How can promising biomanufacturing technologies move closer to real industrial application? BRIDGE InnoStars Connect 2026 is inviting innovative SMEs from Campania and Silesia to tackle two concrete challenges identified by the pharmaceutical industry and develop their solutions in direct collaboration with the challenge owner.
Delivered within the BRIDGE project, InnoStars Connect is an open innovation programme connecting European health and biomanufacturing SMEs with Laboratorio Reig Jofre, a pharmaceutical company that has identified two priority challenges in next generation biomanufacturing.
Rather than asking companies to innovate in isolation, the programme creates a direct bridge between emerging solutions and real operational needs. Selected SMEs will have the opportunity to further develop and validate their technologies with input from Reig Jofre, receive tailored business support and ultimately present their solutions at the company’s facilities in Barcelona.
Two challenges. Real industry needs.
Applicants are invited to address one of two challenges defined by Laboratorio Reig Jofre:
- Challenge 1: Digital Twin for Biomanufacturing Scale-Up – moving from pilot-scale development to industrial manufacturing remains a critical stage in biomanufacturing. The first challenge therefore seeks predictive digital twin solutions capable of supporting this transition. Proposed solutions should help de-risk scale-up, optimise processes and enable more reliable decision-making, ultimately bringing greater predictability to biomanufacturing development.
- Challenge 2: Sustainable Biomanufacturing Excellence – the second challenge focuses on making biomanufacturing operations more sustainable. Applicants are invited to propose technologies and approaches capable of delivering measurable reductions in water and energy consumption, single-use materials and chemical inputs, while maintaining product quality and regulatory compliance.
From an industry challenge to a development opportunity
InnoStars Connect is designed to turn this dialogue between industry and innovators into a structured development journey.
Up to four SMEs will be selected for the programme, with the aim of supporting two teams from Campania and two from Silesia, subject to sufficient high-quality eligible applications.
Selected teams will have the opportunity to work directly with the challenge owner, test their thinking against a concrete industrial need and receive expert feedback as they further develop their solutions.
“One of the biggest opportunities in open innovation comes when promising technologies meet clearly defined industry needs. Through BRIDGE InnoStars Connect, we want to give SMEs from Campania and Silesia the opportunity to test their ideas against real biomanufacturing challenges, work directly with an industry partner and take another step towards market and industrial application.” – underlines Alessio Smeraldo, Project Manager at InnoStars.
A structured support programme
Selected teams will enter a structured programme designed to strengthen both their solutions and their pathway towards industrial and market application.
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;
- an online bootcamp cycle from November to December 2026;
- an in-person bootcamp at Reig Jofre’s facilities in Barcelona between **January and February 2027;
- a final pitching event before an expert panel.
Participation is free of charge and is provided as non-financial support.
The opportunity is open to legally registered SMEs, including start-ups and spin-offs with TRL level 5-7, established in Campania, Italy, or Silesia, Poland.
The BRIDGE InnoStars Connect Call is open until 1 October 2026 at 16:00 CEST.
For more detailed information please visit dedicated InnoStars Connect website.