The IberoBio project will serve more than sixty biotech SMEs and will work to strengthen and internationalize the cross-border Iberian ecosystem through an investment of two million euros.

Biotechnology has positioned the Galician community as a benchmark in recent years. With significant annual turnover figures, companies in the sector are making progress in their growth. In this context, Bioga, the Clúster Tecnolóxico Empresarial das Ciencias da Vida, an entity that represents the biotech ecosystem, will lead this year IberoBio, a project supported by the European Union, which aims to support biotech SMEs in the cross-border area through the creation and promotion of the Iberian Cross-Border Biotechnology Pole.

In a joint effort of 13 entities from Spain and Portugal, IberoBio will invest two million euros until 2025, marking a significant milestone in the promotion of technology and research in the Iberian territory. Thanks to this project, Bioga has positioned Galicia as a reference community in biotechnology at national level and will be able to make available to SMEs and entrepreneurs in the cross-border Iberian territory a whole series of support services based on talent, collaboration, innovation, access to financing and promotion for their competitive improvement and internationalization potential.

The IberoBio project, which will run from 2023-2025, is supported by the European Union and represents a step towards the consolidation, positioning and internationalization of the biotechnology sector in the Iberian Peninsula. It also envisages the development of the Iberian Cross-Border Biotechnology Pole, which makes available to SMEs and entrepreneurs in the Iberian cross-border territory a whole series of services based on talent, collaboration, innovation, access to financing and promotion. In short, it is committed to creating and consolidating an innovative ecosystem of support for competitive improvement and strengthening the potential for internationalization.

IberoBio will have a network of strategic partners that include academic institutions, business organizations and centers Representatives of the institutions participating in the IberoBio cross-border project. The IberoBio project represents a step towards the consolidation of the biotechnology research sector. There are thirteen entities: Bioga, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Consorcio de la Zona Franca de Vigo, Universidade do Minho, Laboratorio Ibérico Internacional de Nanotecnología, Fundación FUNDECYT de Extremadura, Zona Franca de Cádiz, Ayuntamiento de Salamanca, Associação Colab4Food, Sociedad para la Promoción de Iniciativas Empresariales Innovadoras, Instituto Galego de Promoción Económica (Igape), GreenColab-Associação Océano Verde and Portuguese Association of Bioindustry.

DISRUPTIVE TECHNOLOGIES

In addition, Bioga participates as a strategic partner in the EDIH DATAlife project, which focuses on implementing disruptive technologies in validation and demonstration phases with great potential to increase the competitiveness of Galician companies. Bioga is part of the Board of Directors of DATAlife, an association that was chosen as European Hub for digital innovation, which has meant attracting funding of 5.5 million from the EU to Galicia.

TURNING POINT

The Galician biotechnology sector is in good health and this is reflected in the data. In fact, the president of Bioga, Jose Manuel López Vilariño, assures that, “after a decade of hard work, both on the part of our partners and Bioga as a cluster, already in 2022 it started to be observed and in 2023 it has been clearly seen that it has been a turning point year for the Galician biotechnology sector”. As he explains, “in this last year, not only has the growth process continued, consolidating itself as one of the main bioregions at national level, but it has also managed to awaken great interest at national level in what is happening in Galicia in terms of new projects, entrepreneurship and investment”.

Currently, “the sector has representatives from the entire value chain, from universities and research centers, technology centers, biomedical foundations, companies and investment funds. This has made Galicia the second most bioentrepreneurial community in Spain according to the data provided by the Asebio 2023 Report”.

“2023 has clearly been a turning point year for the Galician biotech sector.”

Galicia is thus constituted as “a bioregion that stands out for a very dynamic business ecosystem, formed by highly innovative startups arising through the transfer of knowledge from universities, SMEs in the process of expansion and growth and large companies capable of energizing the business fabric. Thanks to this growth, the sector has a turnover of more than 1,300M€, 2% of the Galician GDP and employs more than 5,600 highly qualified people”.

In Vilariño’s words, “it is worth noting that, after periods in which it was difficult to generate value, in recent years the new partners are starting out with greater capitalization, better advice and with much more professionalized companies, which will help to generate a greater impact”. He also points out that “it is important to note that biotechnology is presented as a lever to promote innovation in more traditional sectors of our economy and is key to strengthening our strategic position and competitiveness”.

Strategic position of the sector

Bioga is a non-profit business association that supports the value chain of the biotechnology sector with activity in Galicia. The Cluster works to improve the positioning of the Galician biotechnology sector, seeking competitive improvement and business generation through the promotion of actions and services directly aimed at the members of the ecosystem. Its mission is to energize the agents of the Galician life sciences ecosystem with the aim of configuring a powerful research environment, promoting knowledge transfer and consolidating a business network that makes up the economic engine of Galicia and contributes to the welfare of society.

More information: Bioga Communication Office: 679.486.961.
Original article:  El biotech se pone al servicio de pymes y emprendedores ibéricos (Innovación), 25/02/2024.

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