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Presentation event of the selected projects for ATMP Catalyst. Photo / Biocat
 10.06.2025

The ATMP Catalyst accelerator for advanced therapies kicks off, driven by Biocat, the City Council, and the Government of Catalonia

The ATMP Catalyst accelerator, driven by Biocat, the Barcelona City Council, and the Government of Catalonia, with the collaboration of the Leitat Technological Center and the University of Barcelona Science Park, has officially launched by presenting the six companies and research projects that will take part in the program over the next three years. The goal is to boost research in advanced therapies—medicines for human use that involve cells, genes, or tissues modified in a laboratory.

The ultimate goal of ATMP Catalyst is to promote technology transfer, development, and commercialization of advanced therapies, foster talent acquisition and specialized training, as well as support the internationalization of the health innovation ecosystem. With this aim, six projects have been selected, currently in early stages, to be supported and guided toward phases closer to clinical development.

The Deputy Mayor for Economy, Housing, Finance, and Tourism, Jordi Valls, participated in the launch event and stated that, with the new program, Barcelona has the capacity “to influence and generate strategy at the European level in the most cutting-edge health sectors such as advanced therapies, digital health, or personalized medicine.” Valls concluded that “Barcelona is a living laboratory where ideas must be able to become reality. And the health sector is a constantly evolving field where innovation and research excellence stand out.”

With the launch of the program, Barcelona and Catalonia are positioned at the forefront of advanced therapy research and development in Europe, and the city strengthens its existing role as a global benchmark in the biomedical field. ATMP Catalyst is a pioneering project at the European level because it combines training for participants, specialized mentoring, international connections, and offers incubation spaces for technology development in reference centers such as Leitat and the Barcelona Science Park (PCB).

The acceleration will be carried out in phases. During the first phase, teams will formulate the concept and conduct in vitro preclinical trials. In the second year, startups will develop the first prototypes and carry out safety assessments, while in the third year, the first interactions with regulatory authorities will take place, and the final clinical trial design will be prepared.

The program plans to open two new calls in the next two years, allowing up to six new projects per round, so the total number of companies benefiting from the program will reach 18.

Biocat’s General Director, Robert Fabregat, states that “ATMP Catalyst becomes a fundamental tool to continue strengthening, expanding, and consolidating the advanced therapies hub in Catalonia, within a global strategy that positions us as a European benchmark in this field, with Barcelona as the capital and engine of health innovation.”

The new accelerator is born within the framework of the “ATMP Catalonia” initiative, the advanced therapies hub of Catalonia, also promoted by Biocat for just over a year and made up of nearly 70 companies and research entities working on or providing services for the development of these therapies.

» Link to the news: Biocat website [+]