Number of companies in Catalan biocluster has doubled since 2000
Biocat, the organisation responsible for coordinating and promoting the life sciences sector in Catalonia, presented the 2013 Biocat report in Barcelona. Since its creation in 2006, by the Catalan Government and the Barcelona City Council, Biocat has sought to consolidate the life sciences sector by bringing together researchers, companies and other professionals in the field of biotechnology and biomedecine from Catalonia and other countries in the world. With 65 % of its biotechnology, pharmaceutical and medical products sold on the international market, the Catalan ‘Bioregion’(biocluster) is amongst the leaders in the sector. The cluster is currently made of 512 companies, meaning twice as many as in 2000, 56 research centers dedicated to life sciences or related disciplines, 17 university hospitals and 11 universities offering training in biosciences. It also relies on numerous other technology poles. This year’s report stressed the significant increase in private funding for the Catalan BioRegion over the last 4 years (€ 5.7 million to € 25.6 million) while highlighting the drop in public aid.