MADRID, November 12, 2014 /PRNewswire/ --
The 7th International Biotechnology Conference, BioSpain 2014 (http://www.biospain2014.org), the main biotechnology event held in Spain and one of the biggest in the world, took place between the 24th and the 26th of September at the Palacio de Congresos y Exposiciones de Galicia, in Santiago de Compostela (A Corunna). The biennial event, which was organised by the Spanish Bioindustry Association (ASEBIO) - and on this edition also by the Autonomous Government of Galicia, the University of Santiago de Compostela, the University of Vigo and Santiago City Council - once more bolstered its international character: from the 855 private and public institutions attending the fair (an increase of 12.2% compared to the previous edition), 289 were non-Spanish and represented a total of 37 countries, 34% of this year's total, compared to 28% at the last edition, increasing its internationalisation by 37.6% compared to 2012.
In addition, this 7th edition of Biospain, which coincided with the Year of Biotechnology in Spain and the 15th anniversary of ASEBIO, counted with the presence of 200 exhibitors and 50 investors - 80% of them non-Spanish - including venture capital funds, big pharma investment funds, business angels and others, all of whom participated in the Investment Forum, where the business plans of 40 companies from a variety of countries were studied. The partnering event hosted 3,327 business meetings - an increase of 20% compared to the previous edition - with a total of 2,000 participants (8% more), consolidating Biospain 2014 as the fifth biggest industry event globally in terms of the number of business development meetings.
During Biospain 2014 a total of 50 parallel and scientific conferences took place, as well as 37 company presentations, with 720 products available for licensing presented at the partnering.
The Biospain Organisational Committee conducted a satisfaction survey to which 25% of participants responded. According to the results of the survey, completed primarily by representatives of biotechnology businesses and research institutions, Biospain met the expectations of 55% of respondents and exceeded the expectations of 37%. 82% of respondents identified real business opportunities and, regarding their general assessment of the event, 54% stated that it was good, 19% stated that it was really good, and 24% found it average, resulting in 97% of participants satisfied.
Among the noteworthy new features at this fair was the Biolatam Showcase - an exclusive space for Latin American biotechnology - in which countries such as Peru, Argentina, Mexico, Colombia, Costa Rica, Brasil, Chile and Uruguay were present; the Xacobio, which took place between the 21st and the 23rd of September and during which 25 participants from 17 countries shared an unforgettable experience while walking the Camino de Santiago; and the second edition of the Training and Employment Forum, which this year was organised in collaboration with FEBiotec, with 297 job seekers and 20 institutions registered - and 71 meetings having taken place.
Contact
Lucía Cecilia Mercado +34-91-210-93-74 / +34-663-117-293lcecilia@asebio.com http://www.asebio.com
