Biotechnology companies

Biotechnology companies use biotechnological techniques to produce goods and services, as well as to carry out R&D activities. At the beginning of the century, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) developed the statistical definition of biotechnology based on a list of biotechnological techniques. This served as the foundation for establishing the concept of a biotechnology company, its different types, and the methods for collecting business indicators related to biotechnology.

Although biotechnology has been present since the beginning of human history, the first modern biotechnology companies are considered to have emerged in the 1980s, during the rise of genetic engineering. Since then, biotechnology companies have become key players in the innovation ecosystem, capable of conducting cutting-edge research, developing proprietary technology, and transforming these advancements into innovative products and services that impact both people and the planet. In this way, biotechnology companies have specialized in turning science into innovative solutions, accelerating technology transfer and its entry into the market and society.

Biotechnology companies are classified into different categories based on the degree to which they apply biotechnological activities. At AseBio, in line with the OECD methodological guidelines, three categories of companies are distinguished:

• Biotech companies or companies dedicated to biotechnology: Businesses whose primary activity involves the application of biotechnological techniques to produce goods or services and/or conduct R&D in biotechnology.
• Companies with a secondary activity in biotechnology: Those for which biotechnology-related activities represent a secondary business line.
• Companies that use biotechnology as a tool in a production process: These companies do not have biotechnology as their primary or secondary activity but use a biotechnological technique instrumentally within a production process.