Last July, the fourth edition of the Rising Innovators programme came to an end. This initiative, focused on innovation and entrepreneurship training, is promoted by the Innovation and Business Development Directorate of the Vall d’Hebron Research Institute (VHIR). The programme aims to foster an innovative culture within the institution and provide practical tools for the development of projects with transfer potential. As a new feature of this edition, the closing session included, for the first time, an Award for the best pitch, consisting of a scholarship to attend one of the modules of the Master’s Degree in Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Health promoted by VHIR free of charge.

This year’s edition brought together 16 professionals from different research, support and healthcare fields who were interested in gaining deeper knowledge of the main aspects involved in the development of health innovations. Throughout several sessions, participants worked on concepts related to intellectual property, regulatory affairs, business models, technology transfer strategies and health technology assessment (HTA), combining theoretical content with practical application to their own projects.

As part of the programme, participants also had the opportunity to learn about external experiences and perspectives from the health innovation ecosystem. In this edition, we welcomed Daniel Oliver, who shared his experience in the field of investment and financing of innovative projects, and Sofia Ferreira, who provided her perspective on the creation of health spin-offs and fundraising through pitching.

The closing session culminated in a pitch competition in which participants presented their innovative projects, putting into practice the knowledge acquired during the programme and demonstrating the quality of the initiatives developed. In this first edition featuring an award, the prize went to Cristina Rivera, whose project was recognised as the programme’s best pitch.

With this new edition, the Rising Innovators programme continues to consolidate itself as a tool to promote innovation and knowledge transfer within VHIR, contributing to transforming research results into solutions with an impact on patients and society.