BIOSPAIN 2026

The ongoing challenges at Europe's borders and beyond, the lingering effects of COVID-19, and the shifting landscape of biological threats have fundamentally reshaped the way Europe must approach its biologic sector. Vaccines, therapeutics, and diagnostics are no longer just healthcare solutions, they are essential strategic assets. Europe's ability to produce these tools quickly, at scale, and on home soil has become a cornerstone of both defense and crisis resilience.

This session brings together key leaders from Europe’s defense, health security, and intelligence sectors to tackle a crucial question: What infrastructure, coordination, procurement strategies, and alliance frameworks does Europe need to ensure its biologics production meets the demands of future crises? By leveraging lessons from recent events and the strategic insights currently driving EU and national plans, panelists will evaluate Europe’s manufacturing readiness, the strategic role of stockpiles, the integration of intelligence in preparedness, and the necessary public-private collaboration to turn strategic goals into operational capabilities.

• DG DEFIS
• DG HERA
• Ministerio de Defensa: Manuf
• NATO Innovation Fund - David Ordóñez- esta persona la habíais propuesto vosotros - podrías contactar a ver si ella o alguien más podría tener interés en participar?
• UK - estamos en contacto con el consulado de Barcelona a ver qué recomendaciones nos pueden dar
• HIPRA - Carlota Gómez De la Hoz - Corp. Affairs & Sustain. Exec. Director
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Since the launch of the BioBasque strategy in 2002, Euskadi has invested in consolidating an innovation ecosystem which supports the growth of the health and life sciences industry. Under the overarching strategy of clusters as models for growth of sophisticated sectors, a sustained institutional support and the public-private collaboration have leveraged the development of a growing industry currently comprised of more than 300 companies (including specialised suppliers) that account for more than 8% of the direct employment in the Basque Country. The industry is also supported and accompanied by the Basque Network of Science, Technology and Innovation, composed of a rich tissue of organisations (Universities, BERC, Cooperativa Research Centres-CIC, Technology Centres gathered in BRTA, and Health Research Institutes among others) which provides skilled capabilities and contribute to generate deeptech start ups.


Since 2015, the industry has experienced very significant growth in the number of companies (60%), and particularly in terms of turnover (187%) and employment (151%). Most of this growth has been endogenous; even today, the generation of innovative and tech companies in the health/life sciences area remains strong (first in Spain, in number of companies per capita). However, in the recent past, the region is becoming an attractive location for companies, and people, that decide to relocate or establish operations and grow their business here.


This session will explore the factors that make the Basque Country attractive, from different points of view including international companies, investors, and researchers, as well as the Basque Health Cluster and the health public administration.

Eikonoklastes Therapeu cs, TBC 

The year 2025 has been marked by the Biotech Act, the proposed Regulation through which the European Commission aims to establish a comprehensive regulatory framework to foster investment, innovation, and competitiveness in the biotechnology sector at a pivotal moment for Europe's strategic autonomy.
Against this backdrop, this session will explore how the Biotech Act represents an opportunity to strengthen the competitiveness of the Spanish biotechnology sector. In particular, the discussion will focus on some of the proposals expected to have the greatest impact on the industry, including Strategic Projects, financing pilots, the extension of the Supplementary Protection Certificate (SPC), and measures to accelerate clinical trials.

Estado ponentes:Moderador: Ion Arocena, Director General de AseBio

• Javier Padilla Bernáldez, Ministry of Health, Secretary of State - CONFIRMADO
• Cristina Nadal Sanmartin, Executive Director of Policy, MSD in Spain - CONFIRMADO
• Sandra Gallina, Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety, European Commission – mandada invitación
  

Following the publication of the proposed Biotech Act I Regulation, the European Commission has launched a consultation process for the future Biotech Act II, which will focus on industrial policy and on building a broad, forward-looking biotechnology ecosystem.
In this session, organised by AseBio, we will examine the opportunities presented by Biotech Act II to advance biomanufacturing and biotechnology innovation in Europe, while also addressing the regulatory, financing, and scale-up challenges facing the sector.

Estado ponentes: 
Moderador: Ion Arocena, General Director of AseBio
Miguel Ángel Pavón, Directorate-General for Industrial Strategy and Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs), Ministry of Industry and Turism – mandada invitación

• Mrs Kristin Schreiber, Director Chemicals, Bioeconomy and Retail, DG GROW.F, European Commission – mandada invitación
• Joerg Lindemann - MD / Site Manager WACKER
• Ana Maria Bravo-Angel, Director of Public Affairs at IFF - mandada invitación