Catalan biotechnology and medical equipment companies and organizations seek out synergies in China
<p>As the coordinator of the business and institutional mission along with ACCIÓ, Biocat is positioning itself as a landing platform for Chinese companies and a gateway to the European Union</p>
BioPrognos, Eurecat, Fira de Barcelona, Flexor, Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute, Laboratorios Rubió, Linkcare Health Services, Servei Català de Salut, Vesismin and ZeClinics are the 10 Catalan biotechnology and medical equipment companies and organizations that participated in the multi-sector business and institutional mission to China, organized by ACCIÓ with collaboration from Biocat, Fenin and the Health Tech Cluster from 25 to 31 March.
The companies in the BioRegion, coordinated by Biocat, took advantage of the mission, with Shanghai and Hong Kong on the itinerary, to learn more about the Chinese market (its innovation structures and the government’s ways of fostering innovation) and identify their counterparts there to begin setting up collaboration agreements or international consortia.
To this end, two matchmaking sessions were held at the Shanghai International Medical Zone and the Hong Kong Science and Technology Park. “They were the most useful for Catalan companies, which also got to pitch their projects,” says Biocat Head of Internationalization Roi Villar. Biocat CEO Albert Barberà believes the visit to Hong Kong was the most noteworthy, as it is a more attractive gateway for companies in the BioRegion thanks to its more straightforward regulations.
During the mission, the companies’ agenda included meetings and visits to hospital centers, universities, companies and technology parks, including the Shu Guang Public Hospital in Shanghai, the Shanghai International Medical Zone, Chinese pharmaceutical company Sinopharm, biotechnology firm Obio Technology, BGI - Beijing Genomics Institute (one of the largest genomics companies in the world), the Hong Kong Science and Technology Park and CityU (Chinese University of Hong Kong). They also met with the Hong Kong Medical and Healthcare Device Industries Association. In addition to these visits, they also participated in informational sessions on trends in the Chinese healthcare sector after the reforms under the 13th Five-Year Plan, with clinical trials and cell therapy now one of the region’s areas of great potential.
Biocat’s role in the mission
As the coordinator of the delegation of biotechnology and medical equipment companies on the mission, Biocat presented the BioRegion of Catalonia at the Shanghai International Medical Zone, Hong Kong Science and Technology Park and the Hong Kong Medical and Healthcare Device Industries Association.
“This way, Biocat is positioning itself as a landing platform for Chinese companies and as a gateway to the EU,” explains Albert Barberà. “Our advantage is that, due to the tension between the United States and China, this Asian giant is looking to Europe and investing in infrastructure to join the two continents,” concludes Barberà.