Biocat takes part in mission to Japan to forge international connections and promote the BioRegion in the Asian country
The Catalan delegation attended the BioJapan 2024 congress and the EU-Japan Biotech & Pharma Partnering Conference 2024, as well as an event organized by ICEX and the Economic and Commercial Office of the Spanish Embassy in Tokyo.
In order to forge new collaborations, promote business opportunities in the BioRegion of Catalonia and strengthen ties between the Catalan and Japanese ecosystems, a Catalan delegation led by Biocat went to Japan this month to attend several events and meet with strategic Japanese pharmaceutical companies, investors and organizations.
The Catalan group, made up of Biocat and startups Aromics, Gate2Brain and Cytes Biotechnologies, got a warm welcome at BioJapan 2024, one of the top biotech partnering events in Asia, where Biocat had a booth for the BioRegion of Catalonia in the exhibition space. In this space, the organization interacted with various clusters in Japan, including those in Kobe, Kyoto and Osaka, and elsewhere in Asia, like South Korea and Taiwan. There were also meetings with Japanese pharmaceutical companies and investors interested in the Catalan healthcare ecosystem.
At the same fair, Biocat also took part in partnering sessions with large Japanese pharmaceutical corporations like Daichii Sankyo, Takeda and Chugai. Plus, they established new synergies for Biocat’s CRAASH Barcelona and d·Health Barcelona Part Time programs.
The Catalan delegation also attended the EU-Japan Biotechnology & Pharma Partnering Conference 2024, connecting with Japanese clusters and universities like Kagoshima and Kyushu, which were interested in starting to collaborate in the fields of biomanufacturing and regenerative medicine. Biocat and the participating Catalan companies also got to meet with Japanese pharmaceutical companies like Otsuka Pharmaceutical, Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Corporation and JT Pharma and present the portfolio of innovative opportunities in the BioRegion.
At the same event, Biocat and Aromics, one of the Catalan companies taking part in the mission, presented their projects to the event participants.
The delegation was also invited to a session organized by LINK-J in Tokyo, where the Catalan companies and Biocat presented their companies alongside other European healthcare ecosystems.
The delegation also visited the Spanish Embassy in Tokyo, where ICEX shared an analysis of the sector’s financial situation in Japan, which is a leading country in terms of medical and pharmaceutical imports.
Catalan Government Delegate to Japan Mònica Castellà accompanied the group and supported them on all the visits, meetings and events during the mission.
In short, the mission forged relationships with key stakeholders in the Japanese market, opening the door for new collaboration, licensing and investment opportunities in the life sciences and healthcare sector between Catalonia and Japan.