The summit featured presentations by international leaders in healthcare innovation, transformation of care models, digital health, and artificial intelligence applied to health, alongside discussions on the future of hospitals and knowledge transfer to the healthcare system. The event concluded with the presentation of ten Campus Clínic Innova 2026 awards.
Supported by the Fundación Vila Casas and Casa Tarradellas, this edition focused on reflecting on the future of health innovation. Jorge Fernández, Director of Innovation at Clínic, highlighted the initiative's consolidation as a benchmark for promoting innovative projects arising from clinical practice and research.
Since its first edition in 2021, Campus Clínic Innova has received 290 proposals and awarded 41 projects. In 2026, 62 applications were submitted, a 63% increase from the previous year, and ten awards were granted. The program currently has three support lines: Millorem el Clínic, Idees cap a Mercat, and Innova la C-17, the latter now open to hospitals in the C-17 network for the first time.
Projects receive financial support (between 5,000 and 30,000 euros) and specialized guidance. The inclusion of the Innova la C-17 line strengthens collaboration among centers in this network, expanding the program's reach to technology-based projects in biotechnology, medical technology, and digital health.
An investment of 585,000 euros between 2021 and 2025 has helped attract nearly 2.52 million euros in external competitive funding, representing a return of 4.3 euros for every euro invested. Supported projects have generated nine patents, two utility models, two software or trademark registrations, and four initiatives have been implemented at Hospital Clínic, one has led to the creation of a spin-off, and others have fostered collaborations with companies.
The fifth edition recognized ten projects addressing key health challenges, including prenatal diagnosis of congenital heart defects, chronic pelvic pain management, childhood obesity risk assessment, new strategies against malaria, rare diseases, antibiotic-resistant infections, personalized lupus patient monitoring, improving emergency care for individuals with autism spectrum disorder and intellectual disability, and developing AI tools for clinical data management and cardiovascular care.
Innovation is a strategic pillar of Campus Clínic Barcelona, an ecosystem integrating care, research, teaching, and knowledge transfer. This model has driven over 1,000 innovation projects, 150 co-development projects, 33 spin-offs, and 74 technology licensing agreements.
