The TECSAM Network and Bridge The Gap organize Connect & Learn during Barcelona Health Innovation Week

A session to bring European funding opportunities closer to innovative projects and spin-offs

During Innovation Week – Barcelona Health Innovation Week, organized by Biocat, BioRegion of Catalonia, we organized the Connect & Learn session , which was led by Laura Sisó, CEO and co-founder of Bridge The Gap .

We helped participants understand and access the European Innovation Council (EIC) funding programs :

• Pathfinder – for disruptive research in early stages (TRL 1–4), with funding of up to €4 million per consortium for projects with high-risk, high-impact technologies.

• Transition – to transform research results into applicable innovations (TRL 3–6), with grants of up to €2 million that combine technological development and commercial validation.

• Accelerator – to scale deep-tech startups and SMEs (TRL 5–8), with combined grant funding of up to €2.5M and equity investment of €1–10M through the EIC Fund, supporting high-risk development and market deployment.

In this session we provided practical guidance on proposal preparation, risk management, intellectual property protection and maximising European impact. Participants had the opportunity to connect research and business, accelerating growth and developing solutions for global health and mental health challenges.

At the end of the online session, we provided a virtual networking space where participants were able to present their projects and establish collaborations.

Europe has continued to consolidate itself as a hub for high-impact innovation, and the EIC has proven to be a key instrument in bringing disruptive technologies from the laboratory to the market, allowing startups to scale and tackle global challenges.