The Barcelona Science Park - UB to host the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft’s headquarters in Barcelona
Signing of the agreement launching Fraunhofer CAT.
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(10/10/2025)
The Barcelona Science Park-UB will be the headquarters in Catalonia and Spain of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, one of the most important applied research centres in the world. Today, the protocol was signed at the Palau de la Generalitat to launch this project, which will begin its activity in a space of almost 1,000 square metres at the PCB-UB.
Signing of the agreement launching Fraunhofer CAT.
News
|
Research
|
Institutional
|
Technology
10/10/2025
The Barcelona Science Park-UB will be the headquarters in Catalonia and Spain of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, one of the most important applied research centres in the world. Today, the protocol was signed at the Palau de la Generalitat to launch this project, which will begin its activity in a space of almost 1,000 square metres at the PCB-UB.
The protocol was signed this morning by the President of the Government of Catalonia, Salvador Illa; the Minister of Science, Innovation and Universities, Diana Morant; the Mayor of Barcelona, Jaume Collboni, and the President of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, Holger Hanselka. The event continued with a tour around the facilities of the Spanish Fraunhofer Foundation at the PCB-UB and a round table with the participation of Joan Guàrdia, rector of the UB; Miquel Rodríguez, manager of Economic Promotion at the Barcelona City Council; Javier Selva, general director for Knowledge Transfer and Society of the Government of Catalonia; Teresa Riesgo, secretary general for Innovation at the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities, and Heiko Zimmermann, head of the Fraunhofer Institute for Biomedical Engineering (IBMT). Núria Montserrat, Catalan Minister of Research and Universities, concluded the session.
During the round table, in relation to the launch of Fraunhofer CAT, the rector of the UB stated: “We will prove that cooperation and collaboration between institutions is the only way to achieve success”. He also stressed that Fraunhofer CAT is a key player in the Diagonal Campus scenario: “It is the institution that will allow us to be the most important biotechnology and biomedicine innovation and research hub in southern Europe”.
Javier Selva pointed out that Fraunhofer CAT contributes to both state and regional policies in order to transform society thanks to strategic innovation, while Miquel Rodríguez highlighted the work that has been carried out over five years to achieve the current objective.
For her part, Teresa Riesgo thanked the support and commitment of public institutions to scientific innovation, and Heiko Zimmermann said that it was strategic for Fraunhofer to come to Barcelona and create these alliances with institutions in the city.
Finally, Minister Montserrat described today’s date as a turning point — “it marks a before and after for innovation in Catalonia” — and highlighted the key role of the universities in making research in Barcelona stand out.
During the round table, in relation to the launch of Fraunhofer CAT, the rector of the UB stated: “We will prove that cooperation and collaboration between institutions is the only way to achieve success”. He also stressed that Fraunhofer CAT is a key player in the Diagonal Campus scenario: “It is the institution that will allow us to be the most important biotechnology and biomedicine innovation and research hub in southern Europe”.
Javier Selva pointed out that Fraunhofer CAT contributes to both state and regional policies in order to transform society thanks to strategic innovation, while Miquel Rodríguez highlighted the work that has been carried out over five years to achieve the current objective.
For her part, Teresa Riesgo thanked the support and commitment of public institutions to scientific innovation, and Heiko Zimmermann said that it was strategic for Fraunhofer to come to Barcelona and create these alliances with institutions in the city.
Finally, Minister Montserrat described today’s date as a turning point — “it marks a before and after for innovation in Catalonia” — and highlighted the key role of the universities in making research in Barcelona stand out.
The institutional commitment to launch the Fraunhofer CAT project was signed today.
At the signing of the protocol at the Palau de la Generalitat, President Illa said: “The agreement is confirmation of Catalonia’s research and innovation potential, of Barcelona and Catalonia’s vocation for research and innovation.” Minister Diana Morant stated that “the science capital of Spain is Barcelona” and that 70% of the research carried out in Spain is carried out at the universities: “You are the essential pole of research, knowledge and innovation.” And Collboni described the Fraunhofer CAT facility as “an extremely important qualitative leap” and thanked the Catalan and Spanish governments and the universities for making it possible.
The opening of Fraunhofer CAT marks a milestone in the promotion of business innovation in the field of theranostics, an emerging field that combines therapy and diagnostics to offer personalized treatments to patients. The centre located in the Barcelona Science Park-UB will act as a bridge between research laboratories, clinics and the biotech industry, and will accelerate the translation of scientific results into medical solutions. Researchers will aim to develop innovative technologies that aid diagnosis, prognosis and therapy selection to facilitate precision medicine.
The centre, which results from the consolidated collaboration between the Fraunhofer Institute for Biomedical Engineering (IBMT) and the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC), will boost knowledge transfer between the academic and industrial sectors, accelerate the development of prototypes, proofs of concept and new medical devices, attract international scientific and technological talent and boost the internationalization of the Catalan biomedical sector in connection with the German and European innovation ecosystems. It will also position Barcelona as a European hub for medical bioengineering, with influence throughout southern Europe. To guarantee the stability and sustainability of the project, the institutions involved have agreed on overall funding of €26.5 million until 2031.
Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft is a German public institution comprising 75 applied research institutes with more than 32,000 employees. With an annual budget of €3.6 billion, it is a key player in the transfer of knowledge and the connection between science and industry. Its presence in Spain, with the Fraunhofer Spain Research Foundation, is the organization's ninth international and sixth European subsidiary.
The opening of Fraunhofer CAT marks a milestone in the promotion of business innovation in the field of theranostics, an emerging field that combines therapy and diagnostics to offer personalized treatments to patients. The centre located in the Barcelona Science Park-UB will act as a bridge between research laboratories, clinics and the biotech industry, and will accelerate the translation of scientific results into medical solutions. Researchers will aim to develop innovative technologies that aid diagnosis, prognosis and therapy selection to facilitate precision medicine.
The centre, which results from the consolidated collaboration between the Fraunhofer Institute for Biomedical Engineering (IBMT) and the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC), will boost knowledge transfer between the academic and industrial sectors, accelerate the development of prototypes, proofs of concept and new medical devices, attract international scientific and technological talent and boost the internationalization of the Catalan biomedical sector in connection with the German and European innovation ecosystems. It will also position Barcelona as a European hub for medical bioengineering, with influence throughout southern Europe. To guarantee the stability and sustainability of the project, the institutions involved have agreed on overall funding of €26.5 million until 2031.
Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft is a German public institution comprising 75 applied research institutes with more than 32,000 employees. With an annual budget of €3.6 billion, it is a key player in the transfer of knowledge and the connection between science and industry. Its presence in Spain, with the Fraunhofer Spain Research Foundation, is the organization's ninth international and sixth European subsidiary.
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