InnoStars Connect 2026 – Biomanufacturing Challenges

InnoStars Connect is an open innovation programme that pairs European health and biomanufacturing SMEs with a major industry challenge owner to solve a real operational problem together. In this edition, delivered within the BRIDGE project, the challenge owner is Laboratorio Reig Jofre, which has defined two priority challenges in next-generation biomanufacturing. Selected teams work directly with Reig Jofre to develop, validate and present their solutions, ending with a pitching event at Reig Jofre’s facilities in Barcelona. The programme is delivered free of charge as non-financial support.

The challenges

Applicants address one of the following:

Challenge 1 – Digital Twin for Biomanufacturing Scale-Up

Predictive digital twin solutions that de-risk the transition from pilot to industrial scale, supporting process optimisation, more reliable scale-up decisions, and greater predictability in biomanufacturing development.

Challenge 2 – Sustainable Biomanufacturing Excellence

Technologies and approaches delivering measurable reductions in water, energy, single-use materials and chemical inputs across biomanufacturing operations, without compromising product quality or regulatory compliance.

Full descriptions are in Annex 1 of the Call Document.

Selected teams will participate in a structured support programme to further develop, validate and present their solutions in response to the InnoStars Connect challenges. The programme includes:

• • Up to 10 hours of tailored mentoring and coaching
  • Four workshops covering business model development, financial planning and investment readiness, market strategy, and scale-up pathways
  • Direct engagement with the challenge owner and expert feedback
  • Online bootcamp cycle, November – December 2026
  • In-person bootcamp at Reig Jofre’s facilities in Barcelona, January – February 2027
  • Final pitching event before an expert panel

The programme provides no financial support – no payment of any kind is made to participants. InnoStars arranges and pays for travel and accommodation for up to two representatives per selected team attending the Barcelona bootcamp. These are contracted and paid by InnoStars directly to the service providers as its own programme delivery costs – nothing is paid or reimbursed to participants, and participants are not asked to incur and reclaim any cost.

The call is open to legally registered SMEs, including start-ups and spin-offs, established in Campania (Italy) or Silesia (Poland). Applicants must have an innovative solution addressing one of the two InnoStars Connect challenges and a maturity level of TRL 5 to TRL 7, with the technology, service or solution demonstrated in a working or relevant environment.

Places available: up to four, with the aim of selecting two teams from Campania and two from Silesia, subject to sufficient high-quality eligible applications from each region. Applications that meet the quality threshold but are not selected may be placed on a reserve list.

Applications must be submitted in English through the online application form by 1 October 2026, 16:00 CEST. Applications sent by email, post or any other channel will not be accepted, and late or incomplete applications cannot be considered.

The application must include:

• the completed Application Form
• the Declaration of SME Status, downloaded, completed, signed and uploaded
• the Company Registration Certificate, in PDF

Eligible applications are scored out of 100 points by three independent experts against four criteria: relevance and challenge fit (40%), quality and maturity of the solution (30%), impact and market potential (20%), and implementation readiness and team capacity (10%). Applications scoring at least 75 points are invited to an online hearing with Laboratorio Reig Jofre, which then selects the participants best placed to address the challenge. The full assessment process, including the treatment of tied scores, the reserve list and the review procedure, is set out in Sections 7 and 9 of the Call Document.

For questions about the call and application process, please contact Alessio Smeraldo at alessio.smeraldo@innostars.org