With Barcelona at the forefront, Catalonia stands as a territory of science. Research centers, local and international talent, and reference hospitals converge in the Barcelona metropolis. For it to develop its full potential, this scientific hub needs talent and equipment, but also funding, in an equation that includes public institutions but also private resources.
In this context where public funding cannot keep pace with the advancement of science, patronage is presented as a key tool to sustain and accelerate high-impact projects. Foundations, companies, and private donors assume a decisive role in promoting these projects, complementing public investment and enabling scientific teams to develop lines of work that would otherwise be paralyzed.
Thus, from biomedicine to artificial intelligence, private contribution is crucial for a Catalonia that wants to lead the scientific ecosystem of Southern Europe. There are many examples of companies and foundations that propel research in Catalonia, but the scientific ecosystem calls for more patronage initiatives. Actors such as the Fundació Catalunya La Pedrera and its programs for young researchers, the Fundació La Caixa with the impulse of the CaixaResearch Institute, the Pasqual Maragall Foundation to combat Alzheimer's, and the Fundació Puig with scholarships for students are some examples, along with other entities such as the Fundació Vila Casas, which combines artistic patronage with its support for medical research.
"Science is fundamental; without research, there is no cure, no information to make decisions," claims Sonia Mulero, general director of the Banco Sabadell Foundation. "I wish there were more private foundations and organizations, and also more public resources in this area," added Mulero, who captains a foundation with a dual aspect: it promotes both culture and art, and science and education, with young talent as a transversal element: "Without supporting young people, there is no future." In the field of culture and arts, the entity supports projects such as the Orquestra Simfònica del Vallès and multiple initiatives and cultural and artistic centers. A large part of the foundation's activity will take place in the future cultural center that will open in Sabadell, where it will also exhibit 500 pieces from the bank's art collection, in three modernist buildings that are being renovated.
And the impulse is no less in the field of research. "If there is something that distinguishes us, it is science," with recognitions for young researchers with awards ranging from 30,000 to 50,000 euros. With an external jury of experts, the foundation awards prizes such as the Biomedical Research Award, the Science and Engineering Award, the Economics Award and, as a novelty, the Marine Sustainability Award. The foundation's impact with its awards is complemented by scholarships, programs and activities in collaboration with other actors: "In some way, we want to be catalysts and, from our umbrella, promote many initiatives from a collaborative spirit." Thus, the foundation supports projects from other entities to generate a "multiplier effect."
The foundation's commitment to promoting patronage in the scientific field is shared by entities of all natures and sizes. In a space of confluence between science and art, Incite works as an innovative social communication platform for science, through theater, with the aim of generating a social impact. "Patronage should play a fundamental role," defends the director of the initiative, Susana Eva Martínez.
From her scientific career and her passion for theater, Martínez brought both worlds together in 2013 to bring highly rigorous scientific issues closer to citizens and, on this path, she arrived at the Fundació Catalunya Cultura, where she connected with the field of patronage. There, Incite highlighted the impact it generates by promoting scientific culture, both in plays aimed at the general public and with interpretations focused on patients or health professionals: "We have met patients who have told us that for the first time they have understood their disease." Incite's work —for which it received The New Barcelona Post award within the 2024 Impulsa Cultura Awards— thus contributes to promoting scientific culture to gain criteria and "be able to distinguish fake news," and to "professionalize scientific dissemination."
Strategic alliances beyond economics
But, beyond economic support, new scientific patronage is conceived as a strategic alliance. Patrons not only provide resources, but also vision, a network of contacts, and the ability to connect the research world with society and the business fabric. Factors that the Catalan company Neuroelectrics found, albeit on the other side of the ocean. After being born in 2011 after a decade of research from the Fabra Observatory, Neuroelectrics opened headquarters in Boston, where he came into contact with great patrons and mentors, including Henri Termeer, a key figure in the creation of Boston's biotechnology ecosystem."Promoting patronage requires not only incentives, but also pedagogy""More patrons are needed here. In the world of science, it is difficult to find funding, because it involves risk and very long deadlines, and we need more resources," highlights Ana Maiques, CEO and co-founder of Neuroelectrics."Science should have more patrons, and one way to facilitate this is through a system of tax incentives for donations,"Maiques emphasizes. The fact that Neuroelectrics raised 25 million dollars from Boston "shows that Barcelona's science can compete at the highest level"; now, the company wants to raise 40 million more for its non-invasive technology to study, diagnose, and treat neuropsychiatric diseases.
Numerous scientific projects and professionals have grown with the help of patrons and funding beyond borders, as is the case of Gemma de les Coves. The quantum physicist spent 17 years between Austria and Munich —where she worked with Ignacio Cirac—, a period during which she experienced a "rich ecosystem" with numerous funding options, including patronage from large company foundations. Now she has returned to Catalonia with an Icrea position, funded by the Government, "a program that should be a source of national pride."
"More people with resources or influence are needed to encourage them to help local scientific talent shine. More facilities are needed to grow these projects," the scientist highlights. And she focuses on a factor that goes beyond the economic issue: "There, researchers and doctors are highly recognized and seen with prestige, and that helps people with economic capacity consider supporting these people with money, because they see it as a way to invest in the public good of the advancement of our society."
Thus, giving that boost to patronage in science not only involves improving tax incentives, but also a social narrative that recognizes the value of researchers and those who support them from the private sphere. And this commitment does not have to be through large sums of money; the Catalan scientific and social fabric is articulated in numerous initiatives that directly impact research. La Marató, which this year focuses on cancer, is one of the paradigmatic examples that channel the citizen's impulse to contribute to scientific advancement linked to health, along with many other initiatives, such as the one promoted by Clínic through Girem Full. The project combines the promotion of reading with cancer research: for a month between March and April —between Poetry Day and Sant Jordi—, it invites citizens to read and write reviews about their readings; then, patrons who have registered as sponsors provide funding for each reading. In 2025, they achieved more than 15,000 reviews, which translated into 2,000 hours of cancer research.
"We want to take the initiative to the business community, and encourage companies to participate," highlights the Head of Patronage at Clínic, Núria Vilamajó. This "polyhedral initiative" — recognized with The New Barcelona Post award within the Impulsa Cultura 2025 Awards— joins numerous Clínic initiatives to fuel its research projects, which last year raised 2.8 million euros from patronage: "The sum of many small efforts allows for wonders."
The head of Partners and Donations at the Fundació Josep Carreras, Tina Grau, defends the same. Created by the tenor following his leukemia diagnosis, the foundation is in itself an example of patronage, now dedicated to combating the disease through research programs and the Josep Carreras Research Institute. "We have more than 40 lines of research and 400 researchers," in addition to reception flats for patients who come from afar, which hosted more than 100 families in 2024. All of this, without public funding: "Everything is possible thanks to our partners, to promoters of activities that raise funds, to inheritances donated to us, and to companies that collaborate with the foundation." In addition to 150,000 partners, the entity has more than 1,300 companies that support it. "We go looking for them, and it's hard. There should be more patronage activity." And how to achieve it? Not only with incentives, but with more culture of patronage: "With pedagogy, and from childhood."
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