i4KIDS celebrates the presentation of the National Award for Knowledge Transfer Promotion 2024

On 17 June, the Teatre Nacional de Catalunya hosted the official ceremony for the 2024 National Research Awards, a key event for Catalonia’s scientific and innovation community. During the ceremony, i4KIDS, the paediatric innovation hub coordinated by Sant Joan de Déu Hospital, received the National Award for the Promotion of Knowledge Transfer, granted by the Government of Catalonia and the Catalan Foundation for Research and Innovation (FCRI).

The event was presided over by the Honourable President of the Government of Catalonia, Salvador Illa, and featured the prominent participation of the Minister for Research and Universities, Dr Núria Montserrat, who acted as host in her capacity as President of the FCRI.

Dr Joan Comella, Director of Research, Innovation and Education at Sant Joan de Déu Hospital, and Arnau Valls, Director of i4KIDS and Innovation Coordinator at the same hospital, accepted the award on behalf of the hospital. They were accompanied by a large delegation from the Sant Joan de Déu Barcelona Children’s Hospital team, who attended to show their support for this significant recognition of collaborative innovation work.

The jury awarded i4KIDS recognition for the transformative impact of its project in transferring knowledge to the market, and for its ability to mobilise investment and generate value in the healthcare sector. This recognition highlights the crucial role played by innovation units and technology transfer offices within the Catalan ecosystem, especially in the field of paediatric and maternal health given the sector’s specific regulatory and market challenges.

Arnau Valls, Director of i4KIDS, said, “This award recognises our efforts to change the current paradigm in paediatric and maternal innovation. We hope that one day all children and mothers will have access to the best diagnostics and treatments. It also recognises this vulnerable population and the importance of making real changes for them. But beyond that, it recognises the ecosystem of innovation departments and technology transfer offices that support innovators, researchers, clinicians and teams in bringing innovation to market. This support work is often not well known — we help build projects, assess their value, and transfer them to real-world settings. That is why it is especially meaningful to us that this award also shines a light on those roles.”

This award reaffirms the commitment of i4KIDS and Sant Joan de Déu Barcelona Children’s Hospital to promoting innovation and the effective transfer of applied knowledge to the productive and social systems — an essential mission to ensure that science and technology have a real impact on society.