The Córdoba Biotech Conference promotes more than 200 networking meetings between biotechnology professionals

• More than 150 companies, entrepreneurs, investors and researchers attend in person the Conference organized in the UCO Assembly Hall to show the potential of the province's bioeconomy. More than 70 professionals followed her online around the world.
• The event was inaugurated by the rector of the UCO, Manuel Torralbo, accompanied by the president of IMDEEC, Blanca Torrent; the deputy general director of the INCYDE Foundation, José María Párraga; and the manager of FIBICO-IMIBIC, Álvaro Granados.
• The heads of the entities and speakers agreed on the capacity and attractiveness of Córdoba to attract talent in the field of biotechnology.

More than 150 companies, entrepreneurs, investors and researchers meet today in the Assembly Hall of the University of Córdoba at the Conference “Córdoba Biotech: Potential of the province for bioprojects” - more than 70 followed it online - after the launch start of the Córdoba Biotech Bioincubator, which in its first year of operation already hosts 33 innovation projects with more than 60 researchers. The interest of the technical day is reflected in the 230 bilateral networking meetings arranged between the attending professionals, which confirms that the objective of “Córdoba being a pole of attraction for European talent in innovation and biotechnology” is achieved, according to Manuel Torralbo. , rector of the UCO at the opening ceremony of the event.

The deputy general director of the INCYDE Foundation, José María Párraga, also present at the inauguration, highlighted that the participation of the institutions that form the project consortium (Imdeec, UCO and FIBICO), ensures “the success of the Córdoba Bioincubator, in which has been invested almost 5 million euros and which is framed in a European project that has 21 startups throughout Spain that will create very high quality employment as a pole of attracting talent not only for the province, but for the entire country and that will allow knowledge to be transferred to small and medium-sized companies.” 

For his part, Alvaro Granados, manager of FIBICO-IMIBIC, highlighted the importance of this initiative for the implementation of medical biotechnology projects where Córdoba is a reference. While Blanca Torrent, deputy mayor of the Córdoba City Council and president of the Municipal Institute of Economic Development and Employment of the Córdoba City Council (Imdeec) highlighted that the Córdoba Biotech Bioincubator, located in the city's Technology Park, has already given rise to the creation of 17 biotechnology-based companies.

In the opinion of the rector of the UCO "this is an initiative that was born in Córdoba with different leaders in the institutions that are part of the consortium and that has continued with greater vigor, which demonstrates the importance of the project."

More than 20 expert speakers

Throughout the day, different companies have presented the latest advances in the field of biotechnology in medicine, the environment and the agri-food sector, as well as the different sources of public and private financing in R&D for projects of this nature. field. 

It is worth highlighting the participation of technology-based companies owned by the UCO, such as Pomologia SL, Innovacion Vegetal Mediterranea SL, Animal Breeding Consulting Sl and Cobiomic Bioscience SL, which presented their innovations before the forum of entrepreneurs, investors and researchers. As well as Lourdes Arce, vice-rector of Innovation and Transfer of the UCO, who showed the capacity of the University as an engine of knowledge and the Bioincubator to host biotechnological projects. 

The increase in investment in innovation in Spain has grown to 12% in recent years, representing 11.4% in Andalusia, which places it in the third region with the highest investment in Spain, according to data from the INCYDE Foundation.

The Conference is organized by the Municipal Institute of Economic Development and Employment of the City Council of Córdoba (Imdeec), the University of Córdoba (UCO) and the Foundation for Biomedical Research of Córdoba (Fibico), 80 percent co-financed by the European Fund of Regional Development within the Pluriregional Operational Program of Spain Feder 2014-2020 PO, within the framework of the 'High-tech incubators for the promotion of innovation and technology transfer to microSMEs' program of the Incyde Foundation.