Record turnout for presentation of tenth edition of BioRegion of Catalonia Report and surprise commemoration

The presentation of the tenth edition of the BioRegion of Catalonia Report was a turning point in the history of this event, with record turnout of over 800 professionals from the sector, plus 400 more streaming it online. The report presented this year -2024 BioRegion of Catalonia Report- highlights the impact and maturity of the Catalan ecosystem, which continues to be a benchmark in healthcare innovation in Europe. But beyond the data, the event also featured several panel discussions and conferences analyzing the big challenges facing the sector. Let’s look back at the main ideas from each session.

After Biocat CEO Robert Fabregat shared the main indicators, ACCIÓ CEO Joan Romero moderated a debate where Mariona Serra, president of Catalonia.Health and CEO of GoodGut; Fina Lladós, president of Farmaindustria and CEO of AMGEN Iberia; and Montse Planas, vice-president of Fenin Catalunya and general manager of Fresenius Kabi, shared their conclusions. The discussion focused on the need to improve collaboration between the public and private sectors, as well as creating a legal framework that is more favorable to innovation and research. All the speakers agreed that developing new healthcare solutions mainly depends on the ability to attract investment and ensure an environment that helps promote research. 

Then there was a panel on European competitiveness with the United States and Asia in key areas like artificial intelligence, regulatory issues and health data, moderated by Biocat Strategic Foresight and International Relations Director Montse Daban. International experts Aneta Tyszkiewicz, associate director for Digital and Data at EFPIA; Christopher Morton, founder and CEO of Elem Biotech; and Joris Pezzini, EVP Biopharma at Alira Health, reflected on the need to improve the innovation support infrastructure across Europe, as well as boosting data management and sustainability in healthcare systems, at a key moment for increasing European sovereignty.

Another noteworthy session looked at environmental sustainability in the healthcare sector from the perspectives of several key stakeholders in the ecosystem. The panel, moderated by Josep Santacreu, president of the Barcelona Chamber of Commerce, Plant-for-the-Planet and Fundació Integralia DKV, featured José María Fernández, partner and co-founder of Aliath Bioventures; Jaume Duran, CEO of Fundació Sanitària Mollet; Diego Angelino, international projects coordinator at the Nordic Center for Sustainable Healthcare; and Avencia Sanchez-Mejías, co-founder and CEO of Integra Therapeutics. The debate highlighted the urgent need to reduce the healthcare sector’s carbon footprint by implementing sustainable initiatives and more efficient management models. Mollet University Hospital shared some good practices that have earned them NetZero certification, making them one of the first healthcare centers to do so. Additionally, Integra Therapeutics shared their success as the first startup in Catalonia to receive Green Lab certification.

One of the most anticipated topics was the future of funding for healthcare startups and scaleups, a key issue in this time of global economic uncertainty. The conversation between Josep Sanfeliu, co-founder and managing partner of Asabys, and Elena Lovo, head of Life Sciences EMEA, Innovation Economy at J.P. Morgan, analyzed the perspectives for the recovery of capital flow into the life sciences and healthcare sector. Participants agreed that, despite the drop in investment in the sector over the past two years, there are signs of a potential rebound in funding in the coming months. The speakers stressed the need for new funding strategies that help sustain innovative projects and ensure their long-term success.

There was also a debate on the difficulties and barriers to market access for innovations and advanced therapies developed by the pharmaceutical industry in a panel discussion moderated by Carlos Buesa, founder and CEO of Oryzon, featuring Marta Moreno, director of Corporate Affairs at AstraZeneca; Ignacio González, general manager of Menarini Spain; Kerstin Sollerbrant, board member at ATMP Sweden; David Beas, director of Government Affairs and Market Access at Johnson & Johnson; and Federico Plaza, Corporate Affairs director at Roche Farma. The speakers shared the challenges of marketing new medicines and the need to improve regulatory processes to facilitate market access. They also spoke about the need for the industry to be more flexible and efficient in distributing therapies, even when faced with financial pressures and sustainability requirements.

One of the most inspiring moments was the keynote speech by innovation expert Jorge Juan Fernández, director of Innovation at Hospital Clinic Barcelona, who gave an overview of the most important global news in the sector. Coleen Murphy, professor of Genomics and Molecular Biology at Princeton University, also presented the latest research on genetic, cellular and environmental factors that affect ageing and Ramon Gras, co-founder of Aretian Urban Analytics and Design, presented the innovation hubs in the Barcelona Metropolitan Area. The event, which took place over one full day for the first time this year, finished with a live interview with Ferrer CEO Mario Rovirosa for the BIOEMPRENDEDORES podcast. 

Not only were all the ecosystem’s key stakeholders at the event, top representatives from the Government of Catalonia were there too. President of the Government of Catalonia Salvador Illa, with Catalan Minister of Research and Universities Núria Montserrat and Catalan Minister of Health Olga Pané attended the event in a show of the Government of Catalonia’s commitment to the development and consolidation of the BioRegion of Catalonia as one of the main driving forces for society and the economy in the country. 

Highlight too the support of Alira Health, Almirall, AMGEN, AstraZeneca, Esteve, Grifols, Johnson&Johnson, Menarini España, Pfizer, Roche i Sanofi, i la col·laboració d’ACCIÓ, Catalonia Health, Farmaindustria, Fenin and the Catalan Government. 

Festive vibe full of surprises

In addition to the sessions analyzing and debating challenges and opportunities in the sector, there were also several surprises this year. There was live music by a sax player and violinist to liven up the day, creating a unique setting. In a particularly emotional moment, candles were blown out with a countdown while all the covers of previous editions of the Report were shown.

Plus, the audience got to immortalize the day with a commemorative photocall and enjoy a huge birthday cake to celebrate these ten editions of analyzing the sector. To finish it off, everyone got a small souvenir as they left, the cherry on top of this edition that will always be remembered by the BioRegion of Catalonia ecosystem and the Biocat team.