Over a 6-month period, you, along with a diverse group of talented individuals across Europe, will identify unmet medical needs, brainstorm and evaluate potential solutions and plan research project proposals. You will interact with stakeholders and clinical & domain experts to advance your projects.
At the end of the program, projects with demonstrated potential for impact may establish longer-term efforts with key stakeholders.
– Weekly sessions, every Thursday from 3pm to 6pm CET (online format).
– Workload of 10-12 hours/week, with flexible schedule format, over 6 months.
– First session: January 8th, 2026. Final session: July 2nd, 2026.
– Two in-person multi-day Intensification meetings: January 14th-16th (Györ, Hungary), April 14th-16th (location TBD). One Fellows’ encounter: May 21st-22nd (Budapest, Hungary).
– Two online Solutioning meetings with MIT linQ Catalyst Faculty: March 17th & 24th (Tuesday).
– You will form teams organically throughout the program. You are open to work in multiple teams.
Thanks to the generosity of our donors and partners, this program does not require individuals to pay tuition.
Approved projects are eligible to get pilot funding after the program.
As a Fellow, over the 6-month program, you will identify and validate unmet medical needs, explore and evaluate potential solutions, and plan research project proposals, guided by Faculty – experts from academic, commercial and clinical backgrounds. You’ll start a journey of innovation for healthcare impact.
Identify compelling unmet medical needs. Talk with subject matter experts and explore the literature to define problem and need statements.
Devise a set of possible new opportunities (need + solution ideas). Meet with key stakeholders to ensure that the solutions are practical and appropriate. Develop and document your opportunities.
Narrow down to the most promising solutions and plan research project opportunities that outline key milestones in a 12-18 month time frame. Conclude the program with a portfolio of validated research projects.
Explore collaborations and further funding opportunities for those projects with greatest potential for impact, and with real opportunity to transition to project execution. Learn more about the Catalyst process.
The Catalyst program fosters the development of enabling technologies to address unmet medical needs. We encourage anyone interested in this end-goal to apply. See a few examples below.
Catalyst Europe Fellows describe their experience during the 2020 program edition.
As a Fellow, you will join Catalyst Europe to discover opportunities for research with high translational and impact potential, and prepare yourself to execute new research projects.
Weekly sessions will be held online on Thursdays from 3pm to 6pm CET.
January 8th, 2026
January 14th – 16th, 2026 (in-person – Györ, Hungary)
March 17th and March 24th, 2026 (online, two Tuesdays, led by MIT linQ Faculty)
April 14th – 16th, 2026 (in-person – location TBD: Madrid, Luxembourg or Erlangen)
May 21st and 22nd, 2026 (in-person – Budapest, Hungary)
July 2nd, 2026
January 8th, 2026
January 14th – 16th, 2026 (in-person – Györ, Hungary)
April 14th – 16th, 2026 (in-person – location TBD: Madrid, Luxembourg or Erlangen)
March 17th and March 24th, 2026 (online, two Tuesdays, led by MIT linQ Faculty)
May 21st and 22nd, 2026 (in-person – Budapest, Hungary)
July 2nd, 2026
Watch this video to learn about the Catalyst method, the Catalyst Europe 2026 program, and how to proceed with your application.
As a graduated Fellow, you will explore collaborations with Catalyst Europe partners and other European institutions to cooperatively execute the research projects designed during the program.
Approved projects will receive funding to foster your ability to execute and achieve the impact you and your team seek. The objective of the financial support is to help you start de-risking your project and put you in a better position to apply for further competitive research grants. The amounts of the funds will be determined each year. As a reference, the last cohort received 50K€ per project.
All this process will be mentored by Catalyst Europe Faculty, who will continue helping you in your path of making an impact in human healthcare!
Researchers (PhD students, postdocs) in companies or academia, clinicians, and professionals working in healthcare organizations who want to accelerate the impact of biomedical research are welcomed to apply. Please check the Terms & Conditions.
Pre-selected candidates will meet online with the Selection Committee for assessment activities and interviews.
The Selection Committee will decide on the candidates that best meet the selection criteria to join the program as Fellows. Admitted candidates will sign the enrollment agreement.
A second round of applications may be held in Fall 2025 if additional candidates are needed due to unmet profile needs, declined offers, or unconfirmed enrollments from the first round (ending in September 2025). Applicants in the first round will have the best chance to secure a spot in the upcoming cohort of Fellows.
Candidates’ profile:
While we expect candidates to have some identified area of expertise, we do not specify that area. Through our process, Fellows working in teams learn from one another and gain from hearing the perspective of others (even those who are not expert). Sometimes, Fellows have to unlearn (or set aside) what they know about a problem to open the door to observations and, ultimately, innovation.
Faculty serving as mentors will help guide you through the Catalyst process, which involves cycles of convergent and divergent thinking, trial and error, iteration, progress, reassessment, creativity, critical thinking, and more iteration. Although seldom a linear path, it is always an exciting one for those who are ready for a journey from insight to impact. You and your teammates will ultimately decide which projects to move forward. Applicants don’t need to know a lot about entrepreneurship or innovation.
Commitments:
A Selection Committee composed of representatives from Catalyst Europe partners will select the Catalyst Europe 2024-25 Fellows, based on one main and most important criteria:
The main common attributes of successful fellows are:
Catalyst Europe network is comprised of people working in the following institutions:
A program
co-funded by:
