SPARK Microgravity Lights Up Barcelona Deep Tech Week 2025

Last week, Barcelona played host to Deep Tech Week 2025, a gathering of visionary minds where research, entrepreneurship, and cutting-edge technology joined forces to “imagine – and build – the future we want to inhabit”. Held as part of the Smart City Expo World Congress, the Barcelona Deep Tech Summit attracted over 2,500 attendees and showcased 70+ international speakers, 150 investors, and 100+ startups pushing the frontiers of science and technology. This inclusive, forward-looking conference has quickly become a reference point in Southern Europe’s innovation ecosystem, connecting startups with investors and institutions to accelerate high-impact solutions. One of the four major themes this year was digital health and space, underscoring how deep tech can improve lives on Earth by leveraging new frontiers.

Amid this dynamic context, SPARK Microgravity – a Munich-based startup – stood out as a star participant. Co-founders Allison Bajet and Katharina Weidmann not only took home the summit’s startup competition grand prize, but also delivered one of the event’s defining moments: an on-stage interview with a moderator that encapsulated the summit’s optimistic and inclusive spirit. Their presence was far more than a pitch: it was a bold statement about how space can be the next frontier in the fight against cancer, perfectly aligning with the summit’s mission to highlight deep tech as a tool to tackle global challenges.

Taking Center Stage: Spark Microgravity’s Key Moment

SPARK Microgravity’s interview, conducted by Anna in front of an engaged audience, quickly became a highlight of Barcelona Deep Tech Week. The conversation struck a chord with attendees and set an inspiring tone for the conference. Fresh off their competition win on November 5, Bajet and Weidmann shared the startup’s compelling story and vision. The interview format – a fireside-chat style Q&A – allowed the founders to delve into how SPARK's cutting-edge work in microgravity research is poised to revolutionize cancer treatment. Attendees familiar with SPARK's mission were thrilled to see the co-founders in person, candidly discussing their journey and aspirations. The atmosphere was one of optimism and forward-thinking energy, as the two founders exemplified exactly what Deep Tech Week is about: science-driven innovation with human impact.

The moderator's questions guided the discussion through SPARK's origin, its recent achievements, and what lies ahead. In response, Allison and Katharina spoke passionately about why conducting experiments in space can unlock breakthroughs impossible on Earth. The audience – a mix of technologists, researchers, investors, and policy-makers – responded with enthusiasm, as SPARK Microgravity’s story brought to life the summit’s theme of bridging science and society. “Barcelona Deep Tech Summit has become the must-attend event for scientific and technological startups in Southern Europe – a platform designed to connect startups, spin-offs, corporates, VCs, and innovation agents to drive disruptive initiatives,” noted Itziar Blasco of Barcelona Activa. SPARK's moment on stage perfectly embodied that ethos, forging connections and inspiring collaboration.

“We Want to Cure Cancer in Space”: A Visionary Mission

During the interview, CEO Allison Bajet encapsulated Spark Microgravity’s ambitious goal in one powerful quote: “We want to cure cancer in space.” This bold statement drew applause and set the tone for the discussion. SPARK Microgravity is developing Europe’s first orbital cancer research lab, a dedicated hardware platform to advance cancer and drug research in microgravity. Bajet explained that performing experiments in microgravity – an environment where cells don’t settle and behave as they would inside the human body – can accelerate discoveries that bring the world closer to new therapies and personalized oncology. “Conducting research in space will bring the world closer to developing cancer therapies and making personalized oncology a reality,” she noted, highlighting the startup’s core belief that space-based science can help solve one of humanity’s toughest health challenges.

The co-founders shared fascinating insights into why space is such a unique laboratory. Research has shown that cancer cells grown in microgravity exhibit an 85% similarity to how they grow in the human body, compared to as low as 8%–34% in traditional mouse models on Earth. “Space provides us the perfect laboratory,” Bajet explained, referring to how weightlessness allows cells to grow in 3D and behave more naturallys. This means experiments in orbit can reveal the true behavior of cancer cells, potentially leading to more effective treatments. As Bajet pointed out, the opportunity is enormous: “There were 4,400 nanosatellites in space. Only seven are dedicated to life sciences and zero on cancer,” she said, underscoring the untapped potential of space research for oncology. This eye-opening statistic elicited gasps from the audience – a stark reminder of why SPARK's work is so pioneering.

