Global Crossroads, Local Vibes: The Catalan Perspective on BIOSPAIN 2025

For three days, Barcelona once again became an international meeting point for the life sciences and healthcare sector with the celebration of BIOSPAIN 2025, one of Europe’s most important biotechnology events. Companies, investors, institutions, and research centers from around the world gathered to share progress, explore collaborations, and discuss the challenges that will shape the future of health innovation. 

Organized by AseBio, in collaboration with Biocat, the Government of Catalonia, and the Barcelona City Council as Regional Host Committee, BIOSPAIN 2025 also received support from a wide range of sponsors including Alexion, Almirall, Amgen, Asabys, Esteve, Grifols, and LIM Global, among others — reflecting its collaborative and international scope. Moreover, starting with this edition, BIOSPAIN becomes an annual event, reinforcing its role as a driving force for the sector. 

With 2,400 attendees, 1,065 organizations, delegations from 34 countries, 4,500 partnering meetings, and 250 exhibitors, this year’s edition confirmed BIOSPAIN as a key connection point between research, business, and investment. Within this diverse setting, the BioRegion of Catalonia had a strong presence, with broad participation in the program and its own pavilion coordinated by Biocat, hosting a selection of startups. A total of 750 participants from over 300 Catalan companies took part, and more than 30% of the sessions featured Catalan speakers or moderators — a reflection of the maturity and international appeal of its innovation ecosystem. 

Under the theme “Global Crossroads, Local Vibes,” the program focused on major sector debates such as data, advanced therapies, knowledge transfer, talent, and investment, while highlighting the role of regions as drivers of innovation. The agenda also opened space for topics like sustainable bioeconomy, synthetic biology, AI, and automation, with applications in food, energy, and materials.

Institutional Presence: Visits and Welcome Events

Activities began on Monday, October 6, with visits from delegations and media to several research centers and institutions in the city. Representatives from AseBio and Biocat guided tours through the Barcelona Science Park (PCB), the Barcelona Supercomputing Center (BSC), the Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), and the Barcelona Biomedical Research Park (PRBB), offering first-hand insights into the scientific and technological potential of the BioRegion. 

That evening, the Opening Social Event — a welcome cocktail for sponsors and investors — was held at the Palau de Pedralbes, bringing together around 250 attendees. The reception featured remarks by Cristina Nadal (AseBio), Robert Fabregat (Biocat), Ion Arocena (AseBio), and Miquel Rodríguez (Barcelona City Council), along with interventions from Meritxell Granell (Almirall Spain), Jordi Valls (Barcelona City Council), Jaume Baró (Secretariat for Economy and Competitiveness), and Juan Cruz Cigudosa (Secretary of State for Science, Innovation, and Universities).

A Congress with a Collaborative and European Vision

During the institutional tour of the exhibition stands, the authorities visited the BioRegion of Catalonia Pavilion, a showcase of the diversity of companies, startups, and organizations that make up the BioRegion. “Catalonia boasts an ecosystem of excellence, driven by a unique combination of cutting-edge science, entrepreneurial talent, and a growing network of investors and innovative companies” highlighted Robert Fabregat, CEO of Biocat, who emphasized the importance of events like BIOSPAIN in connecting research with capital, the market, and society.

The official opening of BIOSPAIN 2025 featured the participation of Rocío Arroyo, President of AseBio; Juan Cruz Cigudosa, Secretary of State for Science, Innovation, and Universities; Antoni Plasència i Taradach, Director General for Research and Innovation at the Department of Health of the Government of Catalonia; and Jordi Valls Riera, Fourth Deputy Mayor for Economy, Housing, Finance, and Tourism at the Barcelona City Council. All emphasized BIOSPAIN’s role as a key meeting point and the sector’s contribution to Europe’s strategic autonomy in health, sustainability, and innovation. 

In the words of Rocío Arroyo, “BIOSPAIN 2025 opens a new chapter for the sector, consolidating itself as the main meeting point for Spanish biotechnology and one of Europe’s benchmarks. We want this congress to act as a bridge between international ecosystems while serving as a catalyst for local growth.” 

During the institutional tour of the exhibition area, authorities visited the BioRegion of Catalonia Pavilion, showcasing the diversity of companies, startups, and organizations from the BioRegion. “Catalonia boasts an ecosystem of excellence, driven by a unique combination of cutting-edge science, entrepreneurial talent, and a growing network of investors and innovative companies,” highlighted Robert Fabregat, CEO of Biocat, who underlined the importance of events like BIOSPAIN in connecting research with capital, the market, and society.

The Program: Data, Therapies, Research, Investment, and Talent

Data and Advanced Therapies

BIOSPAIN 2025 combined strategic reflection and practical insights on health data, advanced therapies, European cooperation, and technology transfer. Among the central debates was the session “Catalyzing 5P Health: Where Are We Regarding Data?”, moderated by Montse Daban (Biocat) within the framework of the European project InnomedCatalyst, featuring Alexion, BSC, the Cross-Border Hospital of Cerdanya, and EUREGHA. The discussion addressed the maturity of ecosystems and the rollout of an interoperable European Health Data Space. Speakers agreed that to make 5P Medicine — predictive, preventive, personalized, participatory, and population-based — a reality, it is essential to strengthen interoperability, data quality, and trust. The role of regional ecosystems such as the BioRegion of Catalonia was also emphasized, as they connect research, industry, and government and facilitate alignment with European standards (FAIR, GDPR, EHDS). 

