Why Spain?

About 4,400 companies carried out biotechnology activities in 2024, of which 1.000 were biotech firms.

Human health is still the main area of activity for biotech firms, with 58% of companies working in this area. This is followed by companies working in food, 16% on agriculture and forestry production, 16% on animal health and aquaculture, 15% on the environment and 10% on industrial biotechnology.

In terms of geographic breakdown, Catalonia, Madrid, Andalusia and the Basque Country are home to the largest number of companies. Catalonia leads in number of biotech companies in Spain, with almost a quarter of the total and more than 40% of total turnover. The Basque Country has a dynamic biotech cluster with about 100 biotech companies.

The joint activity of biotech companies generated in 2023 over €15 billion in revenue, and generated a gross value added of € 6 billion and created 131,000 jobs.

The science produced by the Spanish biotechnology sector is excellent and its innovation is patented internationally.

In 2023, Spanish scientific production in biotechnology made up 2.49% of global production and was cited 20% more than the global average. Spain remains ranked ninth in the world in number of papers in biotechnology.

Technological innovation is being protected increasingly through international  patents PCT and the European Patent Office make up 82% of all patent applications.

In 2024, we identified 129 new products or services launched to market by AseBio members, 34% more than the previous year.

The sector is working together to tackle the pandemic and maintains its interest in international markets.

Biotech firms forged 335 partnerships and 242 of them were with public entities and foundations, 114 with another biotech company and 75 with other types of companies.. R&D is companies’ main goal with these partnerships: 152 of the 335 partnerships were forged for this purpose. Regarding the partners’ country of origin, Spain remains the main one with 254 of the 335 partnerships, followed by countries in the European Union (135) and the United States (30). AseBio member companies increased internationalisation 5%, with 8 new subsidiaries. 44 AseBio members, one more than the previous year, have a direct presence in 62 countries on all continents, with the United States having the most direct presence of AseBio member biotech companies

Social perception of Biotechnology in Spain

According to the Survey on Social Perception of Innovation, more than 80% of the population sees innovation as positive, up nearly 8% over the previous year. Plus, public perception still puts Spanish innovation on par with the European Union average.

Public opinion of biotechnology remains the most highly rated factor among AseBio members. On the other hand, the economic situation remains the main barrier in the sector, along with the regulatory framework, which has been negatively affected by changes implemented in 2023.

BASQUE COUNTRY ECOSYSTEM, BIOSPAIN 2026

The Basque Country is a strong innovator European region, well-known as an industrial force and, more recently, it is becoming an active life sciences and healthcare hub. The sector comprises more than 300 companies and is supported by an ecosystem composed of 20 research and technology centres -including 4 Health Research Institutes-, 4 universities and a pioneering network of dual professional training, as well as leading hospitals and healthcare organisations. The life sciences and healthcare sector employs more 62.000 individuals, about 8,4% of the working population, and accounts for more than 9.400 million euros of revenue.
This strategic sector is experimenting a significant growth. In the period 2015-2023, both industry employment and revenue have shown growth rates around 130%. In a region that accounts for less than 5% Spanish population and around 6% of Spanish GDP, Basque Innovative and Tech companies in biotech and ehealth represent 10,6% of total companies in Spain, as well as 16,3% of employment and 18,7% revenue. In 2024, 6 investments in Basque biotech companies -accounting for 11,3% of Spanish total- achieved more than 28 million euros, or 15,7% of total Spanish investments.
Within the Basque Country, Bizkaia encompasses 45% of companies, 44% of employment and 56% of revenues. Magnitudes that have been achieved as a result of the active public support ecosystem and the fiscal policies promoting entrepreneurship, innovation, investment and the attraction of talent:

• Self-goverment and fiscal autonomy
• Safe and stable tax environment
• “Zero uncertainty”policy in tax consultations
• Avoiding double taxation
• Transparency

Science and technology are strong pillars for the sector. Taking all areas, the Basque Country is second to Catalonia in percentage of scientific output published in the 10% of highest-ranked journals. In life science and healthcare specifically, more than 62% of European Research Council (ERC) grants in the Basque Country have been awarded to individuals working in this area. Additionally, 7 recipients of National Research Awards are also related to this area of knowledge (Biology, Medicine, Chemistry, Mathematics, Physics).
The Basque Country is a hub of reference in Europe for advanced therapies manufacturing, with a rich value chain, international players, and more than half of the industrial biomanufacturing capacities located in Spain. Other interesting growing product developments include next-gen therapeutics such as ADC and bispecifics, diverse therapeutic proteins or microbiome-based therapeutics. Industry is also supported by dedicated policy efforts in areas such as Quantum Science and Technology, Artificial Intelligence, or neurobiosciences, rare diseases and oncology.
With a strong commitment to reindustrialisation based on science and technology, the Basque Country is the ideal place to host Biospain 2026.