The Innomed program concluded yesterday the second edition of its GrowInn project incubator with the celebration of the Innomed Awards. This event, held at the Josep Carreras Institute, not only recognized significant advances in biomedicine at the campus but also reaffirmed the commitment to collaboration among the main healthcare and research centers.

The program involves the participation of seven healthcare and research centers from Campus Can Ruti and its surroundings: the Josep Carreras Leukemia Research Institute (IJC), the Germans Trias i Pujol Research Institute (IGTP), the Maresme Healthcare Consortium (CSdM), the Germans Trias i Pujol University Hospital (HUGTiP), the Catalan Oncology Institute (ICO), IrsiCaixa, and the Guttmann Institute.

More than 150 people attended the event, inaugurated by Sonia Egea, Deputy Mayor of Badalona City Council, Dr. Evarist Feliu, President of the IJC Delegated Commission, Dr. Jordi Barretina, Managing Director of IGTP, and Raül Zurita, Head of Innovation at IGTP. They all emphasized the importance of promoting innovation from research centers and strengthening collaboration between institutions to facilitate knowledge transfer to the healthcare system.

Next, a roundtable titled “Business and Research: Together Towards Transformative Innovation” was held, moderated by Josep Lluís Falcó from GENESIS Biomed, where industry experts shared reflections in a constructive debate about public-private collaboration and the process of transforming a research project into a business initiative.

One of the central moments of the day was the presentation of the projects developed at this year’s GrowInn incubator, where new talents had the opportunity to briefly explain their proposals before other researchers, healthcare professionals, and company representatives. The presentations covered diverse areas such as medical technologies (medtech), therapy development, in vitro diagnostics, and technologies applied to digital health. All presented ideas with the potential to address real needs of the healthcare system and improve patient care.

Of the 15 incubator projects, five were awarded for their talent and determination. The prize includes services valued at €5,000 offered by the sponsoring entities: ZBM, Inveniam Group, Genesis Biomed, Clarke & Modet, and Ingecal.

• ZBM Patents & Trademarks Award: Mònica Suelves (IGTP) – Time4Duchenne

• Ingecal Award: Enrique Javier Arenas (IJC) – REACTAC-SOCS1: REACTivating Cancer immunotherapy via PROTACs against SOCS1

• GENESIS Biomed Award: Lidia Blay (HUGTiP) – DetectAR

• ClarkeModet Award: Ferran Grau (ICO-IGTP) – PROTAC contra CDK5 per al tractament del càncer colorectal metastàtic

• Inveniam Award: Joan Pagès (IrsiCaixa) – Kit de biomarcadors proteòmics en orina per a la predicció de preservació de la bufeta en càncer de bufeta infiltrant muscular

“These awards showcase the innovative potential of our environment. I am very pleased to see how the collaboration among the seven participating institutions allows us to drive programs like Innomed, which offer training and support to new innovation projects at the Campus, highlights Raül Zurita, Head of the Innovation and Business Development Unit at IGTP.

With this second edition, the Innomed Awards consolidate their role as a space for recognition and promotion of transformative initiatives emerging from the research ecosystem. The Innomed program will continue working to position Campus Can Ruti as a leading healthcare innovation hub at the national level, capable of attracting both public and private investment.

Innomed: connected for innovation in health

The Innomed program was created with the goal of transforming innovation in health. This initiative is structured around three pillars: fostering a culture of innovation, project incubation, and public-private collaboration. The projects selected by the participating institutions have been developed through the program, which has offered training sessions and workshops over six months to enhance and implement innovative projects. It covers key elements of an innovative project, addressing topics such as the market and business model, regulation of medical devices and medicines, and the technology transfer process essential for consolidating the foundations of future innovation projects at the campus.