Institut de Recerca Sant Pau

What Institut de Recerca Sant Pau does

Institut de Recerca Sant Pau (IR Sant Pau) is a private non-profit biomedical research foundation founded in 1992 in Barcelona, Spain, legally registered as Fundació Institut de Recerca de l'Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau (FIRHSCSP). It is a CERCA-accredited center and holds Institute of Health Research accreditation from Spain's Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII). The institute is structurally linked to the Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, which provides the clinical setting and patient populations that underpin its translational research model. The organization employs 1,759 professionals across 76 research groups and 20 associated groups, structured around five major research areas: cardiovascular diseases, onco-hematological diseases, neurological diseases and mental health, epidemiology/public health/primary care, and translational medicine, supplemented by cross-cutting programs in advanced therapies, genomic medicine, biomarkers, healthcare improvements, and women's health.

Name

Institut de Recerca Sant Pau

Legal name

Fundació Institut de Recerca de l'Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau (FIRHSCSP)

Website

https://recercasantpau.cat

Company type

Private

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

IR Sant Pau is a Barcelona-based non-profit biomedical research institute founded in 1992, linked to Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, conducting translational research across five major disease areas with 76 research groups and 590 active clinical trials.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Biomedical Research Services

NAICS

Scientific Research and Development Services (5417), Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Biomedical Sciences & Medical Research Institutes (University-Based) (EDAHAGAI)

Keywords

• Translational biomedical research
• Clinical trial services
• Scientific-technical services
• Technology transfer
• Biomedical innovation incubation

Headquarters

HQ city

Barcelona

HQ country

Spain

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Government Research Funding: Public research institute receiving institutional funding from government bodies including ISCIII (Instituto de Salud Carlos III) and CERCA (Centres de Recerca de Catalunya)
2. Competitive Research Grants: Research funding obtained through competitive grant programs including European Research Council (ERC) grants, national and international funding programs
3. Donations and Philanthropy: Voluntary contributions from individuals and organizations through the 'Fes-te soci/a' (Become a member) program
4. Technology Transfer and Spin-offs: Revenue generated through spin-off companies, patents, intellectual property licensing, and technology transfer activities including INNOPAU incubator

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

IR Sant Pau is a non-profit biomedical research institute that conducts translational research connecting basic science with clinical practice to accelerate the delivery of scientific advances to patients. Its core offering comprises the execution of clinical trials (590 active), biomedical research across five areas (cardiovascular, onco-hematological, neurological/neuroscience/mental health, epidemiology/public health/primary care, and translational medicine), scientific-technical services (Centre d'Investigació del Medicament, advanced therapies unit, service provision laboratory), and technology transfer through the INNOPAU incubator, patents, intellectual property licensing, and spin-off commercialization.

Product overview

Institut de Recerca Sant Pau is a CERCA-accredited biomedical research institute founded in 1992, connected to Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau in Barcelona. The institute operates five main research areas (cardiovascular diseases, onco-hematological diseases, neurological diseases and mental health, epidemiology and public health, and translational medicine) through 76 research groups. Its service portfolio includes the Centre d'Investigació del Medicament (CIM), scientific-technical services, an advanced therapies unit, and service laboratories. Innovation and technology transfer services are provided through INNOPAU incubator, intellectual property management, spin-off support, and technology offerings. The institute is accredited by the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII) and holds HR Excellence in Research certification from the European Commission.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• INNOPAU Incubator: Business incubator supporting spin-offs and innovative projects from the institute's research.
• Centre d'Investigació del Medicament (CIM)
• Unitat de Teràpies Avançades

Products and services

• Centre d'Investigació del Medicament (CIM) Drug investigation center providing clinical trial support and pharmaceutical investigation services for researchers and industry sponsors.
• Serveis cientificotècnics Scientific-technical services supporting research activities across multiple disciplines for internal research groups and external collaborators.
• Unitat de Teràpies Avançades Advanced therapies unit focused on cutting-edge medical treatments and translational research in advanced therapy medicinal products.
• Laboratori de prestació de serveis Service provision laboratory offering analytical and testing capabilities for research projects and external clients.
• Incubadora INNOPAU Business incubator supporting spin-off companies and startup development from biomedical research outputs, including patent commercialization, technology offerings, and entrepreneurship support.
• Patents, propietat intel·lectual i industrial Intellectual and industrial property management service covering patent filing, prosecution, and technology transfer activities through the Technology Transfer Office.
• Oferta tecnològica Technological offerings and technology transfer services providing external partners and enterprises with access to research-derived technologies ready for licensing or collaboration.

