Barcelona to host BIO-Europe Spring, top European biotechnology congress, again in 2013

Montserrat Vendrell, CEO of Biocat, announced today in Amsterdam, at an event organized by the BioRegion of Catalonia with the delegation of Catalan companies and international partners at BIO-Europe Spring 2012 (BES), that Barcelona will once again host Bio-Europe Spring in 2013. Montserrat Vendrell affirmed, “hosting this European event for a second time reaffirms Catalonia’s place as a leader of European bioclusters, as well as the ability and potential of our companies and research bodies, which are recognized continually through interactions with our international partners.”

After the success of the 2010 edition held in Barcelona, which received a record-setting 1,788 delegates from 1,061 companies, EBD Group, the company that organizes BES, has shown particular interest in bringing this fair back to the Catalan capital.

The Barcelona City Council and Biocat head up the local organizing committee for BIO-Europe Spring 2012, the top European partnering event in biotechnology that facilitates personalized one-to-one meetings between companies to explore mutually beneficial opportunities for collaboration. BIO-Europe Spring and BIO-Europe are the largest and most important partnering conferences for the biotechnology industry outside of the United States. Each year, BES attracts top leaders in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries from Europe (71%), North America (20%) and Asia (9%), representatives from venture capital funds around the world and the most noteworthy emerging companies, in order to explore business opportunities, network and participate in new projects. Holding BES in Barcelona is a great opportunity to bring together technology and knowledge partners from Catalan companies and to attract foreign investment, in addition to promoting the country as a leading international business center in the life sciences and innovation.

BIO-Europe Spring 2012

Amsterdam is hosting the sixth edition of BIO-Europe Spring, where the BioRegion of Catalonia is participating with a delegation of 25 companies and one organization in addition to Biocat, which is a Gold Sponsor of this edition and has a booth in the exhibition area. The Catalan delegation makes up 57% of the Spanish total at BES 2012. Participating Catalan companies are: AB-Biotics; Advancell; Almirall; Anaxomics Biotech; Antares Consulting; BCN Health; Bionure; Era Biotech; Esteve; Ferrer Internacional; Gebro Pharma; Genmedica Therapeutics; GP Pharm; ImmunNovative Developments; IUCT; Lacer; Leitat Technological Center; Metas Biotech; Nanomol Technologies;  Omnia Molecular; Oryzon; Salutis Research; STAT-Diagnostica & Innovation; Trifermed and Ysios Capital Partners.

Since Monday, representatives from nearly 1,300 companies with 2,160 delegates, 20% more than in 2011, have been networking with potential investors, presenting their products and getting a first-hand look at innovations in the sector thanks to the ample program of conferences, workshops and parallel presentations. Moreover, nearly 10,000 partnering sessions are expected to be held by the time BES ends tomorrow and these meetings, as shown in previous editions, lead to numerous commercial, financial and research agreements. Before the congress, participants had the opportunity to use an online application to scout for potential partners and coordinate meeting agendas. More than 9,202 one-to-one meetings were held during BES 2011, in addition to 120 business presentations.

The Bioregion of Catalonia, benchmark for the sector

The BioRegion of Catalonia, headed by Barcelona, has become one of the great biotechnology hubs in southern Europe and a benchmark cluster in biotechnology, biomedicine and medical technology. The Catalan capital is one of the key focal points for biotechnology in Spain, as 20.5% of all Spanish biotech firms are located in Catalonia, most in the Barcelona metropolitan area. Biocat, the organization that dynamizes the sector, and the Barcelona City Council promote the Barcelona Biotech brand, which serves to project the Catalan capital as an attractive, dynamic environment in this arena that has the ability to attract new talent and international investment.

The BioRegion of Catalonia awakens great interest and these expectations have been made clear over recent years at a number of benchmark international events in the sector. The significance of this fact is also clearly demonstrated by the data in the 2011 Biocat Report: Portrait of a sector in motion, which analyzes trends in biotechnology, biomedicine and medical technology in Catalonia and the world.

This study provides detailed data on the potential of a sector that, in Catalonia, is made up of more than 480 companies (biotechnology, pharmaceutical, innovative medical technology and service firms), 435 research groups, more than twenty research centers, 57 science services and technology facilities, 28 support facilities and 6 technology centers. The sector employs 30,000 workers, of which 18,000 (researchers and technical personnel) are devoted to R&D tasks.

As a whole, these companies have an estimated yearly turnover of €15,600 millions, accounting for 29.4% of the national total in this sector, while Catalonia is ranked second only to Madrid in number of biotech firms, with 20.5% of the Spanish total, and first in new start-ups, with 23% of the national total in 2010.

Biomedicine is the most common research carried out in the BioRegion, although we must also add the region’s capacities in nanotechnology, clinical research, structural biology and technology platforms, as applied to key areas like oncology, neurosciences, personalized medicine and cardiovascular disease. Research into new therapeutic products, followed by medical devices and in vitro diagnostics, are the focus of most groups and companies.

For more information:

Biocat:

Press office • M. 662 315 523 • premsa@biocat.cat
Silvia Labé • M. 662 315 400 • Tel. +34 93 310 33 69 • slabe@biocat.cat

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