Picks of the year 2025: BioRegion of Catalonia takes leap forward in 2025 and consolidates European leadership in health innovation
This year, the BioRegion of Catalonia experienced unprecedented growth. The ecosystem combined historic investment rounds, high impact scientific advances and a new generation of strategic initiatives that are transforming the future of research, innovation and care in the healthcare system. It was a turning point, with Catalonia reinforcing its position as one of Europe’s most active and vibrant health ecosystems. In this article, we look at the most important milestones of 2025.
- The maturing of the entrepreneurial fabric was seen in new regulatory certifications and strategic alliances. Doctomatic received FDA regulatory validation, Vitalera advanced toward Class IIa MDR certification, REVEAL GENOMICS achieved ISO 13485:2016 certification and ADmit Therapeutics validated the first MAP-AD® blood biomarker with CE-IVDR marking. Plus, Methinks partnered with Medtronic to bring its AI to stroke diagnosis, INBRAIN Neuroelectronics is collaborating with Microsoft to advance graphene based neurotechnology, Genomcore entered into a partnership with Palex to integrate NGS into healthcare, Aptadel Therapeutics sealed a collaboration deal with a US foundation and mjn-neuro and Neuraxpharm are preparing to launch Episeras to detect epileptic seizures using AI.
This vibrant innovation was accompanied by significant corporate moves, including Funditec’s acquisition of ABAC Therapeutics and Veritas Genetics’ acquisition of qGenomics. On the scientific front, Integra Therapeutics took part in the first project to generate synthetic proteins with AI for more efficient genome editing, Gyala Therapeutics designed the first CAR-T therapy targeting CD84 with strong preclinical results, CONNECTA Therapeutics completed Phase 1 for CTH120 and is entering pediatric Phase 2 for fragile X syndrome, SpliceBio launched the ASTRA clinical trial (Phase 1/2) on SB-007 and Peptomyc conducted a Phase 2 study on OMO-103 in advanced osteosarcoma.
In terms of facilities, Heura Foods inaugurated a new research center in Barcelona’s 22@ district, BeCytes inaugurated a lab to accelerate production of in vitro cellular models and Vytrus Biotech will invest €3.5 million in a new plant in Terrassa. Regarding market access, ABLE Human Motion rolled out six neuromuscular rehabilitation exoskeletons in the Catalan healthcare system with guidance from the Biocat PASS and CRAASH Barcelona programs, while Inbiomotion brought its MAF test into hospitals.
- Looking to funding raised by startups and scaleups in the BioRegion of Catalonia, the mid-year update we published in June announced a record figure of €342 million in investment in the first half of the year. In private capital, the ranking was led by SpliceBio (€118 million), followed by DeepUll (€50 million) and Qida (€37 million). In public funding, Minoryx Therapeutics received the most support, at €26.9 million, followed by Oryzon Genomics with €15.064 million and INBRAIN Neuroelectronics, which received €4.08 million. The total investment for 2025 will be announced on Thursday, February 19, 2026, at the presentation of the 2025 BioRegion of Catalonia Report.
2025 was also an especially active year for life sciences and healthcare investment funds based in Catalonia. Invivo Capital launched its third fund, as well as announcing it is preparing Invivo Ventures AI. The firm also announced that Pep Martorell has been made partner. Ysios Capital also played a key role: it led a €58 million deal with ReproNovo, which will establish a subsidiary in Barcelona, and entered a new phase with the launch of the Telescope fund. However, the firm also faced a difficult moment with the loss of Raúl Martín-Ruiz, a key figure in biomedical venture capital in Catalonia. Asabys Partners maintained a strong investment pace, co-leading investments in the BioRegion’s top three rounds of 2025 and consolidating its position as one of the Catalan managers with the strongest presence in advanced series in Europe. Plus, AltamarCAM Partners integrated its healthcare and life sciences team (previously Aliath Bioventures) into Asabys and both firms will co-manage the Alta Life Sciences Spain I FCR fund.
