News

ECHAlliance convene first Spanish Ecosystem Gathering in Barcelona

Published on: 23/11/2023

ECHAlliance convene first Spanish Ecosystem Gathering in Barcelona

Our ECHAlliance Spanish Ecosystem Gathering took place in Barcelona, Spain on the 22nd November jointly organised with our Catalan Ecosystem.

Ecosystems, Member News

Our very first Spanish Ecosystem Gathering successfully brought together 22 speakers from across Spain and a packed room of 70 attendees on the 22nd of November in Barcelona, Spain.

Coinciding with the Spanish Presidency of the Council of the European Union, the goal of this gathering jointly organised with our Catalan ecosystem led by AQuAS was to bring together our community of Spanish members and ecosystems to network between each other and learn best practices.

Ecosystems

The event, moderated by ECHAlliance’s Andy Bleaden, Inés Luján and Iman Amar, started with the launch of the Spanish Presidency Connector featuring our community in Spain by ECHAlliance’s Adriana Díaz. You can take a look at the document here.

The first section of the gathering focused on our Spanish ecosystems with presentations from:

Members

Next, we shifted the spotlight to our Spanish members or working in Spain, such as Better or McKinsey. The audience had the chance to hear more about the work of our members, including all stakeholders from patient organisations, government bodies, researchers and companies:

  • Jovan Pavićević, International Markets Director, Better
  • Àuria Albacete, Senior Innovation Project Leader, BIOCAT
  • Nuria Pastor, Chief Executive Officer, HumanITcare
  • Patricia Ripoll, President, Fundación Visible
  • Alvaro Carpintero, McKinsey Spain
  • Roger Suarez, International Networks Manager, ACCIÓ
  • Shane Fitch, CEO & Founder, Lovexair Foundation
  • Gabriela Irrazabal, Digital Health Research Fellow, RMIT University
  • Gemma Estrada, Head Digital Health & Technology, Ferrer
  • Marta Sánchez, Manager, WeMind Cluster
  • Marja Huiskamp, Chief Communication Barcelona, Barcelona Health Hub
  • Elena Rocher, Project Coordinator, Las Naves

 

Panel debate on “How to go international?”

Finally, a panel debate on “How to go international”, moderated by ECHAlliance’s Adriana Díaz, closed the event. Jovan Pavićević, International Markets Director, Better, Àuria Albacete, Senior Innovation Project Leader, BIOCAT, Gisela Garcia-Alvarez, Managing Director, Cluster Saúde de Galicia and Jonathan Gómez-Raja, Chief Scientific Officer, FundeSalud, inspired the audience by sharing their experience in successfully going international, either through EU projects, international programs for start-ups or learning expeditions. 

The gathering continued on the 23rd of November with our Health Procurement Thematic Innovation Ecosystem (TIE) led by AQuAS.

Focusing on the topic of “From regular health procurement to value based health procurement”, the TIE started with a welcome by ECHAlliance’s Andy Bleaden and AQuAS’ Ramon Maspons, followed by a keynote speech by Neus Colet from Public Procurement DG, Generalitat de Catalunya.

We then heard from Patricia Ripoll, President of Fundación Visible, ECHAlliance Member, about how to involve patients in value-based health procurement. On the needs side, we had the chance to hear about the needs of healthcare professionals from Marta Aurora Rubiera del Fueyo, Stroke Neurologist at Hospital Vall d’Hebron; the needs of procurers from Rossana Alessandrello, Value Based Procurement Director at AQuAS & Coordinator of Value Based Procurement Subcommission of the Innovation & Tranformation Departamental Commission of Catalonian Health System; and the needs of suppliers from Joan Escudero, Digital Health Director at Evidenze Group.

The morning finished with key messages from practitioners, including the following EU Projects:

  • CRANE – Jonathan Gómez-Raja, Chief Scientific Officer, FUNDESALUD
  • EcoQUIP+ –George Valiotis, Executive Director, European Health Management Assocation (EHMA)
  • RaDAR – Maddalena Illario, Professor of Public Health and R&D Unit Coordinator, University of Naples Federico II
  • oncNGS – Gordana Raicevic, Scientific Project Coordinator, Sciensano
  • TIQUE – Caterina Sampol, Transformational change and value based procurement manager, Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau (ES)
  • MITMEVA – Laura Sampietro, Deputy Director of Innovation and Head of Innovation Assessment Unit, Hospital Clínic Barcelona
  • DYNAMO PCP – Oscar Zanutto, FABER Coordinator, ISRAA

Download the slides of the Health Procurement TIE here

 

 

NEWS​

Related News

Why HLTH Las Vegas 2025 Is the Strategic Event Healthcare Leaders Can’t Miss

9 Jul 2025
Whether you're seeking sponsorships, partnerships, funding, or a platform to lead the conversation – HLTH 2025 puts you at the center of it all.

From Talk to Action: Global Health Insights from Convergence

9 Jul 2025
What happens when health, finance, science, and digital infrastructure stop working in silos and start solving problems together? Global leaders came ...

June 2025 ECHAlliance Newsletter

8 Jul 2025

New Round Tables announced to drive progress on EHDS and health AI

3 Jul 2025

The European Accessibility Act Is Here. Are You Ready?

2 Jul 2025
Why inclusive design is no longer optional – and how Big Motive can help you lead the way.

DTH-Lab Director: The G7 must act now to address the digital health transformation

2 Jul 2025
As digital platforms increasingly shape health systems and information flows, the G7 must lead in setting global standards to ensure safety, equity an...

Become a member

Join ECHAlliance to amplify your organisation’s message, grow your networks, connect with innovators and collaborate globally.
 
First name *
Last Name *
Email Address *
Country *
Position *
First name *
Last Name *
Email Address *
Country *
Position *