Biocat takes the BioRegion of Catalonia to Boston and London
<p>The organization presented the ecosystem at Barcelona Innovation Day and Barcelona London Day</p>
As part of its goal to position the BioRegion of Catalonia as an international benchmark, Biocat has participated in two events, in Boston and London, presenting the Catalan healthcare and life sciences ecosystem.
On May 31, Biocat took part in the first Barcelona Innovation Day at the Harvard Kennedy School (Boston). This event, led by the SciTech DiploHub (the organization working to implement a science and technology diplomacy strategy in Barcelona), received support from the Delegation of the Government of Catalonia to the United States, ACCIÓ and Biocat and brought together representatives from the academic, business and institutional arenas in Barcelona and Boston. The goal: to strengthen ties between the two ecosystems and share best research and innovation practices. Biocat Scientific and International Relations Director Montse Daban presented the strengths of the BioRegion of Catalonia.
“The event helped us raise awareness of the ties between Barcelona and Boston, with very noteworthy research production levels, and to learn from their experience to help close the gaps that still exist in the BioRegion of Catalonia,” highlights Daban.
Experts with varying degrees of involvement in the two ecosystems participated, including CIMIT Chief Operating Officer and Technology Implementation Director John Collins, who explained how they are helping develop medtech projects in Barcelona through Biocat’s CRAASH Barcelona program; Elisabet de los Pinos, founder and CEO of Aura, who explained how scientific excellence drives innovation capacity; Anna Maiques, CEO of Neuroelectrics, who stressed that Barcelona shouldn’t try to be Boston but to make the most of its own capacities; and Joan Camprodon, head of Neuropsychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital, who highlighted the importance of connections among research centers as the driving force for their respective ecosystems.
The BioRegion in the City of London
Showing the British public the international investment potential of the BioRegion of Catalonia: this was the goal of another seminar, Barcelona: an opportunity to invest, held on 12 June in London as part of Barcelona London Day. The seminar included panels on various sectors, including one on the healthcare and life sciences featuring Biocat CEO Jordi Naval; Christian Brander, co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer at Aelix Therapeutics; Antoni Esteve, member of the Board of Directors at Esteve; Cristian Pascual, co-founder and CEO of Mediktor; and Josep Lluís Sanfeliu, founding partner of Asabys Partners.
The investment panel took place on the 42nd floor of the Leadenhall Building. “There are now more than 50 international investors committed to the start-ups in the BioRegion of Catalonia,” Jordi Naval highlighted to the British investors. “The Catalan healthcare and life sciences sector beat records in 2018, raising a total of €106 million in funding and three of every four euros in venture capital attracted by Catalan biomedical start-ups came from rounds with foreign participation.”
Barcelona London Day is an initiative of Barcelona Global to present Barcelona as one of the best cities in the world through events focusing on five themes: investment, architecture and design, quality tourism, music and art, and science. The event on science, held on 13 June at the headquarters of The Royal Society, featured Gastón Garcia, deputy director of the ALBA Synchrotron; Teresa Garcia-Milà, director of the Barcelona Graduate School of Economics; Emilià Pola, executive director of ICREA; Josep Samitier, president of the Catalan Association of Research Centers (ACER), and James Sharpe, head of EMBL Barcelona.