Pioneering Tech with an Inclusive Mission

Beyond the science, what truly set SPARK Microgravity’s message apart was its emphasis on inclusivity and accessibility in advanced research. “Our mission is to make space oncology research accessible to all, not just big players who can afford to go up in space,” Bajet told the crowd. This commitment to democratizing cutting-edge science resonated strongly at a conference where “democratization of access to technology” was a key theme. In practical terms, the founders described how Spark’s orbital lab will lower barriers that have traditionally kept space research exclusive.

Katharina Weidmann highlighted Spark’s technical innovations that make this possible. Autonomy is key – Spark’s miniaturized lab module operates without the need for astronaut handling, making it “completely autonomous [and] 10× cheaper than systems requiring human intervention,” Weidmann noted. Moreover, the platform is launcher-agnostic and not dependent on the International Space Station, meaning it can fly on any rocket and continue operating even after the ISS retires in 2030. By focusing solely on cancer research, Spark can use standardized hardware and processes for all experiments, further driving down costs. The result is a space laboratory purpose-built to be affordable and widely usable – a game-changer for universities, biotech startups, and even emerging countries that could never have accessed microgravity research before.

The founders also described how data from SPARK's orbital experiments will be made widely available. After each mission, results will be securely returned to Earth and added to an “orbital data lake” – a cloud database of microgravity research results. The plan is to anonymize test data so that it can be accessed by more cancer specialists at a cheap price point via a subscription, Bajet explained. This means oncologists around the world, even those outside big pharma or top research hospitals, could tap into space-augmented insights to guide treatments. Such a model could empower doctors in lower-income regions with cutting-edge knowledge that was previously out of reach. By removing financial and logistical barriers, Spark Microgravity’s approach embodies the inclusive tone of the conference – showing how deep tech can benefit everyone, not just the privileged few.

A Defining Moment for an Inclusive, Forward-Looking Summit

SPARK Microgravity’s presence at Barcelona Deep Tech Week 2025 will be remembered as a key moment that crystallized the event’s ethos. The on-stage interview delivered inspiration in spades – here were two innovators using space technology not for science fiction, but to solve a real-world health crisis. Their vision of a future where a cancer patient’s cells could be sent to orbit for testing various treatments (so doctors can find the right therapy the first time) left the audience buzzing with excitement. It exemplified the “solutions to global challenges” that the summit aimed to spotlight. By tackling cancer research in a way no one has before, and by insisting that those solutions be open and accessible, Allison Bajet and Katharina Weidmann struck a powerful chord.

Throughout the week, attendees spoke of the SPARK Microgravity interview as emblematic of Deep Tech Week’s inclusive and optimistic spirit. The conversation bridged aerospace and medicine, showing that deep tech isn’t just about algorithms or gadgets, but about improving lives. It also underscored the importance of diversity in innovation – with Spark’s female co-founders leading the charge, the session reinforced that anyone can be a trailblazer in deep tech, further amplifying the event’s inclusive tone. “Deep tech is a growing sector and is essential for Europe’s competitiveness… these companies need support, financing, and visibility to become successful,” Juan Baselga of Barcelona Activa had noted. Indeed, by giving SPARK Microgravity the spotlight, the summit provided exactly that visibility and support, heralding a new era where space biotech can thrive.

In the end, SPARK Microgravity’s interview was more than just a fireside chat – it was a rallying cry. It reminded everyone at Barcelona Deep Tech Week that no goal is too ambitious when combining technology with passion and purpose. The inclusive, forward-looking message delivered by Allison and Katharina left a lasting impression, capping off the week on a hopeful note. As the Deep Tech Week concluded, one thing was clear: the future of innovation will be driven by those daring enough to push boundaries (even gravitational ones) and compassionate enough to ensure those innovations uplift all of humanity. SPARK Microgravity’s journey to “cure cancer in space” is just beginning, but their impact at Barcelona’s premier deep tech event has already cemented their role as leaders of this exciting, inclusive future.

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