New business opportunities in the Chinese market
<p>A total of 540 people gathered virtually in the China-Spain Biomedical Business Cooperation Forum session, where Biocat presented the life sciences and healthcare ecosystem in Catalonia to Chinese companies, investors and research institutes.</p>
The Chinese life sciences and healthcare market is the second largest in the world, and its growth is unstoppable. Since Covid-19, there have been major changes in Chinese industry, primarily reflected in a transformation based on accelerated digitalization. The country is seeking new technologies and opportunities to attract projects, and its sights are set on Europe and the main European life sciences and health hubs.
At an event organized by ACCIÓ and the China Construction Bank (CCB),Biocat had the chance to present the assets of the BioRegion of Catalonia, especially the outstanding figures on clinical trials, to the 540 attending the virtual session of the China-Spain Biomedical Business Cooperation Forum.
The event, which was held on April 20 of this year, brought together Chinese and Catalan companies, investors and research institutions. Montserrat Daban, the Scientific and International Relations Director at Biocat, presented the BioRegion and highlighted its scientific and technological output, its talent and the ecosystem’s appeal for investment and talent, and she highlighted Biocat's role in promoting the BioRegion's pipeline portfolio to investors and potential international partners.
Right now, there are more than 1,100 clinical trials underway in Catalonia, accounting for 75% of the trials in Spain. This figure means that Catalonia is ranked eighth globally. The region has been on the cutting edge of research related to the pandemic: 130 clinical trials related to Covid-19 have been conducted.
In addition to the power of the research community, Daban also highlighted the strong business component at the helm of companies like Grífols and Almirall, which along with ZeCniclics also spoke to share their experiences with the Chinese market. In turn, Chinese companies in the sector, like the Fosun Group, Beijing Wantai Biological Pharmacy and Jiangsu Hengrui Medicine, shared their fields of action, their business concerns and their business models.
Partnership to expand borders with the Chinese market
Parallel to the event, Chinese and Catalan companies were able to participate in partnering sessions via the CCB MatchPlus platform of the China Construction Bank, a service that helps Asian companies connect with foreign companies to forge alliances and new partnerships.
Biocat met with representatives of different Chinese companies, investors and research institutes interested in learning about partnership opportunities in the BioRegion. Both sides explored new opportunities and alliances.
The organizers of the session were very pleased with Biocat’s role within the session as a strategic agent and catalyst of the sector, in addition to its strategic vision in projecting the Catalan ecosystem internationally.