Presentation of BioRegion of Catalonia Report beats attendance record with more than 700 professionals from sector

There had never before been so many people at a presentation of the BioRegion of Catalonia Report. On Monday, February 12, the AXA Auditorium hosted 600 professionals from the sector and a hundred more streamed the event live online. This is the most ever, since the document was first published in 2009, making this a not to be missed event for the sector.

First, the event shared the main results from the 2023 BioRegion of Catalonia Report with figures that highlight the sector’s maturity and show the BioRegion is one of the main health innovation hubs in Europe. Then over a dozen experts from the sector took part in three panel discussions and a keynote speech on some of the main challenges facing the BioRegion.

Experts in advanced therapies shared some of the challenges these drugs pose in a conversation featuring Sol Ruiz, head of the Biological Medicines, Biotechnology and Advanced Therapies Division at the Spanish Agency of Medicines and Medical Devices (AEMPS); Matias Olsen, senior manager for Public Affairs and Policy at the European Confederation of Pharmaceutical Entrepreneurs (EUCOPE); Joana Silveira Botelho, senior associate in Life Sciences and Healthcare at Cuatrecasas; and Lluís Pareras, founder and CEO of Invivo Ventures. Moderated by Esteve Trias, executive medical director at Leitat, the panelists agreed that regulatory issues, production costs and talent are the main challenges to the development of these therapies. In this regard, they trust that the new legal framework will provide faster access to patients, extending the regulatory data protection period.

This was followed by a talk on funding, looking at the global downward trend in investment in the life sciences and healthcare, which also affected the funding secured by healthcare startups and scaleups in Catalonia in 2023. In this regard, representatives from two of the main specialized investment funds in Barcelona, Ysios Capital and Asabys, analyzed investment in biotech and healthtech and made some predictions for 2024. Ysios Capital CEO Joël Jean-Mairet noted that the best of 2023 was the announcement that the AstraZeneca hub will be coming to Barcelona, and approval for Almirall’s first biological drug. With a certain optimism, Asabys co-founder and CEO Clara Campàs shared her confidence that Catalonia will continue attracting international investors over the coming years. “We have good tools and gasoline to do great work in 2024. The money is there; there are big funds in Europe and the US,” she noted.

Els participants han destacat algunes de les qualitats de Barcelona, com ara uns hospitals i centres de recerca excel·lents, universitats de prestigi i empreses punteres, però han alertat de l'augment de competència per atraure professionals especialitzats en el sector salut en els darrers anys. Per guanyar posicions, els experts han proposat millorar la mobilitat, reduir la burocràcia i mostrar casos d'èxit de la ciutat comtal.

Europe is highly committed to talent as a way to tackle the big transformations in the ecosystem and the sector. To give a few examples, the continent is focused on the New European Innovation Agenda, which shows that more than a million deep tech professionals will be needed for research to tackle the challenges of these digital, sustainability, new power and new technological framework transformations. AMGEN Iberia Vice President and General Manager Fina Lladós moderated a panel that featured representatives from stakeholders in the various proposals from Europe. Claire Nassiet, EIT Health; Carla Ruiz, director of Human Resources at AstraZeneca; Emilià Pola, ICREA executive director; and Marc Soriano, R&D Project, Portfolio and Partnership director at Almirall.

The participants highlighted some of Barcelona’s positive qualities, such as excellent hospitals and research centers, prestigious universities and cutting-edge companies, but also warned of the increase in competition for attracting specialized professionals in the healthcare sector in recent years. To move up in the ranking, the experts proposed improving mobility, cutting red tape and sharing success stories from the Catalan capital.

To finish off, Dr. John Halamka, president of the Mayo Clinic Platform, joined the event online. Dr. Halamka believes we are living in a time with enough high quality data and computing power to address many health issues. Nevertheless, the time between concept and implementation can take up to 18 months. This is the challenge the Mayo Clinic is hoping to address with the Mayo Clinic Platform. This platform is working to tackle challenges in the field of healthcare, taking advantage of artificial intelligence to complement traditional therapies. “Thanks to the algorithms that are being developed, it will be possible to offer patients more personalized treatments, which will improve the assistance they receive as well as the work of health professionals,” he said.

Check out all the sessions in the video of the presentation of the 2023 BioRegion of Catalonia Report.