Aragon is positioned as a hub for the biopharmaceutical and biotechnology industry, with a vibrant ecosystem that fosters innovation, collaboration and growth.
After a decade of rapid expansion, Aragon is realizing its potential as an industrial hub in areas such as biopharmaceuticals, diagnostics and medical technology. Almost 91% of the Spanish healthcare industry and 52% of the Spanish biotechnology industry is located within 300 km of the region, 5 of the 60 largest companies in the pharmaceutical industry in Spain are located in Aragon, which is the 3rd Spanish region by number of healthcare companies.
These are some of the main ideas that were discussed last November 10 at the Zaragoza Chamber of Commerce, in the event “Invest in Aragon” organized by Capital Radio and the Government of Aragon.
Two leading companies in the sector, Podoactiva and Certest, together with another relevant player in the region, the Walqa Technology Park, talked about their advances in areas such as personalized medicine, bioinformatics and digital technologies applied to health.
The biotechnology and pharmaceutical sector in Aragon is adapting to technological changes and the growing demand for personalized healthcare services through specialization, digitalization and public-private collaboration.
Specialization: Aragonese companies are focusing on specific market niches to develop customized and innovative solutions.
Digitization: Bioinformatics and digitization are becoming essential for the development of these companies. San Jorge University in Aragon already offers a degree in bioinformatics, recognizing the importance of this area.
Aragon has a solid research and development infrastructure, driven by institutions such as the University of Zaragoza, the Technological Institute of Aragon (ITA) and the Health Research Institute of Aragon. This infrastructure, which combines public-private collaboration, facilitates the generation of knowledge and the transfer of technology to the productive sector.
Other issues also discussed at this roundtable were related to talent and quality of life.
Attracting and retaining talent: It is vitally important to attract and retain talent in Aragon. The region’s universities, such as the University of Zaragoza and San Jorge University, offer degrees in biosanitary areas, providing a source of local talent. However, there is concern that this talent may leave for other regions if they are not offered the right conditions. The need for internship programs to help recent graduates enter the labor market was highlighted.
Quality of Life: Aragon offers a high quality of life, which makes it an attractive place to live and work. This factor can contribute to the attraction of talent and the consolidation of a dynamic entrepreneurial ecosystem.
The sector also faces significant challenges. The three speakers pointed out:
Bureaucracy in drug authorization and other processes continues to be an obstacle to the sector’s progress. Although efforts are being made to reduce bureaucracy, companies still perceive the need for greater agility in these processes.
Low productivity in Europe, including Spain, is identified as a concern that could affect the future of the sector.
There is a need to publicize the leading companies that exist in Aragon to attract talent and prevent it from leaving for other regions. It is necessary to work on the visibility of the companies from all the economic agents involved.
In summary, Aragon offers a favorable environment for the development of the biotechnology and pharmaceutical sector, due to all of the above and also because of its excellent location, and its sophisticated infrastructure and multimodal logistics services, including cold chain solutions, which allow access to most of Europe in just 24 hours and to any corner of the world in 48 hours.