Two Catalan companies awarded by the European Commission (EC) for their innovation

Two of the five European companies awarded for their innovation by the European Commission (EC) are from Catalonia. These companies are Zymvol and MJN, both recognized under the Innovation Radar Prize 2023 program organized by the EC and the Dealflow.eu platform. This platform identifies high-potential innovative projects among all companies that have access to European funds.

“This recognition positions our country as a 'strong innovator' with an overall innovation index above the European Union average”

Albert Castellanos, Secretary for Business and Competitiveness and CEO of ACCIÓ-Catalonia Trade & Investment

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The Innovation Radar Prize 2023 jury of entrepreneurs, private investors, and ecosystem experts awarded Zymvol the top prize, making it the first Catalan company to receive this honor. Additionally, MJN was recognized for the best innovation led by women. Both Zymvol and MJN have received support from the government through ACCIÓ-Catalonia Trade & Investment, the agency for business competitiveness under the Ministry for Business and Labour, during their growth phases.

According to the Secretary for Business and Competitiveness and CEO of ACCIÓ-Catalonia Trade & Investment, Albert Castellanos, "It is highly strategic for our country that, according to the European Commission, two out of the five most innovative companies among those that have received European funding are Catalan". He also said, "This recognition aligns with the trend shift in Catalonia in the innovation field, which the European Commission recently certified, positioning our country as a 'strong innovator' with an overall innovation index above the European Union average”.

Zymvol, set up in 2017 in Barcelona, specializes in utilizing supercomputing for protein simulations. This biotech startup, which was the overall winner in the Innovation Radar Prize 2023, focuses on software development to discover new enzymes for the pharmaceutical and food industries.

In the case of MJN, it received the award for the best female-led innovation. This Catalan startup has developed a healthcare device for people with epilepsy, sending a warning signal when there is a high risk of seizure to both the affected individual and their trusted contacts.

The other companies recognized in this year’s awards were Carbon Waters (France), InSilicoTrials Technologies (Italy), and Pharmista (Switzerland).