Cantabria Labs has launched the first Celebrate Innovation awards under the slogan “Celebrate life in medical science” with a view to encouraging organisations, researchers and entrepreneurs to seek transformative and specific solutions to unmet needs in the field of health that will help improve people’s health and quality of life.

The Celebrate Innovation awards focus on five highly specific categories in the field of health: Photobiology, Acne, Trichology, Dermatology and Immunology (Special Award to José Antonio Matji). The aim is to promote research and the development of products and ideas in therapeutic areas in line with Cantabria Labs’ support for and commitment to open innovation.

The projects will be reviewed by an evaluation committee made up of representatives from Cantabria Labs and other renowned institutions such as Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), the University of Alcalá, the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) and the Polytechnic University of Barcelona.

The three criteria that will be taken into account when evaluating the applications are the degree of innovation of the proposal and market needs; environmental impact; and development potential.

Speaking about the project, Cantabria Labs’ CEO Susana Rodríguez said, “We want to promote innovation and encourage development among entrepreneurs. In-house research is just as important as promoting research outside the walls of Cantabria Labs. We firmly believe in this model, as reflected in our sponsorship of MIT’s biomedical innovation programmes. We want to continue sowing the seeds of projects that will change the future”.

Entries for the awards must be registered through a specific page in the Celebrate Innovation section of the Cantabria Labs website before 28 February, 2022. The evaluation committee will select a maximum of 10 entries per category. These candidates must then present their proposals to the judges. The winning proposal in each category (Photobiology, Acne, Trichology and Dermatology) will receive prizes of €25,000, and the winning project in the Immunology category – José Antonio Matji Special Prize – will receive a prize of €50,000. In addition, the judges will examine the possibility of the winner developing the project with the help of Cantabria Labs. However, Cantabria Labs may engage any participant (whether a finalist or not) with respect to the development of their project if the proposed solution is of particular interest to the company.

Through this new initiative, the Spanish pharmaceutical company is once again putting science and innovation at the centre of its activities and aims to promote research with innovative solutions to challenges related to the field of health, with entrepreneurship and collaboration as a driving force for change.