The employers’ association Asebio assures that Galicia stands out for its ecosystem of biotech firms and for its biotechnology-related infrastructure, consolidating itself among the most bioentrepreneurial communities in Spain.
6.78% of biotech firms, 66 companies, are located in Galicia and have an average turnover of 9.5 million euros, according to the ‘Asebio 2023 Report’, which places the Galician community as the sixth in total number of companies.

Santiago de Compostela. 05/September/2024. Galicia has a solid biotechnology ecosystem. This is once again highlighted in the Asebio 2023 report, entitled 25 years of biotechnology and drawn up by the Spanish Association of Biocompanies. The biotech sector in Galicia created six new business projects in 2023, 13% of the biotech firms created in Spain last year.

Catalonia was the most bioentrepreneurial autonomous community, generating nine biotech firms, only three more than Galicia. Third place went to Murcia and Valencia, with seven new companies. And then it is Galicia’s turn, with six companies created. In 2023 it was the fourth most bioentrepreneurial community, ahead of regions such as Madrid, with the largest biotech business fabric and five companies created. The Galician ecosystem linked to life sciences is once again at the top, competing with autonomous communities with greater financial muscle and with a deep-rooted tradition in the biotech innovation sector.

The study carried out each year by the employers’ association of biotech companies in Spain highlights that “Galicia is one of the benchmark regions in the field of biotechnology”. And it indicates this not only because of its biotech business fabric but also highlights the presence of biotechnology-related infrastructure, with the presence of technology parks, business associations and sectoral clusters. The president of the Clúster Tecnolóxico Empresarial das Ciencias da Vida (Bioga), José Manuel López Vilariño, stresses once again that the success of the Galician biotech sector is based on “public-private collaboration”. In his opinion, “private initiative and the public sector are working in Galicia in a single direction: biotechnological excellence”.

66 biotech companies

According to the Asebio 2023 Report, Galicia’s biotechnology ecosystem is made up of 66 business entities, 6.78% of the total in Spain. It is the sixth autonomous community in terms of the total number of biotech companies. The six regions with the highest number of biotech companies are Catalonia, Madrid, Andalusia, the Basque Country, Valencia and Galicia. The business firms in these six regions account for more than 80 percent of Spain’s biotech fabric.

The average turnover of companies linked to life sciences in Galicia grew by 31.94% in 2023 to 9.5 million euros, compared to 7.2 million the previous year, which shows a clear trend towards business consolidation.

Galicia is also the autonomous community with the second highest growth in recent years in the creation of biotech companies out of the national total. The increase is 30.56% for the period 2018-2022, only surpassed by the Region of Murcia. The Galician region, according to the Asebio 2023 Report, is the third autonomous region with the highest weight of the biotechnology sector in the regional Gross Value Added (GVA), with 0.37%. It is only surpassed by Madrid and Catalonia.

The president of Bioga, in view of the data from the Asebio 2023 Report, in whose preparation the Cluster Tecnolóxico Empresarial das Ciencias da Vida collaborates, once again highlights “Galicia’s leading role in Spain’s biotech ecosystem”. He considers it “a major player”. In his opinion, “the figures for the whole of 2023 reflect the work and effort of each of the actors who work every day in Galicia to promote the sector and generate well-being for society”. José Vilariño recognises the work and commitment of entrepreneurs, researchers, small and large companies, the three Galician universities, biomedical foundations, public administrations and all the agents that make up Galician biotechnology.

The president of Bioga sets the challenges for the coming years. “Support initiatives that bring out talent and generate added value for Galicia, open up new markets for the Galician biotech business network in Spain and third countries, promote knowledge transfer to the productive sector and focus on attracting investment in biotech projects and intersectoral hybridisation,” says Vilariño.

NEW COMPANIES. Galicia saw the birth in 2023 of six bio firms. And they are:

  • Alternative Fats and Proteins of Galicia (Vigo): Production, marketing, distribution and sale of insects and their by-products with different uses in agriculture, animal and human nutrition.
  • Health Biolux (Santiago de Compostela): Bioprinting solution that allows the creation of microtissues and vascularised organs.
  • Insectnova (Vigo). Production of protein-rich flours from insects.
  • RB Clinical Trials Consulting (A Coruña). Research and experimental development in biotechnology.
  • Sortcell Analytica (Vigo). Microfluidic technologies for the isolation of circulating tumour cells from peripheral blood samples.
  • Verme Ditoso (Ponteareas). Development of organic fertilisers through the rearing and biotechnological treatment of the tenebrio malitor beetle.
For further information: www.bioga.org – Bioga Press Office: 679.486.961
Data extracted from: Report Asebio 2023, 25 years of biotechnology.

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