Organized by Farmaindustria, Fenin, AseBio, Veterindustria, and Nanomed, this year’s conference focused on the theme “Scientific and Industrial Excellence: Towards the Consolidation of an Innovation Hub”. The event emphasized the important need for Spain to move beyond traditional public-private partnership models and build a more integrated and sustainable innovation framework across the entire R&D&I value chain.

Among the featured speakers was Prof. Josep Samitier, executive director of Fraunhofer Spain Research, who participated in the roundtable discussion “Cutting-edge Biomedical Innovation: From the Laboratory to Health Impact” held between 16:00 and 17:00. The session brought together leading representatives from academia, industry and the healthcare system to discuss how to strengthen public-private collaboration, improve innovation models and align scientific and industrial excellence, with the aim of transforming scientific advances into real solutions that benefit patients and strengthen our country's competitiveness.

Samitier’s intervention centered on accelerating biomedical translation through applied research and strengthening the technological bridge between scientific discovery and industrial implementation. During the discussion, he emphasized that the effective translation of scientific knowledge into real health impact remains one of the major challenges facing the sector. Drawing on the international Fraunhofer experience, Samitier pointed to the value of applied research ecosystems that combine scientific excellence with industrial orientation, facilitating faster knowledge transfer and more effective innovation outcomes.

The conference was also attended by Dr Marina Pollán, Director of the ISCIII at the Ministry of Science and Universities, and Nuria Montserrat, Minister for Research and Universities at the Government of Catalonia.

The event confirmed Barcelona’s growing role as a strategic European hub for biomedical innovation and highlighted the importance of coordinated action between public and private actors to transform scientific knowledge into tangible healthcare impact.