Quantifiable outcome

• 590 active clinical trials
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core, major, flagship and minor.

• Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant PaucoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIR Sant Pau is linked to the Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, enabling clinical research translation from basic science to patient care. The hospital provides clinical settings and patient populations for research activities.
• CERCA (Centres de Recerca de Catalunya)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIR Sant Pau is a CERCA center, part of Catalonia's network of research centers receiving institutional recognition and support from the regional government.
• Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIR Sant Pau is accredited as an Institute of Health Research by ISCIII, Spain's main health research funding agency, providing institutional accreditation and access to national funding programs.
• European CommissioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIR Sant Pau holds the HR Excellence in Research certification from the European Commission, demonstrating compliance with European standards for researcher welfare and ethical practices.
• European Research Council (ERC)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIR Sant Pau hosts ERC Info Days and researchers can access ERC funding grants for advanced research projects.
• NanoligentflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerNanoligent is a spin-off company of IR Sant Pau that was recognized as Catalonia Exponential Leader 2026, demonstrating successful technology transfer from the institute's research.
• INNOPAU IncubatorcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerINNOPAU is the institute's technology incubator supporting the development of spin-off companies from research outcomes, including patents, technology offerings, and entrepreneurship.
• EURAXESSminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerIR Sant Pau is listed on EURAXESS, the European platform for researcher mobility, supporting recruitment of international research talent.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Institut de Recerca contra la Leucèmia Josep Carreras (IJC): Barcelona-based research institute focused on leukemia and other hematological malignancies, also a CERCA center and linked to Hospital Germans Trias i Pujol. Direct peer with overlapping onco-hematological disease research and shared Catalan biomedical research ecosystem.
• Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS): Barcelona-based biomedical research institute linked to Hospital Clínic de Barcelona. Direct peer with the same hospital-affiliated CERCA/ISCIII structure, large clinical trial portfolio, and translational research focus across multiple disease areas.
• Institut d'Investigació Biomèdica de Bellvitge (IDIBELL): Catalonia-based biomedical research institute linked to Hospital Universitari de Bellvitge. Direct peer in the same CERCA network with similar hospital-affiliated translational research structure and overlapping oncology, neuroscience, and epidemiology programs.
• Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares (CNIC): Spanish national center for cardiovascular research. Peer with overlapping cardiovascular disease research focus, comparable translational research portfolio and publication output, but operating as a national standalone center rather than a hospital-linked institute.
• Vall d'Hebron Institut de Recerca (VHIR): Barcelona-based biomedical research institute linked to Hospital Universitari Vall d'Hebron. Direct peer with the same hospital-affiliated translational research model in Catalonia, also a CERCA center and ISCIII-accredited health research institute running multiple clinical trials across overlapping therapeutic areas.
• Institut Hospital del Mar d'Investigacions Mèdiques (IMIM): Barcelona-based biomedical research institute linked to Hospital del Mar. Direct peer in the same Catalan research ecosystem with similar hospital integration model, translational research orientation, and overlapping epidemiology/public health and cardiovascular research areas.
• Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG): Barcelona-based international biomedical research institute. Peer with overlapping life sciences focus, particularly genomic medicine, and shared Catalan research ecosystem. Strong publication record and competitive grant capture comparable to IR Sant Pau's profile.
• Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Oncológicas (CNIO): Spanish national cancer research center. Peer with overlapping onco-hematological research focus and comparable translational research depth, but operating at national scale rather than hospital-linked.
• Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona): Barcelona-based biomedical research institute focused on fundamental questions about human health and disease. Peer in the same Catalan research ecosystem with shared CERCA affiliation, publication-driven research model, and translational focus.

Broad incumbents

• Karolinska Institutet: Sweden's major biomedical research university with one of Europe's largest clinical trial portfolios. Broader incumbent with similar translational research model and HR Excellence culture, but operating as a medical university with broader education mandate and at significantly larger scale.

Market position

Strengths1 record

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/irsantpau
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@irsantpau
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/irsantpau
• Instagraminstagram.com/hospital_santpau

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Institut de Recerca Sant Pau