The annual InnoStars Awards is one of EIT Health’s most competitive accelerator programs and it facilitates the transition of healthcare concepts into sustainable. Within the framework of the EIT Regional Innovation Scheme (RIS), the InnoStars Awards specifically target early-stage healthcare startups located in Central, Eastern, and Southern Europe.

D-Sight has been selected among more than 150 applications from 18 European countries as one of the most innovative and promising projects in Europe for this year’s edition of the InnoStars Awards.  Together with another 18 participants from different European countries, the spin-off company has worked diligently on conceptualizing key aspects of its business plan and advancing the preclinical development of its drug for the treatment of early stages of diabetic retinopathy.

The competitive and innovative value of the project under development by D-Sight was recognized by the jury members and the company was selected as a finalist for the InnoStars Awards Final Pitch Competition that took place the past 8th of November at the Milano Innovation District (MIND) in Milan (Italy).

Following a thrilling competition among ten highly innovative and disruptive technological and biomedical start-ups in the health sector, D-Sight was honored to receive an award of 10.000€ as part of the EIT Health InnoStars Awards 2023. This award is a recognition from investors and the international EIT Health community of the human and scientific talent leading this project, as well as the high competitive and innovative potential of the treatment being developed by D-Sight. The strategic alliances formed during this program will enable the successful transfer of this technology to the market.

This investment from EIT Health in the project will enable D-Sight to progress in the clinical development of its groundbreaking treatment for the early stages of diabetic retinopathy.

D-Sight is a spin-off company from Vall d’Hebron Institute of Research (VHIR) lead by an experienced and committed team dedicated to the discovery and development of new innovative treatments for neurodegenerative diseases of the retina. D-Sight is shaping the future of retinal diseases treatment with their first product in development: a first-in-class eye drop formulation for the prevention and treatment of diabetic retinopathy in its early stages.

About EIT Health

EIT Health was established in 2015, as a ‘knowledge and innovation community’ (KIC) of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT). The EIT is made up of various KICs who each focus on a different sector, or area, of innovation – in our case, that is health and aging. The idea behind the EIT KICs is that innovation flourishes best when the right people are brought together to share expertise. The so called ‘knowledge triangle’, is the principle that when experts from business, research and education work together as one, an optimal environment for innovation is created.

About InnoStars Awards

The InnoStars Awards is a key acceleration program for early-stage start-ups from Central, Eastern and Southern Europe, where the pace of innovation is more moderate. The program helps transform prototypes and MVPs into health solutions or products and bring them to the market. Over the last seven years, more than 100 start-ups have been trained and more than half have been successful in the market.