Barcelona to host BIOSPAIN 2023 international conference on biotechnology
AseBio, in collaboration with Biocat, the Government of Catalonia and the Barcelona City Council, will be hosting one of the most important international biotechnology events in southern Europe at the Fira de Barcelona fairgrounds. The 2023 event expects to bring together over 1,500 professionals from more than 850 organisations in over 30 countries working in health, sustainable agrifood and climate change solutions

Photo: BIOSPAIN 2021, Pamplona-Iruña (Navarra)
The Spanish Bioindustry Association (AseBio) announced this Tuesday that BIOSPAIN, one of the biggest international biotechnology events in southern Europe, will take place from 26 to 28 September 2023 in Barcelona, in collaboration with Biocat, the Government of Catalonia and the Barcelona City Council.
For Biocat CEO Robert Fabregat, Barcelona being chosen to host BIOSPAIN “confirms the Catalan capital’s strategic position as one of the main cities on the map for life sciences and healthcare events in Europe.” In this regard, he adds, “Barcelona and Catalonia lead the international rankings in number of start-ups, science publications and clinical trials, among others, in addition to having renowned research centres and hospitals that, along with entrepreneurial and business talent, make up an ecosystem that is highly competitive both nationally and internationally.”
In fact, according to advance data from the annual AseBio report on the biotechnology sector, in 2021 Catalonia again led in number of biotech companies, with 24% of all businesses in Spain, and accounted for over 45% of the national joint turnover. Catalonia’s companies also have the highest average turnover in this sector, which is strategic for the economy countrywide, contributing 0.91% of the GDP.
Catalonia also stands out for exporting over 50% of the national life sciences and healthcare products and being home to 50% of the pharmaceutical industry. In other subsectors that have popped up more recently, such as digital health, Catalonia has seen exponential growth, with 10 times as many companies as in 2010 (more than 200 today) and double the investment since 2017.
As a whole, the BioRegion of Catalonia is made up of over 1,300 companies and 91 research institutions that, along with health services, generate 8.7% of the Catalan GDP and employ nearly 9% of the working population.
“Boosting the biotechnology sector is a priority for the Government of Catalonia. We want to keep growing and consolidate the BioRegion as a benchmark in the sector in southern Europe. Hosting this event in Barcelona is a strategic step in that direction, in line with the weight of the industry, turnover, exports and ability to attract foreign investment in our territory,” highlights Catalan Minister for Enterprise and Employment Roger Torrent.
Leading congress in Europe
BIOSPAIN is one of the leading congresses in Europe, bringing together more than 850 innovative organisations working in health, sustainable agrifood and climate change solutions. More than 1,500 professionals from 30 countries attend this event, which has more than 200 exhibitors and over 50 investors. AseBio hopes to have more than 3,500 one-to-one meetings at the event. The main goal of this multi-day event is to promote innovation, investment, collaboration and new business opportunities.
“Barcelona is making a firm commitment to the knowledge- and science-based economy to generate activity with greater value added and also attract talent and investment, positioning the city as a world-renowned science and technology hub. In the same line, we are also driving science and technology start-ups through measures like the Barcelona Deep Tech Node programme, so we are very happy that a significant event like BIOSPAIN has chosen Barcelona to host the upcoming edition. The fact that professionals from the global science ecosystem want to come to the city shows that Barcelona’s economic strategy is working,” notes Jaume Collboni, first deputy mayor for Economy, Employment, Competitiveness and Taxation in the Barcelona City Council.
“It is a pleasure for us to host the upcoming edition of BIOSPAIN in Barcelona, to continue with the trend of growth and consolidation we’ve seen in our sector over the past two years. Again this year, we’ve seen a new record in private investment, up 20%, and we remain in the spotlight for international players. Our collaboration with Catalonia will be a turning point for biotechnology in southern Europe,” notes Ana Polanco, chairwoman of AseBio, the main organiser of the event.