Skip to main content
< Back to news
Health & Bio Team Dating is an innovative event to bring science and business together (Photo: Banc Sabadell).
 03.12.2015

Jordi Naval: “Investment in new startups in health of Catalonia will approach €100 million in 2015”

Bringing science and business together to help create a bioentrepreneurial ecosystem: this is the aim of Health & Bio Team Dating, an event that took place on 3 December that allowed scientists and managers to meet in brief partnering meetings to create teams that will allow them to start up a successfully new company. The initiative is organized by Banc Sabadell jointly three entities located at the Barcelona Science Park (PCB) –BiocatCataloniaBio and the Bosch i Gimpera Foundation (FBG).

 

In Catalonia there are about 600 companies that generate annual turnover above €11.5 billions, making up 6% of the Catalan GDP, according to Biocat. “IN 2015 Investment in new startups in health of Catalonia will approach €100 million”, said Jordi Naval, CEO of the Bosch i Gimpera Foundation Jordi Naval.

This event, the first of its kind in Catalonia, featured researchers with scientific projects related to the health and life sciences that need professional who are experts in business plans and the search for funding, and professionals with business experience and the drive to bring new technology from laboratory to market. Following the speed-dating format, participants had 30 minutes in each meeting to present their project and experience to their potential partner.

CEO of the Bosch i Gimpera Foundation said that “both here and abroad, successful companies in this sector follow the same pattern: a partnership of a scientist and a manager. The success of Health & Bio Team Dating confirms that Catalonia has good projects, good entrepreneurs and the desire to connect them.”

“Initiatives like Health & Bio Team Dating facilitate the technology transfer the health ecosystem in Catalonia needs to be more innovative and competitive,” highlighted Biocat Director of Business Development Jordi Fàbrega.

Melqui Calzado, secretary general of CataloniaBio, highlighted that 2015 “has already seen successes that indicate the sector is maturing and the experience we can generate through Health & Bio Team Dating is important because it could lead to similar initiatives.”