Barcelona prepares for top European partnering congress in biotechnology

By Biocat

More than 2,000 top-notch executives and investors from the life sciences sector around the world will meet in Barcelona from 11 to 13 March 2013. The BIO-Europe Spring congress, which was previously held in Barcelona in 2010, is the most important partnering event in all of Europe for biotechnology and biopharmaceutical companies. The Host Committee for the 2013 edition is coordinated by the Barcelona City Council —through Barcelona Activa— and Biocat, and receives support from other sectorial bodies and companies from the BioRegion of Catalonia, including Almirall, Amgen, Biokit, Reig Jofré, Ysios Capital, Cuatrecasas, Gonçalves Pereira.

BIO-Europe Spring will help companies and investors from outside Catalonia to learn about the opportunities and potential “available here,” comments Biocat CEO Montserrat Vendrell. It will also “allow us to attract technology and know-how related with Catalan companies as well as foreign investment, in addition to promoting the country as an international business center focusing on the life sciences and innovation,” says Vendrell.

Carola Schropp, president of EBD Group, the company that promotes this congress and six others on an international level, recognized that Barcelona was selected from among various other European cities because "Catalonia has the infrastructure necessary to support a dynamic life sciences cluster.” Schropp is making reference to the nine science and technology parks and 80 research centers that work in the life sciences, as well as the more than 450 companies in the sector.

"Biotechnology progress is booming in Catalonia, where we have various companies with projects in phase I and II that are seeking out partners”, explains Montserrat Vendrell. At the latest edition of BIO-Europe Spring in Amsterdam, more than 11,172 one-to-one meetings were held, up 21% from 2011.

Over the three days, the congress will features a program of conferences and workshops on alternative funding models, personalized oncology, innovative diabetes treatments, joint opportunities for biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies to develop drugs with stem cells, ways to externalize R&D, and the main capital increases carried out in 2012, among other topics. Catalan company Biokit, devoted to clinical diagnostics, will participate in the roundtable Alzheimer's: How to fund late stage, large scale trials, on 11 March from 1:30 to 2:20 pm.

There will also be more than 130 company presentations, including ten from Catalonia:

• Almirall
  
• Acellera
  
• Chemotargets
  
• ERA Biotech
  
• Gebro Pharma
• Insights in Life Sciences
  
• Lykera Biotech
  
• Palobiofarma
  
• SOM Biotech 
• STAT-Diagnostica & Innovation

Registration

More information is available in the “Registration” section of the www.biocat.cat/en/BES2013 website.

Visits to the ALBA synchrotron and Reig Jofré laboratories

On 10 March, before the congress begins, there will be two visits, one to the ALBA-CELLS synchrotron and the other to the Reig Jofré scientific facilities. Registration to participate in these visits is now open.

Date: 11 to 13 March 2013
Place: Barcelona International Convention Center (CCIB) • Rambla Prim, 1-17 (Forum area) • Barcelona (map)