#BIOSPAIN 2026 | Galicia Bio: A Bioregion ready to compete, attract investment and lead the next wave of european biotechnology

Biotechnology is at a defining moment. It is no longer simply a high-value scientific sector, but a strategic driver of industrial competitiveness, technological sovereignty, healthcare, food security, sustainability and the transition towards a more advanced economy. Against this backdrop, Galicia arrives at BIOSPAIN with a clear conviction: our bioregion has moved beyond the stage of promise and is ready to compete among Europe's leading biotech ecosystems.

Over the past decade, Galicia has built a strong, connected biotechnology ecosystem with a distinctive identity. This achievement has been made possible through close collaboration between public authorities, universities, research centres, companies, clusters, healthcare foundations, technology centres and investors. Together, these stakeholders have strengthened scientific capabilities, created new companies, enhanced knowledge transfer and established Galicia as a region recognised for innovation, specialisation and excellence.

However, the current landscape demands a new level of ambition. The Galicia Biotechnology Strategy 2026–2030 represents precisely that next step: moving from consolidation to excellence. Its objective is not simply to continue growing, but to do so with international ambition, scaling companies, mobilising private investment and transforming scientific knowledge into globally competitive solutions. Galicia aims to stand alongside Europe's leading bioregions by building on its unique strengths.

The strategy mobilises €805 million and sets out a roadmap focused on five strategic priorities: scientific excellence and talent; technology transfer, acceleration and industrial scale-up; data ecosystems and biointelligence; strategic financing and investment; and international positioning. This vision is built on a clear principle: Galicia's biotechnology sector should be measured not only by its scientific output, but also by its ability to create companies, highly skilled jobs, intellectual property, industrial partnerships, and tangible economic and social impact.

Galicia already benefits from a solid foundation. Its biotechnology ecosystem comprises more than 160 active organisations, a growing business community, world-class research capabilities and natural strengths in sectors with significant growth potential. This combination of science, industry and territory positions Galicia to provide solutions in strategic areas where Europe urgently needs innovation at scale.

One of the key drivers of this new phase will be 1HealthAI, the European Artificial Intelligence Factory located at the Galicia Supercomputing Centre and built around the One Health approach. Backed by an investment of €82 million, this infrastructure places Galicia at the intersection of biotechnology, artificial intelligence, high-performance computing and advanced data.

Its significance extends far beyond technological capacity. It opens new opportunities for personalised medicine, healthy ageing, blue biotechnology, pharmaceutical and vaccine development, the bioeconomy, functional foods and environmental sustainability.

Artificial intelligence applied to biotechnology will fundamentally transform the way we conduct research, develop products, validate hypotheses, analyse data and bring innovation to market. 1HealthAI will provide AI and supercomputing capabilities to companies, research organisations and healthcare institutions, lowering access barriers and accelerating innovation across the entire biotechnology value chain.

This is particularly significant when it comes to attracting companies and investment. Biotechnology businesses seek ecosystems where they can access talent, infrastructure, funding, regulatory expertise, clinical partners, industrial capabilities and international networks. Galicia is actively building that value proposition.

The Galicia Biotechnology Strategy 2026–2030 includes instruments designed to facilitate business scale-up, dedicated biotechnology R&D funding programmes, a specialised accelerator, strategic financing mechanisms and flagship innovation hubs such as Biopolo da Sionlla, created to attract new infrastructure and biotechnology companies.

In today's highly competitive global market, attracting private investment requires more than strong indicators. It requires vision, scalability, strategic focus and a compelling narrative. Galicia can offer all of these. Our bioregion combines scientific excellence, productive sectors with genuine demand for innovation, strong public commitment, active business networks and an increasingly international outlook. Our ambition is to transform this combination into a distinctive value proposition for investors, industrial partners and companies looking to grow from Europe.

BIOSPAIN represents a strategic opportunity to reinforce that positioning. We are not attending simply to showcase our capabilities, but to initiate conversations, build partnerships and demonstrate that Galicia is fully prepared to host high-impact biotechnology projects.

The Galicia Bio Delegation embodies this shared ecosystem vision: outstanding science, innovative companies, advanced infrastructures and a public administration that views biotechnology as a strategic priority for regional development.

The next phase of European biotechnology will be shaped by the convergence of three key factors: knowledge, data and investment. Galicia is positioning itself precisely at this intersection. The Galicia Biotechnology Strategy 2026–2030 provides the roadmap; 1HealthAI delivers a unique enabling infrastructure; and the Galicia Bio ecosystem brings together the collective capacity to transform opportunities into economic growth, highly skilled employment and solutions that benefit society.

Galicia does not aspire merely to be a place where biotechnology is researched. It aims to be a place where biotechnology is created, scaled, financed, internationalised and translated into real-world impact.

That is the message we bring to BIOSPAIN: Galicia is today a bioregion ready to compete in Europe and to welcome companies, talent and investment as partners in its next stage of growth.