Catalonia promotes assistive robotics and sensorization with new grants from the Smart Digital Health program.

The Government of Catalonia is committed to improving the quality of life of elderly and dependent individuals through new technologies such as robotics and sensorization. The Department of Business and Labour has published Order EMT/45/2025, which establishes the regulatory framework for a new grant program supporting projects in assistive robotics and sensorization. This initiative is part of the Smart Digital Health subproject under the national RETECH program, aimed at promoting digitalization through European funds, within the framework of the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan (PRTR) and financed by Next Generation EU funds.

These grants are targeted at companies, technology centers, and organizations in the health and social sectors that seek to develop innovative solutions for the care of elderly people, individuals with disabilities, or those in situations of dependency.

The funding is structured into two lines of action — one focused on assistive robotics projects and the other on sensorization projects — with the objective of promoting the integration of advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence and the collection of exogenous data to enhance quality of life, especially for those in vulnerable or dependent situations.

The Smart Digital Health project, led by the Government of Catalonia in collaboration with the Balearic Islands and the Valencian Community, is one of 13 strategic projects selected by the national RETECH program. It has received €16.6 million in funding to deploy a pioneering network in the field of digital health, of which €3.75 million has been allocated specifically to the Secretariat for Digital Policies of the Department of Business and Labour for implementation in Catalonia.

With this call, Catalonia aims to set a new benchmark in the care of people. Through these funding lines, the initiative seeks to:

• Promote independent living among the elderly through robotic solutions that provide personalized assistance and support.

• Optimize healthcare system resources and foster efficiency, generating opportunities for the region’s technological and business ecosystem.

• Develop a local innovation environment for the creation and deployment of assistive robotics and sensor systems with real-world applications in the social and healthcare fields.

These actions contribute 100% to the digital transition, aligned with the objectives of the European Recovery Plan and the milestones established in the National Artificial Intelligence Strategy. Digital health thus becomes a transformative vector for addressing future social, demographic, and technological challenges.

At the TIC Salut Social Foundation, we celebrate the launch of this initiative, which strengthens our commitment to more personalized, predictive, and proactive care — in line with our goal of digitalizing the health and social care systems in Catalonia, always placing the individual at the center.

Interested companies and organizations can already consult all the official information in the Official Gazette of the Government of Catalonia:
https://dogc.gencat.cat/ca/document-del-dogc/?documentId=1010096