i4KIDS Receives the National Award for Knowledge Transfer Promotion 2024

The i4KIDS Paediatric Innovation Hub, coordinated by Sant Joan de Déu Barcelona Children’s Hospital and the Sant Joan de Déu Research Institute, has been awarded the 2024 National Research Prize in the category of Knowledge Transfer Promotion.

Established in 1990, the National Research Prizes, awarded by the Generalitat de Catalunya and the Catalan Foundation for Research and Innovation (FCRI), recognise excellence in scientific research and innovation, aiming to enhance public recognition of scientific progress in Catalonia.

The award granted to i4KIDS, endowed with €10,000, acknowledges its leadership in bridging the gap between research and real-world applications. It transforms cutting-edge ideas into high-impact healthcare solutions and fosters a collaborative ecosystem that promotes the valorisation and transfer of knowledge in the fields of fetal, paediatric and maternal health. It also highlights the hub’s contribution to promoting innovation in paediatrics and maternal health through collaboration between startups, hospitals, research centres, and industry. The hub has played a key role in accelerating projects with high potential impact on the lives of paediatric patients and their families, supporting their route to market and encouraging investment in paediatric innovation.

Recognition for Innovation in Paediatric Healthcare

This edition of the National Research Prizes has had a strong focus on innovation in child and maternal health. In addition to i4KIDS, Dr Núria Sebastián has been recognised with the 2024 National Research Prize for her leadership of the research group “Speech Acquisition and Processing (SAP)” at the Centre for Brain and Cognition (CBC) at Pompeu Fabra University.

This pioneering research group, part of the i4KIDS network, specialises in cognitive neuroscience applied to language acquisition in infants in bilingual environments. Their studies have demonstrated the impact of bilingualism on brain development in children and have been key to understanding language acquisition in the early years of life.

Moreover, the 2024 National Research Prize for Young Talent has been awarded ex aequo to Eva Maria Novoa, ICREA research professor and leader of the Epitranscriptomics and RNA Dynamics research group at the Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), and Xavier Ros Oton, ICREA research professor and professor in the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science at the University of Barcelona.

Other award winners in this edition:

• Fisidabo Project (UPC and Tibidabo) – Prize for Scientific Communication.
• FERO Foundation – Prize for Scientific Patronage for its support of cancer research.
• i2CAT Foundation and Sateliot – Prize for Public-Private Partnership for their contribution to the aerospace sector.
• Ecomemb SL (University of Girona – ICRA) – Prize for the Creation of a Science-Based Company.

The official award ceremony will take place on Tuesday 17 June 2025 at the Teatre Nacional de Catalunya in Barcelona. The event will be presided over by the President of the Generalitat de Catalunya and will be an important occasion for the entire research and innovation community.

This recognition reinforces i4KIDS’ mission to continue fostering collaboration, research and technology development to address unmet medical needs in paediatrics. It is also a testament to the dedication of the i4KIDS team, researchers and partners, whose collective efforts are making a tangible difference to children’s healthcare.