After postponing it due to COVID-19, the tenth edition of BIOSPAIN was held the last week of September, from 27 to 30, online all the days and in-person on 29 and 30 in Pamplona.  It has been one of the first major events in the sector during the pandemic with the participation of a thousand professionals, half of them in-person, from about 600 entities in 30 different countries.  More than 2,000 one-on-one meetings between national and international professionals and investors have been closed online and in person.

Sessions and round tables were the forum for discussion, to address issues such as whether we are prepared for the next pandemic, where we are regarding new genomic editing techniques, how to find more fundingfor R + D, or the future of personalized food and medicine.

CataloniaBio & HealthTech took part in the debate representing the Catalan ecosystem in a session on demand focused on Spain, its biotech clusters, and regional strategies.  In a round table, together with representatives of the Bioga Galicia cluster and the Basquehealth cluster, the General Secretary of CataloniaBio & HealthTech, Melqui Calzado, explained the state of the bioregion, what are the challenges it is facing and how the organisation contributes to the growth of the biotechs in our environment, promoting innovation, entrepreneurship, and networking.  It was highlighted the uniqueness of initiatives such as the BIOMED ScaleUp or the Shared Value programme, which emerged from the sustainability working group, both promoted in 2021 in response to the needs detected in the sector.

We were also invited to moderate one of the scientific panel discussions.  In this case, focused on CRISPR technology as a new frontier in the field of biotechnology, with the participation of JavierTerriente (CEO of the CataloniaBio& HealthTech member, ZeClinics), Graeme Garvey (Head of genomic engineering R & D at MilliporeSigma) and Avencia Sánchez-Mejías (CEO of Integra Therapeutics).  The table reviewed the current uses of this genetic editing technology and, also, its possible future applications together with the need to discuss the possible ethical implications of having a tool with this potential.

The two sessions with the participation of CataloniaBio & HealthTech, will be available in the coming months on the BIOSPAIN2021 platform for all those previously registered at the event.

BIOSPAIN 2021 was organised by the Association of Spanish Biocompanies (AseBio), in coordination with the Navarra Local Government and collaboration with Merck, ICEX Spain Exportation and Investments, the Galician Innovation Agency, GAIN, and CINFA.