6th International Meeting on Biotechnology to be held at Bilbao Exhibition Centre (BEC), in Barakaldo (Bilbao), from 19 to 21 September

 

BioSpain 2012 is larger in terms of internationalisation and the number of exhibitors, meetings and visitors

 

• 30% of the companies registered for BioSpain 2012 are from other countries. That figure, which may vary in the next few days due to last-minute entries, means that this year’s event is 14% more international than the previous edition.
• There will be 216 exhibitors this year, 29% more than in 2010
• Approximately 1,450 professional visitors (a 10% increase) and 750 companies (+17%) will be attending
• The partnering/business development event can attain up to 4,500 one-on-one meetings, compared with almost 2,200 in the previous edition; as a result, BioSpain would rank fourth in the world in terms of business development (from its current 7th place)
• BioSpain 2012 is being held in Bilbao in recognition of the Basque Country's focus on innovation—and on bioscience in particular—an area that has developed considerably since the launch of the BioBasque 2010 strategy.

 

Madrid, 4 September 2012. The figures gathered to date by the BioSpain 2012 organisation show the event will be a major success and evidence the growing importance of biotechnology in Spain.

The 6th International Meeting on Biotechnology, BioSpain 2012 (www.biospain2012.org)—a biennial event organised by ASEBIO, the Spanish Association of Biotechnology Companies, in cooperation this year with Society for Competitive Transformation (SPRI), an agency of the Basque government—is on track to beat the record figures set at the previous edition, held in Pamplona in 2010. BioSpain 2012 will run from 19 to 21 September in Bilbao Exhibition Centre (BEC), in Barakaldo; its main goal (already achieved) is to expand the presence of foreign participants and create a suitable framework for business development for both Spanish and foreign companies and institutions.

Based on registrations to date, international participants account for 30% of the total, i.e. a 14% increase over the previous edition. A total of twenty-five countries are represented at the event. The main countries, in terms of both participation and exhibition space, are the UK, the US, France, Germany, Mexico, Switzerland, Sweden, Belgium and the Netherlands.

The trade fair, which is 50% larger this year, is fully booked with 216 exhibitors, i.e. up 29% with respect to the last BioSpain. Confirmed exhibitors represent a total of ten countries.

Based on initial estimates by the organising team of BioSpain 2012, the event will attract 1,450 professional visitors and 750 companies, i.e. increases of 10% and 17%, respectively, with respect to the 2010 event.

Also, the space for partnering/business development meetings has been doubled, providing room for up to 4,500 one-on-one meetings (compared with 2,200 in 2010). That figure would place BioSpain in fourth place among the world's biotech business development events (from 7th place at present).

These figures have surpassed the expectations of ASEBIO and the Basque Government in spite of the economic difficulties this year.

Double-digit growth in all its metrics and the strong international presence evidence Spanish biotech's good image and competitiveness. Accordingly, we at ASEBIO believe that biotechnology should play a vital role in the Spanish economy, and we highlight its multiplier effect on innovation. Determined government support would place Spain among the top positions worldwide in this field. A total of 1,715 companies in Spain were engaged in biotechnology in 2010, a 12.8% increase, according to data from the Spanish National Statistics Institute published in the ASEBIO 2011 Annual Report.

Regina Revilla, President of ASEBIO, considers that these figures evidence the importance of biotechnology in Spain. "We are very proud of the response on the part of our companies and institutions, and of the great interest that BioSpain 2012 has aroused, considering the large number of interesting biotech events in other countries. We are confident that BioSpain 2012 will fulfil participants' business expectations and help develop the industry in Spain," said Revilla, who also expressed her gratitude to the Basque Country for its efforts to promote the biosciences through its BioBasque 2020 strategy.

Juan Goicolea, Deputy Minister for Innovation and Technology in the Basque Government: "The fact that BioSpain 2012 is being held in the Basque Country is an exceptional opportunity for us to showcase the impact in our region of the Basque Government's determined bid over the last ten years to promote this new industry here. The result is a biocluster here in the Basque Country. Moreover, as a sign that our commitment is ongoing, following achievement of the goals in the first phase of our strategy of diversification into bioscience, under the name BioBasque 2010, in the last two years we have laid the foundations for the next phase, BioBasque 2020, which pursues a significant increase in the biosciences' contribution to the Basque economy."

"Interactions are very important, and we must let the world know what we are doing here in Spain," said José María Fernández Sousa-Faro, Vice-President of ASEBIO and Chairman of Grupo Zeltia. "Together, we must make this a model industry that promotes Spain's competitiveness, capacity for internationalisation and productivity, so as to attain the double-digit growth that our industry needs in order to make a quantum leap and match the scale of its counterparts in other countries which are leading this new knowledge revolution."

The Basque Country has provided vital support for BioSpain 2012. BioBasque 2010, the Basque Country's plan to support bioscience, focuses on diversifying the region's industrial fabric and reorienting traditional industries towards new technologies. "The plan has brought major changes in science and technology in the region and in Basque business, clearly evidencing that active industry policy has very positive results in the medium and long term," concluded Regina Revilla, President of ASEBIO.

Employment and training opportunities
A new feature of BioSpain 2012 is the biotechnology Career Fair, sponsored by Repsol in cooperation with Inguralde, the city of Barakaldo's local development agency. The Career Fair will enable students and professionals to interface with companies and academic institutions in order to explore employment and training opportunities.

The latest figures from Spain's National Statistics Institute show that the Spanish biotech industry is creating employment despite the economic crisis. In fact, the ASEBIO 2011 Annual report revealed that the sector had 163,526 employees in 2010, i.e. 3.8% more than the previous year. The Career Fair, scheduled for the morning of 21 September in the framework of BioSpain 2012, was established in response to the growing range of bachelor and master's programmes in biotechnology and their capacity to attract talent in Spanish universities.

Another new feature this year is BIOCHEM, a forum for investment focused on industrial biotechnology, which is organised by FEIQUE and Madrid Biocluster on 20-21 September.

BioSpain, the most important international event in Southern Europe
BioSpain 2012 also includes an Investment Forum. A total of 32 projects have been presented and will be assessed by a panel of Spanish and international experts. Other features include breakout sessions on a range of topics with speakers from Spain and other countries, and Biotec 2012, the scientific conference of the Spanish Society of Biotechnology (SEBIOT), held this year in partnership with the University of the Basque Country's School of Science and Technology. Consequently, BioSpain is now the leading international event in its field in Southern Europe.
The official sponsors of BioSpain 2012 are the Genome Spain Foundation, Zeltia, MSD and ICEX.
The BioSpain 2012 social network initiatives and press office are sponsored by Biogen Idec.

Further information from:
Lucía Cecilia
Head of Communication at BioSpain 2012 and ASEBIO
Tel: + 34 912109374/10
Mobile: + 34 663 117 293  
e-mail: lcecilia@asebio.com
www.asebio.com

 

Cristina Ugarte
Communication and Marketing at SPRI
Tel: +34 944037018
e-mail: cugarte@spri.es
www.spri.es

 

BERBÉS ASOCIADOS
Maribel Otero / Jorge Sánchez / Irene Fernández
Tel: 91 563 23 00 / 610 020 329 / 678 544 149 / 661 67 82 83
e-mail: maribelotero@berbes.com; jorgesanchez@berbes.com ;
irenefernandez@berbes.com

 

Twitter: @BioSpain2012 (https://twitter.com/BioSpain2012)

 

YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/biospaincongress

 

Linkedin Group: ‘BioSpain 2012’