The session “Sharing Gains and Risks: The Next Frontier in ATMPs,” moderated by Robert Fabregat (Biocat), explored new models to accelerate the adoption of advanced therapies through public-private collaboration and shared risk-benefit frameworks. Representatives from OneChain Immunotherapeutics, AQuAS, and Asphalion agreed on the importance of promoting early assessments and shared value models to ensure the sustainability of healthcare systems. Catalonia’s role as a European testbed for collaboration in ATMPs (Advanced Therapy Medicinal Products) was highlighted, driving outcome-based contracts and real-world evidence generation to bring these therapies closer to patients. 

Other panels featuring Catalan participation addressed orphan drugs and equitable access (with Sant Joan de Déu and Alexion), gene and cell therapy (with OneChain Immunotherapeutics), and early technology assessment (with Hospital Clínic and Amgen). In this same context, HIPRA presented SPEEDCELL, a European project aimed at developing vaccines in under 100 days.

Research and Technology Transfer in the BioRegion

Catalan participation highlighted the close and effective collaboration between research, clinical practice, and industry, which facilitates knowledge transfer and innovation in health. VHIR, VHIO, and Hospital Sant Pau shared experiences in preclinical research, technology validation, and the integration of clinical AI. In the research–industry interaction, CRG, Almirall, and Leitat discussed ways to strengthen industrial research and technology transfer through partnerships. 

R&D hubs such as the Barcelona Science Park (PCB) and companies like Integra Therapeutics emphasized the role of Catalan ecosystems in driving translational research and transforming scientific knowledge into business innovation, contributing to sector growth from the ground up. In the field of scientific initiatives, CaixaResearch, SJD, and SID (formerly BASID) were highlighted, with SID announcing its corporate rebranding.

Investment, Industry, and Talent

On access to capital and growth, Biocat participated in “Science Meets Capital: De-Risking Early Biotech to Unlock Investment”, moderated by Robert Fabregat and featuring Ona Therapeutics and Ysios Capital, focusing on early-stage financing and public support mechanisms for investment. 

Within the funding program, one of the most attended sessions featured Asabys Partners, Inveready, Ysios Capital, moderated by LSN Nation, where these venture capital firms shared their investment theses and criteria. One of the major announcements of the event was the integration of Aliath Bioventures into Asabys Partners, a move aimed at strengthening the team and consolidating a more robust and competitive fund manager in the new life sciences investment landscape. 

On another front, GENESIS Biomed and RCD analyzed AI as a regulatory and evaluation lever. From an industrial perspective, Leanbio announced a new GMP facility in Barcelona, strengthening biomanufacturing in the BioRegion.

The block concluded with a debate on leadership and senior career paths within the sector, alongside sessions dedicated to talent and diversity, focusing on professional management and retention, as well as building inclusive organizations. This included the LGBTIAQ+ Meetup with participation from Catalan centers and institutions.

Biocat Pavilion as a Showcase for Health Entrepreneurship

The large pavilion “Barcelona, BioRegion of Catalonia” served as a meeting point for a significant portion of conference participants. During the pitch sessions, startups such as Aptadel Therapeutics, Endolipid Therapeutics, Telara Pharma, Flomics Biotech, DevsHealth, GeneVector Barcelona, Nanobots Therapeutics, Polar Nanopharma, QREM Regenerative Technology, and Tolemy Bio presented solutions ranging from gene therapies and nanotechnology to diagnostics and digital biotech. Networking was strengthened with an InnomedCatalyst aperitif and visits from delegations such as Hong Kong, Argentina, and Occitania, interested in the Catalan health innovation model. 

Parallel activities within the program included a networking meeting organized by ICEX, AseBio, and Biocat, with national and international investors; an institutional meeting of partners from the Euroregion Pyrénées-Méditerranée with Biocat (Catalonia), BioIB (Balearic Islands), and AD’OCC (Occitania); and presentations of the Catalan ecosystem to delegations from Occitania and Poland, organized by ACCIÓ. The social program included the Welcome Reception at the Maritime Museum of Barcelona and a tapas tour through central Barcelona.

BIOSPAIN 2025 Closed an Edition Marked by Collaboration and Internationalization The next host city for BIOSPAIN 2026, Bilbao, was announced during a handover ceremony between cities, featuring Biocat representing the Barcelona Regional Host Committee and representatives from the Basque Government. 

For Catalonia, the 2025 edition served to consolidate its role as a driver of Spanish and European biotechnology, showcasing the strength of its innovation ecosystem and its ability to host major international events. The presence of Catalan companies, startups, research centers, and investors reflects a growing ecosystem with global reach and impact. After Bilbao, BIOSPAIN will return to Barcelona in 2027, further establishing the city as one of Europe’s key biotechnology hubs. 

BIOSPAIN leaves Barcelona with a legacy of connection, talent, and collaboration: the future of European biotechnology relies on joint efforts, cooperation, and shared innovation.