The ICF increases resources for venture capital projects to 645 million euros.

BarcelonaNew strategy. The Catalan Institute of Finance (ICF) will increase the resources allocated to venture capital investments to €645 million to support "transformative business projects that contribute to Catalonia's economic leadership."

The Minister of Economy and Finance, Alícia Romero, presented the Catalan public banking sector's new investment strategy this Friday during an event with asset managers and companies in the sector. During the session, she announced the creation of the Catalunya Lidera investment fund, an umbrella fund endowed with a total of €285 million that will finance transfer initiatives in the health sector. deeptech and advanced technologies, among other segments.

This fund, announced at the beginning of the year, "represents a leap forward in the ICF's venture capital strategy," said Romero. In fact, it strengthens the investment role of public banks in Catalonia, both in terms of the volume of resources mobilized and the range of projects and companies that will be promoted. This umbrella fund, together with the venture capital instruments already available to the ICF, totaling 360 million euros, will cover all possible stages of investment, from the beginning of a project to much more advanced phases.

With this initiative, the Generalitat consolidates its commitment to public-private collaboration formulas that can multiply the economic and social impact of public capital. The regional minister was accompanied at the presentation by the Secretary General of Economy and Finance and President of the ICF Governing Board, Juli Fernández, and the ICF CEO, Vanessa Servera.

Four instruments

The Catalunya Lidera fund is grouped into four instruments, with a total allocation of €285 million. The first is the Lidera Health Transfer Fund, endowed with €60 million. This instrument will invest in health and life sciences research projects initiated by Catalan universities and centers. The objective is to carry out the necessary technological developments and, ultimately, commercialize the research results. The Government is expected to approve the creation of the fund in the coming weeks.

Another instrument is the Lidera Advanced Technologies Fund, endowed with €55 million. Investments in this fund, created as a FITA fund (an instrument to promote startup projects that foster the transfer and commercialization of scientific research in Catalonia), are allocated to both technology transfer and intellectual property rights projects and to companies in the pre-seed, seed, or start-up stages. Of the 55 million, 30 million are coming from the Generalitat (Catalan Government), 15 million from the European Investment Fund, and the remaining 10 million from private investors.

Another fund is the Lidera Conversión Impacto e Innovación (Leadership in Conversion, Impact and Innovation), endowed with 70 million. This instrument is co-financed by the Generalitat (Catalan Government), the ICF (Israeli Institute of Technology), and the Barcelona City Council. Currently, work is being done to define the investment objectives, which will be directed, among others, to the areas of deeptech and the circular economy.

The other fund is the Lidera Grandes Empresas (Large Companies Leaders), with a €100 million endowment. It is aimed at mature, high-revenue companies, "with the aim of preserving the roots of Catalan companies and their decision-making centers in the country." Originally created as the Fons Arrels (Arrels Fund), it is 50% financed by the Generalitat (Catalan Government) and the ICF (Spanish Institute of Finance).