In addition to the major private players, there was also increased activity in public and hybrid instruments. The Barcelona Investment Fund (€30 million) launched as a strategic instrument to attract and retain deeptech and health startups in the city. At the same time, the FITA Fund made its first five investments. Likewise, the Government of Catalonia announced a new public fund called Lidera Transferència en Salut, with €60 million to fund science and technology startups through ICF.- This year, Catalan pharmaceutical companies demonstrated their strength and vibrancy through strategic moves. Grifols strengthened its international leadership in both business and innovation. The company signed a strategic €281 million contract with the Ministry of Health to supply plasma derived medicines and announced a new €160 million plant in the Barcelona area. In research, the company advanced in early detection of Parkinson with new plasma biomarkers and forged a partnership with the Michael J.Fox Foundation. All of this under a new phase of governance, with Anne-Catherine Berner taking over as non-executive chair. At the same time, Almirall sold off its flu product lines to focus on dermatology, a strategic move that helped lift revenue above €820 million (+13%). And in research, the company launched four new Phase 2 clinical trials on dermatology treatments and appointed a new CFO. HIPRA presented HIPRA Biotech Services, a new CDMO unit to offer biologics development and manufacturing services to third parties, announced its participation in developing an innovative intranasal flu vaccine and expanded its R&D capacity by opening a new campus in Aiguaviva (Girona). Reig Jofre acquired biotech firm Leanbio and received €13 million from CDTI to drive innovation under the European IPCEI Med4Cure project, while Esteve signed a deal with Eton Pharmaceuticals licensing a treatment for growth related minority diseases. Additionally, Jordi Muntañola became the new CEO of Salvat, the first pharmaceutical laboratory in Spain to obtain FDA authorization to manufacture sterile medicines using BFS technology. Regarding new or expanded facilities, AstraZeneca inaugurated its new headquarters in the Estel building and Sanofi announced its plans for a new AI hub in 2026. Meanwhile, Johnson & Johnson is looking into setting up an AI center in Barcelona, with potential investment of up to €100 million, and Smith+Nephew inaugurated its new center of excellence and innovation in medical technologies in Esplugues de Llobregat.
- This year also brought high impact clinical and biomedical discoveries. CNAG advanced genetic diagnosis of minority diseases and new methods for studying cells without sequencing them. Barcelona Clinic–IDIBAPS achieved the first improvement in 20 years for a subtype of liver cancer and expanded the scope of its CAR-T therapies. VHIR and IGTP delivered decisive advances in pregnancy, multiple sclerosis, Crohn’s disease and long COVID, while IR Sant Pau stood out in neuroscience, immunotherapies and personalized medicine. In neurodegenerative diseases, BBRC advanced a blood test for early detection of Alzheimer and Hospital del Mar Research Institute identified new aggressiveness factors in pancreatic cancer and the seeds of metastasis in breast cancer, while VHIO presented therapeutic strategies that improve survival for a variety of tumors.
Catalan bioengineering had an exceptional year: IBEC reported advances in transplants with human organoids, nanoparticles to fight Alzheimer and the first real time recording of a human embryo, and IMB-CNM-CSIC created technologies supporting advanced radiotherapy. Finally, several Catalan hospitals (Bellvitge University Hospital, Germans Trias i Pujol, MútuaTerrassa and Vic) led first-in-Spain or first-in-Europe surgical interventions, adopting advanced robots, new clinical decision guides and latest generation diagnostic technologies. Catalonia’s presence on the ranking of Highly Cited Researchers 2025 (34 of 94 researchers in Spain) and in the ERC Starting Grants (13 of 28 projects) reinforces this leadership, placing institutions like UB–Clinic–IDIBAPS, Vall d’Hebron–VHIO–VHIR, CRG and IRB Barcelona among the top European institutions for scientific impact.
- Regarding new science/technology and healthcare facilities, the new Hospital Vithas Barcelona opened its doors in Esplugues de Llobregat, while the new Hospital Clinic plans to break ground in 2030, tripling its scientific and clinical space. Three major territorial transformations are also moving forward: the Innovation and Health BioCluster in L’Hospitalet, Girona Health Campus and Centre de Medicina Regenerativa de la Ciutadella.
Looking to technology, this momentum extends to the new InnoFAB facility for advanced semiconductor development and the creation of the Public Fecal Microbiota Bank, the first of its kind in Spain. Plus, Qilimanjaro launched Europe’s first multimodal Quantum Data Center in Barcelona.
