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Nùria Martí and Robert Fabregat (Biocat); Fina Lladós, Amelia Martín Uranga and Arantxa Martí (Farmaindustria). Image / Farmaindustria
 08.07.2025

Biocat and Farmaindustria connect Catalan research with the pharmaceutical industry to advance new treatments

The National Business Association of the Pharmaceutical Industry (Farmaindustria) and Biocat, based at the Barcelona Science Park, are collaborating on the 25th edition of the Farma-Biotech Program to promote preclinical and translational research, which in this edition will support seven Catalan research projects. This collaboration is part of the agreement signed by both organizations last December to strengthen the BioRegion of Catalonia and promote the development of new medicines and more efficient public-private collaboration models.

The Farma-Biotech Program aims to create a meeting point for cooperation among national and international pharmaceutical companies, Spanish biotech firms, and research groups, around the development of innovative new drugs.

This edition reviewed 28 Catalan-origin projects, seven of which were selected for their potential and promising stage of development in the field of preclinical research. The selected projects focus on advanced therapies for treating ALS, hypertension, central nervous system disorders, several types of tumors, various incurable diseases, and novel analgesics for pain treatment.

The researchers come from the universities of Barcelona and Lleida, Hospital Clinic-Idibaps, and the startups Nema Health, Nocturna Therapeutics, and OneChain Inmunotherapeutics, located at the Barcelona Science Park.

During the presentation of the new edition of the program, held on July 3, the leaders of the participating projects gathered together with Biocat’s Director General, Robert Fabregat, and Farmaindustria’s President, Fina Lladós. Both institutions highlighted the value of the agreement, which also aims to promote the development of advanced therapies, improve access to innovation, and support the training and retention of talent within the ecosystem.

Farmaindustria’s president recalled that Catalonia is the region that has submitted the most projects to the Farma-Biotech Program throughout its 25 editions, accounting for over 40% of the total. “Collaborations like this allow us to position Catalonia and Spain as global leaders in healthcare innovation and move closer to our ultimate goal, which is for patients to benefit from faster and better access to innovative treatments and advanced therapies.” Lladós noted that translational research is one of the association’s priorities, aiming to translate the success achieved in clinical trials into these early phases of biomedical R&D.

Since its launch in 2011, the Farma-Biotech Program has reviewed over 1,000 proposals, with more than 160 selected for presentation to pharmaceutical companies capable of taking on the clinical development of new drugs.

Moreover, the Farma-Biotech Program keeps the application window for participation permanently open through the Medicamentos Innovadores platform.

» Link to the news: Biocat website [+]