2024 Report of Activities

The year began with the presentation of the 2023 BioRegion of Catalonia Report, which highlighted the sector’s resilience and maturity, capable of maintaining a solid business fabric with over 1,400 companies and 91 research entities, generating nearly 264,000 jobs and representing 7.9% of the Catalan GDP. Throughout this period, outstanding projects and activities were presented, with a direct impact on the BioRegion’s competitiveness and visibility. 

Among the most notable sector events was the second edition of Barcelona Health Innovation Week, which drew twice as many participants as the previous year and has established itself as a flagship week for healthcare innovation in the ecosystem, as well as the 18th edition of BIO-EUROPE SPRING, which took place again in Barcelona for the fourth time. Work to drive technology transfer and entrepreneurship was done through programs such as CRAASH Barcelona and d·HEALTH Barcelona Part Time, which have accelerated high impact projects and trained multidisciplinary teams to respond to real clinical needs.

Institutionally, 2024 was marked by Biocat’s new Board of Trustees, chaired by Salvador Illa, president of the Government of Catalonia. This board meeting, held at the Palau de la Generalitat, consolidated Biocat’s vision of positioning Catalonia at the peak of innovation in science and technology, reinforcing its role as a strategic hub on the global life sciences map.

Biocat ha estat reconeguda amb el segell de bronze en “Cluster Management Excellence”, una distinció atorgada per l’European Secretariat for Cluster Analysis (ESCA) que certifica el paper de l’entitat com a connector de la BioRegió i la seva capacitat de crear aliances estratègiques dins l’ecosistema i amb altres clústers internacionals.

Biocat was awarded the bronze seal for "Cluster Management Excellence", a distinction granted by the European Secretariat for Cluster Analysis (ESCA) that certifies Biocat’s role in bringing together the BioRegion and its ability to create strategic partnerships within the ecosystem and with other international clusters.

Additionally, Biocat launched the Healthcare System Access Program (PASS), promoted the Advanced Therapies Network of Catalonia and led Catalan participation in the European PRECISEU project, among many other actions. Active participation in international conferences and institutional missions reinforced the BioRegion’s global positioning, while partnerships with organizations like Farmaindustria and Fenin enabled progress in digitalization, technology transfer and talent development.

In 2024, the new BioRegion of Catalonia Directory was also launched. This platform is updated daily and provides information on more than 1,600 companies and organizations in the sector. The new, more interactive and intuitive design makes it easier to do advanced searches and get indicators on companies, startups and investment in real time. 

This report provides a summary of Biocat’s intense, diverse activity in 2024, reflecting the organization’s commitment to promoting public-private partnership, anticipating major challenges in the sector, and projecting the BioRegion of Catalonia internationally as a model of innovation, sustainability and resilience.