#BIOSPAIN2025 | “Hosting international events and participating as sponsors in key gatherings such as BIOSPAIN help strengthen Galicia’s visibility and positioning as a leading player in biotechnology, health, and advanced research"

In recent years, Galicia has consolidated its position as one of the most dynamic and promising hubs of the biotechnology ecosystem in Spain. Within the framework of the Biotechnology Sector Consolidation Strategy 2021–2025, the Xunta de Galicia aims to mobilize €662 million with the objective of strengthening biotechnology as a driver of innovation, economic growth, and the transformation of traditional sectors. The Galician administration’s commitment is determined and sustained, fostering the development of a solid, collaborative ecosystem that is well connected to leading research, transfer, and business stakeholders.

Now, in the final stretch of the current strategy and already working on the planning of the next one (2026–2030), Galicia will present itself at BIOSPAIN 2025 as a Gold Sponsor with a clear vision: to consolidate its biotech leadership in Europe, strengthen knowledge transfer, and promote entrepreneurship and private investment in the sector. In this interview with Román Rodríguez González, Regional Minister of Education, Science, Universities and Vocational Training of the Xunta de Galicia, we take a closer look at the plans, progress, and next steps that will shape the biotech future of the Galician community.

AseBio. What is the Xunta de Galicia’s assessment of the Biotechnology Sector Consolidation Strategy 2021–2025 to date?

Román Rodríguez González. The interim assessment of the Strategy is very positive. Between 2021–2023, €370 million have been mobilized to position our community as a biotech hub of reference. The data confirm a general growth trend, both in public funding and in leveraged funds, but it has also helped strengthen the ecosystem and promote the use of biotechnology and its application across all economic sectors, thereby boosting economic growth, entrepreneurship, and attracting companies to Galicia.

AseBio. What have been the main milestones achieved in terms of investment, employment, and the creation of biotech companies?

Román Rodríguez González. As I mentioned, through the Strategy we have mobilized €370 million in public and private funds, achieving a multiplier effect of 1.16 between public funds invested and raised. The subsectors with the greatest impact have been pharmaceuticals and vaccines (25% of mobilized funds), personalized medicine (24%), and marine resources (14%).

In terms of company creation, Galicia has registered 24 new firms, making us the second most bio-entrepreneurial region in Spain for the 2021–2023 period, adding to the more than 160 companies already developing projects or services based on this technology. As for employment, during this period the sector’s workforce increased by 6%, reaching 1,720 employees today, 1,265 of whom are research staff. Moreover, R&D&I expenditure intensity in the sector exceeded €147 million in 2023, making Galicia the third region with the highest growth rate.

AseBio. Galicia has positioned itself as a bio-entrepreneurial region at the national level. What factors have contributed to this positioning?

Román Rodríguez González. Public-private collaboration between knowledge centers, industry, and public entities is essential in any sector. To achieve Galicia’s strong position in biotechnology, the involvement of all stakeholders has been crucial. For this reason, the Consolidation Strategy was designed through a participatory process open to the entire biotech ecosystem of the region, and with this same philosophy we are now working on the new strategy for 2026–2030.

The role of Galician knowledge centers, particularly universities, has been key in this process. In fact, the creation of university spin-offs from research and knowledge transfer activities has followed a steady upward trend, positioning them as a key driver of innovation in Galician biotechnology.

From a business perspective, the sectoral distribution of new projects in the bioregion continues to expand. Although functional food and nutraceuticals have traditionally been a focus of entrepreneurship, today the most dynamic sectors include environment, circular economy, bioenergy, and new technologies for personalized medicine. Other subsectors, such as drug and vaccine development and agricultural-livestock exploitation, are also growing, reflecting diversification that strengthens the structure of Galicia’s bioregion.

Incubation and acceleration programs supported by the Xunta de Galicia have also been decisive, along with pioneering initiatives such as Ignicia Proof of Concept, which has brought fourteen research projects to market, seven of them in the biotech sector.

AseBio. How would you describe the current configuration of the biotech ecosystem in Galicia and the role of universities, technology centers, and research foundations?

Román Rodríguez González. Thanks to successive strategies—beginning with the sector promotion plan in 2016–2020 and continuing with the current consolidation strategy—we now have a dynamic, cohesive ecosystem with growing visibility beyond our borders.

Its strength lies in talent, the promotion of technology transfer, and strong connections with business networks that are firmly committed to research and innovation in biotechnology.

In this context, research organizations have played a fundamental role in consolidating Galicia as one of the best regions for biotech entrepreneurship and collaboration with other life sciences sectors, from agriculture to bioinformatics.

As a result of this shared effort, Galicia’s biotech ecosystem today comprises five healthcare research foundations, three universities, six specialized research centers, a digital innovation hub, two technology centers, and six business clusters representing more than 160 companies that develop biotech-based products or services.

This scientific-technological capacity will be showcased at BIOSPAIN 2025 as part of Galicia’s joint delegation, a united front to present our talent, strength, and collaborative capacity to the world.

AseBio. How is collaboration between the different ecosystem agents (research, business, administration) being promoted?

Román Rodríguez González. To strengthen collaborative R&D&I among Galicia’s biotech stakeholders, we have several instruments. Among them is the new Nexos program, endowed with more than €28 million, which will fund collaborative projects between companies, prioritizing four areas—two of which are directly related to biotechnology: agri-food and health & well-being.

In addition, we will launch a specialized bio transfer office and, in 2026, a new call for proposals specifically for collaborative biotech projects. Beyond this, the biotech sector can also benefit from other transversal support lines that apply to all sectors and promote talent, transfer, and collaboration in R&D&I.

AseBio. What guiding principles will shape the new 2026–2030 biotech strategy currently being developed?

Román Rodríguez González. We are still in the final stretch of the consolidation strategy, but we are beginning to work on the next one for 2026–2030. For now, we cannot anticipate its guiding lines—mainly because it will be co-designed with the ecosystem. However, its overarching goal is clear: to achieve excellence in the Galician biotech sector by 2030.

AseBio. How does biotechnology fit into the new Galician Research and Innovation Plan 2025–2027?

Román Rodríguez González. Biotechnology has been defined as one of the high-impact initiatives in the new Galician Research and Innovation Plan, alongside others such as deep technologies, clean technologies, and demand-driven innovation. These areas have significant potential to drive profound transformation, generate major economic impact on the productive fabric, and align fully with European strategic priorities.

AseBio. What does it mean for the Xunta de Galicia to participate as a Gold Sponsor at an event like BIOSPAIN?

Román Rodríguez González. The Xunta de Galicia, in its commitment to one of our community’s strategic sectors, considers it essential to support the national and international positioning of the Galician biotech ecosystem. The goal is to consolidate Galicia as a global reference bioregion. In this context, hosting international events and participating as sponsors in key gatherings such as BIOSPAIN help strengthen Galicia’s visibility and positioning as a leading player in biotechnology, health, and advanced research.

AseBio. What goals has the Xunta set for its participation in BIOSPAIN 2025, and what outcomes do you expect in terms of visibility, connections, and results?

Román Rodríguez González. Galicia’s joint delegation at BIOSPAIN 2025, backed by the Xunta de Galicia, aims to increase the international visibility and projection of our biotech ecosystem, in line with the 2021–2025 Consolidation Strategy and our community’s commitment to research and innovation. To achieve this, we believe this event—the largest biotech event organized by a national bioindustry association in Europe, and one of the largest in the world—is an ideal platform to connect with investors and professionals globally.