BIOSPAIN 2025 brought together more than 2,400 attendees from over 1,000 entities from 35 countries, consolidating its international character. The event was attended by 140 investors from 76 national and international investment entities and facilitated more than 4,500 meetings, confirming BIOSPAIN as a key space for networking and generating business opportunities. a key space for networking and the generation of business opportunities..
The 2025 edition also featured nearly 280 exhibition spaces and a full program with more than 60 sessions, in which national and international professionals and experts analyzed the main challenges and opportunities in biotechnology.
The Basque Country, a leading life sciences and health ecosystem
The Basque Country is a highly innovative European region, well known for its industrial power and which, in recent years, has established itself as an active life sciences and healthcare hub. The sector is made up of more than 300 companies and is supported by an ecosystem made up of 20 research and technology centers -including four Health Research Institutes-, four universities and a pioneering dual vocational training network, as well as leading hospitals and healthcare organizations. The life sciences and healthcare sector employs more than 62,000 people, around 8.4% of the employed population, and generates more than 9.4 billion euros in turnover.
This strategic sector has experienced significant growth between 2015 and 2023, with increases of close to 130% in both employment and turnover. Despite representing less than 5% of the Spanish population and around 6% of the national GDP, innovative Basque companies in biotechnology and eHealth concentrate 10.6% of the total number of companies in the sector in Spain, 16.3% of employment and 18.7% of revenue. In 2024, investments in Basque biotechnology companies reached more than 28 million euros, 15.7% of the national total.
Bizkaia concentrates 45% of the companies in the sector, 44% of employment and 56% of income, thanks to a solid ecosystem of public support and fiscal policies aimed at promoting entrepreneurship, innovation, investment and attracting talent. Science and technology are fundamental pillars, placing the Basque Country as one of the leading regions in scientific production and attraction of European competitive funds, especially in the field of life sciences and health.
Moreover, the Basque Country is a hub of reference in Europe in the manufacture of advanced therapies, with a solid value chain, the presence of international players and more than half of the industrial biomanufacturing capacities located in Spain.