On February 2nd, we held the kick-off meeting of the INNTERACT project at the Leartiker facilities (Markina-Xemein, Bizkaia). This cross-border initiative of the Interreg POCTEFA programme aims to boost health innovation through the development, validation, and transfer of advanced technologies in Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine.

The event brought together the ten consortium partners from Spain and France, who will work in a coordinated manner over the three years of the project:

• Leartiker (project coordinator)
• Biogipuzkoa
• BHC – Basque Health Cluster
• University of Navarra (UNAV)
• DIVA Expertise
• Bayonne–Basque Country Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCIBPB)
• Toulouse University Hospital (CHUT)
• BioTis – Inserm U1026
• Cosmetic Valley (CV)
• Montpellier University Hospital (CHUM)

During the meeting, each entity presented its role within the project, and the main milestones of the six strategic actions structuring INNTERACT were reviewed: project management, communication, regional context analysis, medical device validation, market transfer, and the creation of the cross-border network TissueNet.

The consortium highlighted the importance of promoting the transfer of results from health research to the industrial sector, enabling the adoption of advanced technologies that strengthen the competitiveness of the POCTEFA territory.

The meeting made it possible to establish a common roadmap, consolidate collaboration pathways, and take the first steps toward the development and validation of three innovative medical devices, as well as toward the articulation of a network that connects scientific, clinical, and industrial stakeholders.

Thus, the INNTERACT project stands as a strategic commitment to accelerating biomedical innovation and strengthening cross-border cooperation in a field that is key to the future of health.

___________________

The INNTERACT project has been co-funded at 65% by the European Union through the Interreg VI-A Spain–France–Andorra Programme (POCTEFA 2021–2027). The aim of POCTEFA is to strengthen the economic and social integration of the Spain–France–Andorra border area.