Driving knowledge to society

We aim to bring the outcomes of our research to society by establishing mechanisms that route basic research towards commercial or social innovation and by raising the awareness and understanding of our science in the general public.

The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology (BIST) and its centres are active agents in the development of the science and innovation ecosystems with which they interact, without forgetting their own role in disseminating knowledge and their relationship with the educational system. Technology transfer and industry relations must be part of the working model so that those inventions generated by our research groups are transformed into innovations that reach society.

To achieve these goals, BIST and its centres are developing actions oriented to:

• Developing a culture of innovation within the BIST community
• Supporting the creation of new companies 
• Organizing entrepreneurship training activities
• Developing outreach programmes to bring science closer to society

Our spin-offs

The BIST centres have founded 51 spin-offs, 41 of which are active companies (as December 2023). These spin-offs have raised over 200 M€ in funding.

Latest news about BIST spin-offs

ACCURE THERAPEUTICS

Created in 2020 to boost two existing companies focused in central nervous system diseases. It integrated iProteos, an IRB Barcelona spin-off created in 2011. [+]

AHEAD THERAPEUTICS

Founded in 2017 by ICN2, IGTP, and ICREA, this spin-off develops and commercialises treatments for auto-immune disorders with a special focus on Diabetes I and Multiple Sclerosis. [+]

ALLO X

ALLO X​ is a spin-off launched in 2023 from the CRG, with a proprietary technology to design new drugs targeting allosteric sites in a large amount of proteins, including ​‘​undruggable​’​ or hard​-​to​-​target therapeutic targets. [+]

APPLIED NANOPARTICLES

A spin-off of ICN2, UAB, and ICREA that was created in 2013 and specialises in the field of biogas production. [+]

BARETEK

This 2020 IFAE spin-off provides specialised microelectronics packaging services for proof of concepts, prototyping, and small productions related to particle/radiation pixel detectors.

COOLING PHOTONICS

ICN2 spin-off launched in 2021 whose technology provides passive cooling solutions without energy consumption or carbon emissions. [+]

DEEP DETECTION

This IFAE spin-off created in 2020 offers innovative industrial inspection solutions combining X-ray detection and artificial intelligence [+]

DISTINKT

Founded in 2022, this spin-off from ICN2, UAB and CSIC commercialises a new generation of high-security fluorescent inks based on nanotechnology. [+]

EODYNE

Spin-off specialised in real-time interactive systems and technologies for virtual and augmented reality, ambient and wearable sensors, robotics, machine perception, cognitive processes, and user experience. [+]

FUTURECHROMES

Spin-off company created in 2014 with participation from ICN2 that works on the creation of advanced photochromes. [+]

GATE2BRAIN

Spin-off launched in 2020 by IRB Barcelona, UB, and IRSJD to improve drug delivery across biological barriers with radically innovative peptide-based patented technology. [+]

GRAPHENICALAB

Spin-off of ICN2 that was created in 2016 and offers state-of-the-art patented technology to print flexible graphene sensors and electronic devices on any surface. [+]

HEMOPHOTONICS

Founded in 2013 as a spin-off of ICFO, it commercialises portable, non-invasive and real-time blood flow monitoring devices based on photonics. [+]

INBIOMOTION

Spin-off of IRB Barcelona and ICREA founded in 2010 that develops biomarkers to predict bone metastasis. [+]

INBRAIN NEUROELECTRONICS

This spin-off of ICN2, founded in 2019, builds neuroelectronic interfaces based on graphene to cure brain disorders. [+]

IPROTEOS

In May 2020, this spin-off launched by IRB Barcelona and UB in 2011 to develop new therapies for neurological and vascular diseases, became part of the new company Accure Therapeutics. [+]

JOLT

ICIQ launched this spin-off in 2022. Its technology will allow companies to contribute to the guidelines expressed in the European Green Deal, working towards an economy free of CO2 emissions. [+]

LUXQUANTA

ICFO spin-off company launched in 2021 to exploit quantum technologies for the highest level of data security. [+]

MICROOMICS

Spin-off of CRG that was created in 2017 and specialises in microbiome analysis, transforming metagenomics data into knowledge for various industries. [+]

