers.
- In the corporate sphere, Grifols restructured Biopharma into two distinct divisions, one for the United States and the other for the rest of the world. The new model seeks to increase regional self-sufficiency, improve efficiency and prepare the North American business for a possible minority IPO.
- Regarding new facilities, the month was marked by Móra la Nova’s bid to host the main node of the future European artificial intelligence gigafactory, as part of a joint project with Madrid. The proposal includes a high capacity computing infrastructure, primarily powered by renewable energy and featuring a cooling system designed to minimize water use.
- Public policies have also been in the news. The Government of Catalonia approved the Catalonia Business Innovation Strategy 2026-2030, which will earmark €78 million for grants in 2026 and aspires to mobilize nearly €300 million in business investment. At the same time, the Catalan Directorate General for Research is working on the first Catalan research sustainability strategy, which could introduce environmental incentives, sustainability criteria in calls for proposals and funding to repair scientific equipment.
- This month, we also celebrated two recognitions of scientific talent: Marc Güell of the UPF and Pelayo García de Arquer of ICFO received the Banc Sabadell Foundation awards in biomedical research and in science and engineering. The University of Barcelona also strengthened its position in Europe after CHARM-EU, coordinated by the institution, was granted one of the first Joint European Degree Labels by the European Commission. Congratulations!
- The sector also turned out en masse for one of its yearly gatherings: the eleventh annual Catalonia.health BBQ.
- To finish off, let’s look forward to the final months of the year: Barcelona will host several sector events that you can check out in the Agenda section of the Biocat website. These include Advanced Therapies Europe 2026 (September 7–9), ATMP Day 2026 (September 10), LSI Europe 2026 (September 28–October 2), Scope Summit Europe 2026 (October 13-14) and the Biocat and BioRegion of Catalonia 20th Anniversary Celebration (November 2).