THE CATALAN KNOWLEDGE REVOLUTION STARTED IN 2000 when notable visionary public figures resolved to start investing heavily in research, growing to 1.0 Bn € per year and tapering off at 800 M € in the last few years. This resulted in attracting world class researchers to Catalunya and raising its rankings in publications to remarkable heights. The other initiative was to facilitate translational medicine and generate innovative companies. It worked, and today there are hundreds of SMEs in Catalunya as a result. This rich landscape needs international partners to put the cherry in the cake.