NANOBOTS THERAPEUTICS

The company is a spin-off of the ICREA and IBEC research center and is developing a new modality of medicines for different types of cancers [+]

NOSTRUM BIODISCOVERY

Spin-off of IRB Barcelona, BCN-CNS, UB, and ICREA created in 2015 that offers specialised services for drug development based on bioinformatics. [+]

NUAGE THERAPEUTICS

This spin-off from IRB Barcelona and ICREA was launched in 2021 with the mission of leveraging biomolecular condensation and chemical biology for unmet medical needs. [+]

OMNISCOPE

Applying cutting-edge science to redesigning diagnostic medicine to detect disease earlier, more broadly, and with unprecedented sensitivity and accessibility. [+]

ONA THERAPEUTICS

ICREA and IRB Barcelona spin-off created in 2019 that specialises in discovering and developing therapeutic biologics targeting tumor metastatic-initiating cells and lipid metabolism. [+]

ORCHESTRA SCIENTIFIC

Spin-off of ICIQ founded in 2017 that commercialises scientific instrumentation and proprietary technology for CO2 capture. [+]

ORIKINE BIO

A biotech spin-off from CRG launched in 2022 and dedicated to advancing the field of engineered cytokines with unparalleled biological features for the treatment of immune-mediated diseases. [+]

PAPERDROP DIAGNOSTICS

This spin-off of ICN2 created in 2016 is a nanobiotech company focused on the development of new diagnostic tools. [+]

PROCARELIGHT

Spin-off of ICFO founded in 2012 that works in safety issues related to laser and light emitting systems. [+]

PULMOBIOTICS

Spin-off of CRG funded in 2020 by Invivo Ventures that aims to discover and develop novel treatments and vaccines for respiratory diseases. [+]

QGENOMICS

Spin-off of CRG and UPF created in 2008 that offers analysis and interpretation services of genomic data. [+]

QILIMANJARO

Spin-off of IFAE, BSC-CNS, and UB created in 2019 to develop the first generation of a quantum annealing computer. [+]

QURV

This 2020 ICFO spin-off has image sensor technologies which enable enhanced computer vision applications, addressing the needs of an intelligent new world. [+]

QUSIDE

Spin-off of ICFO founded in 2017 to develop quantum technologies for the cyber-security and super-computation sectors. [+]

RADIANTIS

Spin-off of ICFO established in 2005 that manufactures systems for laser tuning and instrumentation for optical diagnostics. [+]

ROB SURGICAL SYSTEMS

Created in 2012 by IBEC and UPC, this spin-off develops Bitrack, a robotic system for use in minimally invasive laparoscopy surgery. [+]

SENSIA

Founded in 2004, this spin-off of ICN2 developed analytical instrumentation based on graphene biosensing. It was acquired by Grupo Mondragon in 2012.

SEQERA LABS

Founded in 2018 by CRG, it fosters the adoption of professional open source software and strengthen Nextflow for genomic and precision medicine applications. [+]

SIGNADYNE

Spin-off of ICFO created in 2011 and acquired by Keysight Technologies in 2016. It produces control, test and measurement systems for several industries. [+]

SIMUNE

Established in 2014, this spin-off of ICN2 develops advanced materials to meet industry and research needs. [+]

SURGITRAINER

Spin-off founded in 2015 by CREB-UPC with the support of IB-Sant Pau and IBEC to provide training and accreditation for minimally invasive surgical techniques. [+]

SIXSENSO

A spin-off founded in 2020 by ICFO to rapidly identify and quantify microbiological organisms in water and bio-compatible liquid samples. [+]

TREELLUM TECHNOLOGIES

This ICIQ spin-off created in 2020 developed a photoreactor system that uses light to trigger reactions that enable otherwise inaccessible reaction pathways. [+]

VITALA TECHNOLOGIES

This IBEC spin-off was launched in 2021. It delivers deep insights into metabolic kinetics at the cellular level, improving the quality of life and eliminating erroneous, or even hazardous, medical treatments. [+]

VITSOLC

Spin-off of ICFO launched in 2021 that produces transparent photovoltaic modules to convert sunlight to electricity with a high potential to be integrated within any type of object or vehicle. [+]

BIST centres


Institutional Members of the Board of Trustees