Public investment in research and innovation plays a fundamental role in advancing new healthcare technologies toward clinical application. By supporting the development of high-impact research projects, funding programmes help bridge the gap between scientific discovery and solutions that address unmet medical needs.
Fetalix has been awarded more than €250,000 in funding through Portugal 2030, the national framework supporting investments in innovation, competitiveness, and sustainable development co-financed by the European Union. The funding was granted under the SIID – Business R&D (Individual Operations) call, which supports research and development projects led by companies with the objective of accelerating the creation of innovative products, processes, and technologies with strong market potential.
The awarded project, FET-DISC, targets intervertebral disc degeneration, a major cause of chronic low back pain and disability worldwide, by using fetal-inspired extracellular matrix (ECM) biomaterials to promote the regeneration of the intervertebral disc. The funding will support key activities required to advance the technology toward clinical translation, including the scale-up and automation of biomaterial production, preclinical validation in both small and large animal models, and the continued development of the regulatory strategy.
Beyond supporting technological development, the FET-DISC project will strengthen Fetalix's long-term innovation capacity by expanding its multidisciplinary team. These efforts will contribute to positioning the company for the next phase of growth and technology translation.
December 1, 2025
