Within the framework of the Barcelona Deep Tech Summit, the second edition of the Joan Roget Awards for Knowledge Transfer was held, convened by the Department of Research and Universities through the Catalan Foundation for Research and Innovation. The Vall d'Hebron University Hospital Foundation-Institute of Research (VHIR), member of CataloniaBio & HealthTech, has been awarded in the category of Impulse for Transfer, and OneChain, a spin-off from the Josep Carreras Leucemia Research Institute, also members of CataloniaBio & HealthTech, in the category of Successful Transfer Case. In addition, the PIKSEL project of the Center for Numerical Methods in Engineering (CIMNE) and the Department of Territory of the Government of Catalonia have also been recognized for their best collaborative R+D+I work.
These awards recognize actions related to knowledge transfer, considered successful cases of the research system in Catalonia, for their contribution to economic and social development. The goal is to highlight the contributions of individuals, projects, and entities for their ability to translate research into practical application, as well as the degree of connection with potential users of the generated research.
The Vall d'Hebron University Hospital Foundation-Institute of Research (VHIR) has obtained the award in the category of Impulse for Transfer for the creation of its own innovation model, based on the principles of collaboration and entrepreneurship with an impact throughout the value chain. The VHIR has taken as a reference the best international practices in health innovation (from the United States, Europe, and Israel).
The model includes an incubator for the valorization and transfer of innovative technologies and solutions, and an accelerator for the growth and scalability of participating companies and disruptive projects. Currently, the VHIR manages 127 innovation projects, has created 6 spin-offs and participates in 4 more, has 12 licenses with emerging companies and 7 asset licenses with large pharmaceutical companies. The entity has registered more than 60 new patents and has more than 30 new projects in its portfolio.
OneChain Immunotherapeutics has been recognized in the Successful Transfer Case category. It has received the award as an example of an innovative industry, creating skilled jobs through the development of a treatment, in clinical phases, for T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia of cortical thymic origin. This subtype of leukemia is very rare, mostly pediatric, and has a poor prognosis. One-third of patients do not respond to existing treatments requiring new therapeutic opportunities.
Additionally, the company is working on five products targeting B-cell and T-cell leukemias, as well as glioblastoma, along with a universal allogeneic CAR-T platform (modification of T cells to target tumors). CAR-T therapies are aimed at patients who have exhausted all other therapeutic options. Currently, three years after its inception, OneChain has secured €9.7 million in investment funds and has brought its first therapy to patients in an ongoing clinical trial.
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