AstraZeneca Spain presents ACCIÓN, the accelerator for innovative healthcare projects, in collaboration with Wayra and Kunsen

AstraZeneca Spain, in collaboration with Wayra, Telefónica’s corporate venture capital arm, and Kunsen, an investor specialized in digital health and startup acceleration, have presented ACCIÓN, the accelerator positioned as a benchmark for driving transformative solutions that will shape the future of the healthcare system in the coming years. The ACCIÓN accelerator focuses on oncological, cardiovascular, renal, and metabolic diseases, as well as respiratory and immunological conditions, and on the challenges faced by the healthcare system.

AstraZeneca’s Innovation Hub in Spain is a reference in promoting innovation projects and has received various recognitions for its real impact on health and patient benefit, as well as for contributing to the transformation of the healthcare system through collaboration with professionals and institutions.

With this new initiative, AstraZeneca’s Innovation Hub aims to bring the real problems of the healthcare system closer to the entrepreneurial ecosystem. AstraZeneca is a reference in maximizing the use of artificial intelligence and establishing strong, impactful collaborations, and now, through the ACCIÓN accelerator, it aims to reach all startups in the ecosystem and healthcare professionals committed to innovation.

To achieve this goal, ACCIÓN will offer validation in real-world settings, mentoring, and access to a network of investors and corporations to accelerate the growth of startups and projects that help improve patients’ lives. ACCIÓN is the first innovation accelerator with more than twenty partners representing the entire health innovation ecosystem, from academia to top-tier technology companies.

In addition, the program is open to healthcare professionals who, drawing from their clinical or research experience, wish to present ideas with transformative potential. Their day-to-day knowledge of the healthcare sector will be crucial in inspiring and informing future solutions.

The call for applications is open from November 25, 2025, until January 7, 2026, here: https://www.innovacion.azone.es/hub/accion.html

Participants —whether startups or healthcare professionals— must respond to one of the following challenges:

• Early diagnosis and comprehensive monitoring of patients with cardiovascular, renal, or metabolic pathologies.
• Diagnosis and management of respiratory and immunological diseases.
• Anticipation and improvement of diagnostic processes in oncological pathologies.
• Sustainability and quality of life: integration of technologies that strengthen the efficiency of healthcare systems.

From the projects submitted, three winners per challenge will be selected: two startups and one healthcare professional.

In the startup category, the eight winning companies will receive top-level mentoring; individualized and personalized support; visibility and positioning at technology, healthcare, and entrepreneurship events; and access to a unique network of investors and entrepreneurs to foster high-quality networking.

Additionally, as the culmination of the acceleration program, one of them will have the opportunity to carry out a pilot project in a hospital with healthcare experts, enabling the practical implementation of its solution.

Meanwhile, each of the four winning healthcare professionals will receive a cash prize of €10,000, as well as strategic and technological support, and institutional visibility through the innovation ecosystem and the communication channels of AstraZeneca Spain and its partners.

This project will also involve more than twenty partners who, for the first time in a call of this magnitude, will support startups and healthcare professionals in various aspects throughout the entire program: 4 Years From Now (4YFN), the Asociación Salud Digital (ASD), Barcelona & Madrid Health Hub, Barcelona Supercomputing Center – National Supercomputing Center (BSC-CNS), BStartup Banco Sabadell, Capital Cell, Clave, the Clínica Universidad de Navarra (CUN), CRB Health Tech, Cuatrecasas, DKV, EIT Health, the Spanish Federation of Healthcare Technology Companies (FENIN), Futuro Perfecto, Google Cloud, Microsoft, Mutua Ventures, the Platform for Promotion and Innovation of the Industrial Capabilities of the Spanish National Health System (ITEMAS), the Platform of Patient Organizations (POP), the Spanish Society of Health Informatics (SEIS), South Summit, and Spinoff.

Andrés Saborido, COO of Wayra, states: “Partnering with one of the leading pharmaceutical companies in our country and helping them create their own startup accelerator to seek innovative solutions that support the evolution of the Spanish healthcare system is something that truly makes us proud. That is why, at Wayra, we bring all our knowledge and resources in entrepreneurship and technology to ensure the project’s success and to help startups showcase their full potential.”

Dr. César Velasco, Director of Innovation and Digital Strategy at AstraZeneca Spain, adds: “ACCIÓN was created to connect clinical knowledge with the potential of technology and entrepreneurial talent. It is the largest initiative in the sector to accelerate innovation with the participation of more than 20 top-level partners. Our goal is to identify projects with real potential to bring innovation closer to healthcare delivery and to support them in their growth and development. At a time when digitalization is redefining the care model, we want to drive solutions that decisively improve people’s health.”

Finally, Adrián Gorritxo, Director of Strategy and Business Development at Kunsen, explains: “ACCIÓN perfectly embodies what we believe in at Kunsen: accelerating the arrival of digital solutions to the healthcare system alongside the best founders. Our mission is to bring together the ecosystem —startups, clinicians, corporations, and hospitals— to validate, measure, and scale the best digital health solutions in real-world environments. We are proud to contribute our experience in acceleration and investment to an initiative that could mark a turning point in health innovation in Spain.”

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