Scientific research also advanced with projects like ALBA II, Spain’s first quantum computer, and the Fraunhofer Center for Advanced Therapies agreement, which will accelerate development and transfer of advanced therapies. The University of Barcelona also launched a new international center for applied neuroscience at the Mundet Campus. Finally, the Barcelona Supercomputing Center celebrated its 20th anniversary and is preparing for MareNostrum 6 and promoting the BSC AI Institute.
- In new sector initiatives, the Catalan Government launched large scale projects to bolster scientific talent. These include the Catalunya Talent Bridge program to attract top tier researchers, many from the United States. This move is coupled with updating the Health Plan, establishing seven priorities for healthcare innovation and rolling out a new primary care model with Comprehensive Reference Healthcare Centers (CSIR). With the same goal, the city of Barcelona consolidated its commitment to becoming an international knowledge hub by launching the 2025–2027 Action Plan for the Barcelona Innovation Coast (BIC), which doubles public investment in innovation and focuses efforts on strategic sectors like the life sciences, AI, semiconductors and sustainability. Care for people with cognitive decline also gained importance with the new municipal strategy Barcelona for Alzheimer's, which includes creating Hub Alzheimer Barcelona.
In business innovation, Biocat launched the first INNOPASS call to support 10 innovative solutions for one year to facilitate their incorporation into the public healthcare system, as well as expanding the Advanced Therapies Hub (ATMP Catalonia) to more than 70 members and promoting ATMP Catalyst, a pioneering advanced therapies accelerator. Regarding the European Health Data Space, Biocat also played a significant role through PRECISEU activities.
- In terms of events to drive the ecosystem, Barcelona Health Innovation Week once again brought together the scientific, business and investment community, while 4YFN–MWC put digital health and medical technologies in the international spotlight. Likewise, BIOSPAIN 2025 served as a key connector for emerging biotech and the pharmaceutical industry.
Looking to major European conferences, Barcelona hosted Health Tech Forward 2025 and strengthened its leadership in advanced therapies with Advanced Therapies Europe 2025. Plus, the second edition of RESI Europe once again attracted specialized investors from around the world.
The BioRegion also boosted its international projection through Catalonia’s strengthened presence at BIO International Convention 2025, where the Catalan delegation had an intense schedule of activities and meetings to drive global collaborations.
- In terms of leadership changes and notable appointments, the following were particularly significant. Dr. Susana Puig assumed the leadership of IDIBAPS, while hematologist Ari Melnick was appointed director of Josep Carreras Leukemia Research Institute . CRG kicked off a new phase with Professor Mónica Bettencourt-Dias as director and the Barcelona Supercomputing Center bolstered its AI strategy by hiring Ricardo Barza and Cristian Canton. Renowned economist Andreu Mas-Colell joined the Bank of Spain to select the institution’s new director general Economics.
In the institutional arena, Antoni Plasència was named the new director general for Research and Innovation in Health and Laia Arnal is leading the National Pact for Mental Health. Turning to sector organizations, Arantxa Sanz was selected to lead Catalonia.Health and Miquel Vicente was re-elected president of Tech Barcelona.
The business and scientific community also suffered deep losses that deserve to be remembered this year, such as Dr. Joan Guinovart, founder and former director of IRB, and Dr. Jaume Bosch, a global benchmark in hepatology.
- To round out this summary, we have the awards and distinctions received this year. At 4YFN 2025, three health startups from the BioRegion of Catalonia received different awards: WIVI Vision won the Santander X Global Challenge, Predictheon won the UN AI for Good Innovation Factory Catalonia challenge and The Blue Box received the EmprendeXXI Award as the company with the highest impact in Catalonia. In addition to these awards, D-Sight received the EmprendeXXI Disruptive Innovation Award, Lumiris Spectral Solutions was recognized as the Best Young Business Initiative and OXOLIFE and Hospital Sant Joan de Déu received the Catalonia.Health 2025 Award. Plus, i4KIDS and the FERO Foundation received 2024 National Research Awards .
On the international stage, SpliceBio won the European Lifestars Award for best Series B Raise, while ABLE Human Motion received two prizes at the #EITAwards2025.
In talent, Laura Soucek (Peptomyc) received the City of Barcelona Award in the Life Sciences and Agnès Arbat (Oxolife) was awarded the 2025 European Prize for Women Innovators.