SJD Barcelona Children’s Hospital announces the six projects chosen for its new Impact4Kids improvement program

The pediatric innovation hub i4KIDS, coordinated by the SJD Barcelona Children's Hospital and in collaboration with the Impact1 program by the Stanford Mussallem Center for Biodesign, has announced the projects that have been selected for the first edition of the Impact4Kids improvement program. This initiative was announced in November 2024 at the i4KIDS Pediatric Innovation Day in Barcelona to promote new, upcoming projects. A total of 73 proposals were received from up-and-coming businesses and research centers in the United States (44%) and Europe (56%). Six of these proposals were selected to be part of the program.

The projects that were presented covered a variety of needs in different areas, with 75% focusing on pediatric health and the remaining 25% focusing on maternal health. Regarding the content of the proposals, 61% were about medical devices, followed by digital health at 36% and biotechnology at 3%. Another important aspect was the maturity of each proposal, with 29% of received proposals already at TRL level 4, meaning that they have already been validated in a laboratory environment.

The six winning projects

After a rigorous assessment process, the six winning projects for this first edition are:

• JelikaLite (New York, United States): A neuromodulation platform that combines non-invasive transcranial photobiomodulation (tPBM) therapy with AI-driven personalisation to improve responsiveness, speech and social interaction in patients with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).
• AVaTAR MedTech (Delaware, United States): Reconstructive surgical technique to repair the semilunar valve in pediatric patients, using autologous pericardium grafts and specialist tools to standardise the procedure. Adapted to accommodate future growth, its design eliminates the need for repeat surgeries, reducing complications and improving long-term results.
• NoviGuide (Albany, United States): Clinical decision making support platform which converts static pediatric medical protocols into dynamic, real-time tools to improve evidence-based care and reduce common diagnostic errors.
• PolyCoarct (Barcelona, Spain): Polymeric stent for pediatric transcatheter implantation that provides adaptive vascular support and grows along with arteries, improving remodelling procedures.
• Bitsphi Diagnosis (Madrid, Spain): An EEG-based Clinical Decision Support System (CDSS) to diagnose ADHD that uses cerebral connection biomarkers to improve precision and efficiency. The project uses AI-based cloud analysis to sort patients and provide objective diagnostic support to healthcare staff.
• CergenX (Cork, Ireland): AI-powered neonatal EEG that detects brain lesions in newborns with expert precision and in a matter of minutes. Using a cloud-based platform, this tool analyses EEG patterns to provide rapid results.

Impact4Kids: an improvement program with a global impact

The program offers the winning projects a six-month intensive support period, consisting of educational and personalised mentoring sessions led by specialist teams working at i4KIDS and Impact1, as well as boasting the involvement of several well known experts from Europe and the United States. Among other benefits, participants will also receive:

• Consulting support in clinical validation, market access and regulation in the United States and in Europe. 
• Mentoring from experts in intellectual property, business models and funding.
• Access to exclusive networking events with investors, industry figures and key stakeholders in the health sector.
• Immersion strategies for innovation ecosystems both in Europe and in the United States.

‘The fantastic reception of Impact4Kids and the diversity of each of the projects reflect the growing need for innovative new solutions in the field of fetal, pediatric and maternal health. This program is a one-of-a-kind opportunity to accelerate development and bring the solution to the market, with the aim of having a real impact on the lives of patients and families’, declared Arnau Valls, Director of i4KIDS and Innovation Coordinator at the SJD Barcelona Children's Hospital.

Janene Fuerch, Co-Director of Impact1 in Stanford Biodesign, added: ‘While this is simply a pilot project, the sheer number of deserving candidates that applied really highlights the need for collaborative associations such as ours to keep making progress in infant and maternal health on a global scale. We are honoured to work with these innovative researchers on the program, and we would also like to keep in contact with everyone who was not selected. Our aim is to continue strengthening our community and keep moving forward in healthcare technology.’

The road to improvement: next steps

The Impact4Kids program got the ball rolling in March 2025 and is set to finish in September 2025. The initiative does not only aim to accelerate development for the selected projects, but it also aims to promote an international innovation network between Europe and the United States, fostering the transfer of knowledge and collaboration between up-and-coming businesses, hospitals, research centers and industry leaders.