The BioRegion is the life sciences and healthcare innovation ecosystem in Catalonia, meaning the group of companies, research groups and bodies, hospitals, universities, administrations, researchers and entrepreneurs, innovation and knowledge-transfer support structures working in Catalonia in this strategic sector.
With a population of more than 7.5 millions and territory comparable to that of European countries like Belgium or the Netherlands, Catalonia has the most dynamic life sciences ecosystem in Spain and one of the most active in Europe. Biocat is the body responsible for dynamizing and promoting the BioRegion of Catalonia.
The BioRegion of Catalonia is made up of more than 1,300 companies and 91 research entities and represents 8.7% of GDP and 8% of employment in Catalonia. In the last three years, the number of international investors who have opted for start-ups in the BioRegion of Catalonia has almost doubled.
The start-ups of the BioRegion of Catalonia, the Catalan ecosystem of life sciences and health, have attracted in 2020 a total of 226 million euros in financing, 84% more than the previous year.
For the third time in a row, the Financial Times has recognized Catalonia as the best region to invest in southern Europe for the period 2020-2021.
Catalonia is in the top 10 in Europe in terms of participation in clinical trials and in the top 15 worldwide: if only oncology is taken into account, the position rises to the European Top 5 and the World Top 10. Quality, safety, rapid patient recruitment, Key Opinion Leaders (KOLs) and competitive costs make the BioRegion a reference destination for these studies.
One out of six scientific biomedicine publications signed by researchers from the BioRegion of Catalonia (specifically 16.5%) are among the 1% of the most cited publications in the world: triple than would correspond to their volume of production. In the last 20 years, the number of biomedicine publications has almost quadrupled in Catalonia and it represents 1.2% of the all world, 3.51% of Europe (28 of the EU), and 34.1% of Spain.
