6th International Meeting on Biotechnology held at Bilbao Exhibition Centre (BEC), in Barakaldo (Bilbao), from 19 to 21 September

MADRID, October 11, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --

BioSpain 2012 is now the world's fourth-largest business development event in biotechnology

• The partnering event expanded by 29% to 2,775 meetings, growing faster than BIO International Convention (23%), BIO Europe (1%) and BIO Europe Spring (24%) to rank fourth among biotechnology business development events worldwide
• HRH the Prince of Asturias inaugurated BioSpain 2012, visited the trade fair and met with leading industry figures
• Participant numbers (domestic and international) increased by 32% with respect to the 2010 edition. The presence of international companies increased by 40%
• In the trade fair, 78% of exhibitors were Spanish companies and 22% were international, making a total of 217, i.e. 29% more than in 2010
• The First Career Fair had 400 registrations for meetings to match the supply and demand for labour and training

The final figures show BioSpain 2012 was a major success and evidence the growing importance of biotechnology in Spain.

In fact, this year BioSpain climbed to fourth place worldwide among biotechnology business development/partnering events, having hosted a total of 2,775 meetings, a 29% increase on the previous edition in 2010. Consequently, BioSpain 2012 jumped from 7th to 4th place, with a percentage gain in excess of those registered by BIO International Convention (21,183 meetings, +23%), BIO Europe (14,765 meetings, +1%) and BIO Europe Spring (11,172 meetings, 24% more).

This sixth edition of BioSpain experienced an overall increase in participants: 1,850 industry professionals from Spain and other countries came to the Bilbao Exhibition Centre (BEC) in Barakaldo between 19 and 21 September, i.e. 32% more than in the previous edition (2010, in Pamplona).

The event was inaugurated by HRH The Prince of Asturias, who toured the trade fair to discover the latest developments in the industry. He then met with people in the industry, from both business and research, expressing his absolute support for the biotechnology sector and his intention to attend future editions if his schedule permitted.

The trade fair was 50% larger this year in terms of floor space, and there were 217 exhibitors, 29% more than in 2010; 78% were Spanish firms, 22% international firms.

A new feature this year was the Biotechnology Career Fair, aimed at matching supply and demand of labour in the biotechnology industry. A total of 400 people registered. The vacancies were mainly in science and in business development, although other areas of expertise in biotech were also in demand. The majority of job seekers were graduates or PhDs with experience or a background in health-related ("red") biotechnology.

The international nature of this fair was evidenced by the 40% increase in the number of participating international firms with respect to the 2010 edition. A total of 762 companies participated, 210 from other countries (28% of the total). The number of international firms exhibiting in the trade fair increased by 65.5% (to 48). The breakdown of international companies was as follows: UK (6%), France (4%), Germany (2%), United States (2%), Belgium (2%), Switzerland (2%), Netherlands ( 1%), Portugal (1%), Italy (1%) and Mexico (1%).

The 6th International Meeting on Biotechnology, BioSpain 2012 (http://www.biospain2012.org), a biennial event organised by ASEBIO, the Spanish Association of Biotechnology Companies, in cooperation this year with Society for Competitive Transformation (SPRI), an agency of the Basque government, beat the record figures set at the previous edition, which was held in Pamplona in 2010. It achieved its main goal of expanding the presence of foreign participants and creating a suitable framework for business development for both Spanish and foreign companies and institutions.

For the first time, BioSpain 2012 hosted BIOCHEM, an investment forum focused on industrial biotechnology which was organised by Feique and Madrid Biocluster. Also, as in previous editions, BioSpain organised an investment event covering all areas of biotechnology at which 32 projects were presented to a sizeable group of domestic and international investors. BioSpain this year also hosted the 7th Pharma-Biotech Meeting, a forum organised by Farmaindustria where research and industry meet; the theme this year was oncology.

Additionally, SEBIOT, the Spanish Biotechnology Society, held its scientific conference, Biotec 2012, including its annual general meeting, which elected Isabel de la Mata as President of the Society.

The breakout sessions at BioSpain 2012 focused on key issues for the industry such as the challenges of the Horizon 2020 programme: health and demographic change, food security and sustainable agriculture, energy efficiency and clean transportation, among others.

The official sponsors of BioSpain 2012 are the Genome Spain Foundation, Zeltia, MSD and ICEX.

The BioSpain 2012 social network initiatives and press office are sponsored by Biogen Idec.

Further information from:
Lucía Cecilia
Head of Communication at BioSpain 2012 and ASEBIO
Tel: +34-912109374/10
Mobile: +34-663-117-293    
e-mail: lcecilia@asebio.com
http://www.asebio.com

BERBÉS ASOCIADOS
Jorge Sánchez / Paula Fernández / Irene Fernández
Tel: +91-563-23-00 / 678-544-149 / 678-54-61-77 / 661-67-82-83
E-mail: jorgesanchez@berbes.com; paulafernandez@berbes.com; irenefernandez@berbes.com

Twitter: @BioSpain2012 (https://twitter.com/BioSpain2012)
YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/biospaincongress
Linkedin Group: 'BioSpain 2012'