The GSMA Foundry has embarked on an exciting initiative to showcase innovation in the telecommunications sector, aiming to counter the perception that the sector lacks rapid innovation.
Through a series of Innovation Spotlight interviews, the GSMA Foundry aims to highlight groundbreaking developments and investment opportunities, with over 700 mobile operators globally seeking new innovations. This initiative serves as a pipeline to demonstrate that the telco sector is indeed innovative and vibrant.
In this Innovation Spotlight #8, we witness a transformative conversation at the intersection of elite sports and cutting-edge science. FC Barcelona’s Innovation Hub, represented by Albert, and Omniscope’s CEO and Co-founder Vijay, showcase how precision immunology is revolutionizing athletic performance, healthcare, and fan engagement.
Sports Meets Science: A New Era at FC Barcelona
Albert, a physicist and driving force behind the FC Barcelona Innovation Hub, reflected on a decade-long journey of turning Barça into a platform for cross-sector innovation. Founded officially in 2017, the Hub’s core mission is to build rather than buy—co-creating solutions, intellectual property, and talent across domains like performance optimisation, health tech, and fan experiences.
“Sport is about humans,” Albert explained, “and the goal is to use sports as a platform to test, evolve, and export solutions that improve lives beyond the pitch.”
Omniscope: Seeing What the Immune System Sees
Vijay, a geneticist and public health visionary, introduced Omniscope’s core innovation: decoding the immune system to enhance human health and performance. Inspired by the complexity of immune response and empowered by advances in AI and biotechnology, Omniscope reads immune data at a cellular level to unlock unseen insights into wellness, recovery, and disease.
“The spark for Omniscope,” Vijay shared, “was the combination of compassion and curiosity. We wanted to understand the immune system deeply enough to prevent suffering and elevate human potential.”
Athletes as the Model for Health
In a remarkable twist, Omniscope’s lab overlooks Camp Nou—home to the very athletes they now use as health models. By studying elite players, Omniscope is redefining what it means to be healthy. Their patented technology, Immune Age, allows FC Barcelona to monitor inflammation, biological aging, and even predict injuries—all from cellular data.
“If we know what peak health looks like in an athlete,” Vijay noted, “we can bring that insight to medicine, therapy development, and everyday wellness.”
From One-Size-Fits-All to Personalised Performance
Through this partnership, FC Barcelona Innovation Hub and Omniscope are co-creating a “digital twin” of each athlete. Integrating data from genomics, regenerative medicine, psychology, and immune profiling allows Barça to move from generalized training plans to deeply personalised prevention, recovery, and performance strategies.
Albert emphasised: “With immune data, we’re not guessing. We’re seeing exactly how an individual player’s cells respond to diet, stress, or treatment.”
AI: The Force Multiplier
Both speakers highlighted the role of artificial intelligence in scaling these breakthroughs. From tactical match analysis to biological modeling, AI allows FC Barcelona and Omniscope to simulate seasons, personalise interventions, and democratise elite-level insights to broader audiences.
As Albert succinctly put it, “AI is becoming a commodity—what matters now is unique data. And we’ve got that.”
Looking Ahead: The Future of Sports and Tech
The Innovation Hub isn’t just focusing on players. From augmented fan experiences to personalised digital services, FC Barcelona is reshaping its business model. As new stadiums rise and technologies mature, the club sees endless potential to engage fans, enhance athlete longevity, and export innovations to the world.
Vijay captured the vision best: “Sport unites humanity. And we’re using the best of science and AI to elevate that shared human experience.”
Closing Thoughts
Innovation Spotlight #8 is a testament to the power of collaboration across disciplines. By uniting sports science, immunology, and AI, FC Barcelona and Omniscope are laying the groundwork for a new paradigm—not just in sport, but in how we understand and care for the human body.
Stay tuned as the next chapter of health, performance, and personalized tech unfolds at the beautiful game’s most forward-thinking club.
Watch the full interview here.
Stay tuned for further developments from the GSMA Foundry.