Second Open Innovation Forum hosts 50 meetings of companies and research organizations
<p>This program promoted by Biocat is still open: anyone interested can propose challenges or solutions throughout the year</p>
Approximately twenty company representatives and some thirty researchers participated in the second Open Innovation Forum 2019, a program organized by Biocat that gives companies the chance to share their innovation challenges and get proposals from research groups and centers to solve them. After a successful first meeting in April, a second one was held at the Barcelona Science Park on 11 July, hosting 50 meetings.
Arnau Valls, Innovation engineer at Hospital Sant Joan de Déu and d·HEALTH Barcelona alumnus, was one of the participants in this session of the Open Innovation Forum. Along with other organizations that, like Sant Joan de Déu, are part of the NEXTHEALTH community coordinated by Biocat under the RIS3CAT framework, Valls met with several companies. “We've come up with several innovative solutions in the community and want to see how these solutions can help address the challenges companies face in applying new therapies, like CAR-T, for example,” he highlights.
Program open year round
The Open Innovation Forum is divided into five areas of knowledge (food, healthcare, medtech, chemistry and materials). Any companies and stakeholders that are interested in participating can send in proposals through the end of 2019. This way, innovation challenges will be received all year long. In 2019, several events will be held so that companies and problem-solvers can meet face-to-face.
The program is organized by Biocat, University of Barcelona, Bosch i Gimpera Foundation, Pompeu Fabra University, UPF Ventures, Autonomous University of Barcelona, UAB Research Park, Polytechnic University of Catalonia, IDIBELL and ACCIÓ.