Biotech companies land in Barcelona to attract investors

BarcelonaAfter its first edition in Granada, where Catalan participants couldn't even fill a plane, BioSpain has established itself more than twenty years later as the leading trade fair for a sector like biotechnology, which has gained ground in Spain. This year's edition is expected to surpass the record numbers from its last edition, two years ago, when more than 2,200 attendees and 1,000 companies from some thirty countries participated.

BioSpain returned to Barcelona this Tuesday, where it also held its first exhibition in 2023, a city it hadn't set foot in for decades. It plans to return in 2027 and 2029, highlighting the importance of the Catalan sector in Spain as a whole. This year's edition focuses on the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) and the future of advanced therapies on the industry. The show, which will become an annual event, also discusses how to apply biotechnology to regenerative agriculture or the changes in the food industry in the face of the growth of plant-based proteins and cultured meat.

With 20% of international attendees, the congress includes Switzerland as its guest country and delegations from Canada, the United Kingdom, Portugal, Dubai, Uruguay, Mexico, and Argentina. "We are increasingly becoming an international event and we want to continue reaching more attendees, but our name is BioSpain, with a strong presence of local companies. Those who come want to get to know the local ecosystem," explained Ion Arocena, general manager of Asebio, at the presentation of this year's edition.

Attracting clients is one of the main objectives of the participating companies, according to Xenopat, one of the spin-off of the Catalan Institute of Oncology (ICO), Bellvitge Hospital, and the Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL). Dedicated to conducting preclinical studies on oncology drugs for third parties, the company based in the Barcelona Science Park (PCB) is in a growth phase and hopes to find new clients at BioSpain, where they are participating for the first time. "We have a lot of meetings scheduled and we already need to send out quotes," explains Xenopat's director, Anna Portela, a few hours after the trade fair opened its doors at the Montjuïc exhibition center.

This is a forecast also held by Genesis Biomed, a consulting firm specializing in the sector. biotech who comes to meet clients and gain visibility. Also based at the PCB, the firm values ​​not having to leave Barcelona, ​​which is more convenient and cheaper, compared to previous editions where they have had to travel to other Spanish cities. It is also an opportunity to present new products, as is the case with Hipra, a Girona-based pharmaceutical company that wants to showcase its new line of business, the manufacture of drugs for third parties, or Palex, a medical supplies distribution company that has brought a new robot—smaller and cheaper—to automate processes such as preparing PCR tests.

There are also those seeking financing, with 76 investment companies participating in this year's edition, mostly European, but also with some American ones, one of the most powerful markets for biotechnology companies. Among the participating funds is Asabys, immersed in a new phase after the integration of Aliat Bioventures "To have a stronger team and more flexibility," summarized Clara Campàs, co-founding partner and director of Asabys. "The environment has changed, and raising funds has become more complicated. We need to move toward larger management teams and think collaboratively," added Montserrat Vendrell, partner and co-founder of Aliat, which has now joined Asabys.

The event, which will run until Thursday, is organized by the Spanish Association of Biocompanies (AseBio) and Biocat, in collaboration with the Generalitat (Government of Catalonia) and Barcelona City Council.