BDTS was created with the mission of becoming the leading deep tech event in Southern Europe and a unique platform to connect companies, investors, entrepreneurs, and institutions—generating synergies and new opportunities for sector development. 1 hour ago
The Barcelona Deep Tech Summit (BDTS), promoted by Barcelona Activa, will hold its fourth edition from November 4 to 6 with a clear theme: ‘Deep tech for a better future’. The event aims to become the benchmark congress for the sector in Southern Europe, positioning Deep Tech as a tool to address humanity’s future challenges.
This edition will reinforce its mission to promote science and Technology based entrepreneurship by connecting emerging projects with investors, researchers, companies, and institutions. BDTS will host over 600 startups—including 100 exhibitors—180 investors, more than 275 corporations, 180 researchers, and over 250 university representatives. Deep tech ecosystems from countries such as Canada, Sweden, Portugal, France, and Italy will also actively participate, positioning the event as a global platform for the sector.
The congress is going to cover a total of 1,300 m² at Fira de Barcelona Gran Via and is expected to welcome more than 2,500 visitors.
Internationally renowned speakers
To explore technological potential and upcoming challenges, the event will bring together more than 70 top-level international speakers, including futurist health expert Zayna Khayat from the University of Toronto; venture capital investor Michael Jackson; sustainability consultant and founder of Volans, and father of the concept of ‘corporate sustainability’, John Elkington; Libelium CEO Alicia Asín; Profoundo founder and CEO and media reference in the startup ecosystem, Robin Wauters; and OXOLife founder and CEO, Agnès Arbat.
BDTS will feature an exhibition area with over 100 startups and demos, a pitch corner for project presentations, a one-to-one space to connect entrepreneurship and research with corporations and investors and an auditorium with a capacity for 200 people to follow the main sessions.
To ensure a program aligned with European objectives and capable of showcasing Barcelona’s potential, BDTS has relied on an advisory board composed of 14 representatives from the fields of investment, technology transfer, tech-based entrepreneurship, and leading institutions from Spain, France, Italy, Portugal, United Kingdom and European Commission.
The Deep Tech aim: a better future
Deep tech startups and spin-offs develop solutions based on scientific discoveries and disruptive innovations to address major social challenges. This mission has led to the definition of three thematic axes aligned with the goals of showcasing Deep Tech’s capacity to solve global challenges and achieve strategic autonomy in Europe:
- LIFE & PLANET: Explore how Deep Tech is revolutionizing health and sustainability with life-saving innovations. Cross-cutting sessions dive into investment and real-world implementation.
- COMPUTING & TECH SOVEREIGNTY: Explore key frontiers in digital sovereignty and advanced computing, with investment opportunities in strategic technologies. Cross-cutting sessions reveal funding trends and venture capital strategies.
- FROM LAB TO MARKET: Bridges innovative research with real-world impact through tech transfer, Deep Tech talent, and startup creation. Cross-cutting sessions explore how to accelerate scientific entrepreneurship.
Deep Tech requires highly specialized talent and a financing ecosystem that understands the need for time and capital to achieve returns. Moreover, they carry higher risk due to their disruptive nature. In this context, public administrations and sector stakeholders have the mission of connecting potential investment with the individuals who have the initiatives and can develop them. BDTS is the place for the interaction between entrepreneurship, companies, venture capital, and the public sector that Deep Tech needs to discover disruptive ideas and transfer knowledge to society to help transform it through research and technology.
Barcelona as a generator of opportunities for Deep Tech
In a context of geopolitical change, open autonomy has become a priority. The European Union has expressed the need to reduce dependence on critical technologies such as artificial intelligence, semiconductors, quantum computing, and biotechnology to ensure the continent’s competitiveness, resilience, and innovation capacity.
In this scenario, Deep Tech emerges as a strategic sector with high global transformation potential, and Barcelona offers a privileged environment with some of the strongest ecosystems in Europe. It includes five top-tier universities—UPC, UAB, UB, UPF, and UOC—and research centers such as the Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology (comprising seven research centers), the Barcelona Supercomputing Center, the Alba Synchrotron, the National Center for Genomic Analysis, the Barcelona Science Park, and more than 340 Deep Tech startups that raised €544 million between 2019 and 2024, positioning the city as the leading European hub for funding in this sector.