The fourth annual BIO-Europe Spring congress ended yesterday in Barcelona with record-breaking participation. 1,788 delegates from 1,061 companies came together at the top European biotechnology partnering congress, held at the Barcelona International Convention Center from 8 to 10 March. These numbers make Barcelona one of the world capitals of biotechnology and a benchmark in the international panorama.
CEO of Biocat, Montserrat Vendrell, highlighted that “BIO-Europe Spring in Barcelona has allowed us to show off the Catalan biotechnology sector as an important pillar of the country’s economy, as well as showcasing Catalan biotech companies, which presented their businesses before a number of international stakeholders.” Vendrell added that the visibility of the BioRegion has increased thanks to this congress and that, from now on, Biocat is considering participating in additional, more specialized fairs, like biomedicine or medical technology forums.
More than 9,000 business meetings
The business sector was particularly satisfied with the results of this congress. According to Jaume Masana, director of Business Development and Licensing at Esteve, “BIO-Europe Spring 2010 is very important for Catalonia and Barcelona because it has raised awareness of our breakthroughs in the field of bioscience, which is developing research in many different areas.” Moreover, Masana added that the congress “has shown the region in a good light because this was one of the best congresses held so far.”
Likewise, CEO of Palau Pharma, Ignasi Faus, believes that “this is an honor for the BioRegion. Many cities aim to organize this event and the fact that it was held in Barcelona recognizes the effort we have all made to promote the sector and is the best letter of recommendation for Catalonia in the international biotechnology sector.”
During the congress, more than 9,000 one-to-one meetings were held by participating companies, which have led to a number of commercial, financial and research agreements. In this regard, Mercedes Diz, department head of Licensing and In Corporate Development at Almirall, said, “our expectations have not only been met but far surpassed. This edition was a complete success, above all taking into account the current economic situation.”
Additionally, Alberto Bueno, managing director of GP Pharm, explained, “participating in the congress has allowed us to continue our strategy to raise awareness of our company internationally. We have been able to show off our potential in order to find partners that may be interested in our research, development and production abilities.” Bueno added that for companies that don’t have the necessary economic structure to market their own products, “BES 2010 has been an opportunity to close commercial deals with other companies on an international level”, which is necessary to open new markets and bring products to the end customer.
CEO of Oryzon, Carlos Buesa, congratulated the organizers on the number and quality of the 70 meetings his company held, “which far surpasses our expectations for this congress.”
Some figures showing the success of BIO-Europe Spring in Barcelona:
- More than 1,788 delegates.
- 1,061 companies.
- 53 Catalan companies.
- 43 countries represented.
- 62 expositors.
- 9,000 one-to-one meetings.
- More than 100 presentations from biotech and pharma companies.
- 17 workshops and discussion panels with 70 executives from leading companies in the life sciences field, venture capital investors, academic researchers and consultants.