Euskadi strengthens its position as a European hub for biosanitary innovation, neuroscience, and health technologies after two major achievements
This week, Euskadi has once again demonstrated the strength, cohesion, and ambition of its biosanitary ecosystem through two strategic events: the 2025 Technological Innovation and Transfer in Neurosciences Conference, organized by Achucarro, Basque Health Cluster, and BIOEF, and the III Matchmaking of the Basque Biosanitary Ecosystem, in which BHC, BRTA, BIOEF, and Innobasque participated, bringing together over a hundred people at each event. Both events reinforce Euskadi’s positioning as a leading region in health knowledge, transfer, innovation, and industrial capacity.
These two events significantly strengthen the projection of the biosanitary sector in Euskadi. First, mobilizing over 200 professionals across two consecutive days demonstrates the ecosystem’s critical mass and strong organization, enabling researchers, clinicians, companies, startups, and public entities to unite around common challenges. Furthermore, it reflects a genuine interest in collaboration to accelerate health innovation and achieve more integrated and effective solutions.
Both events highlight the enhanced transfer capacity of Euskadi’s ecosystem. The convergence of scientific talent, advanced technological capabilities, and a network of startups and established companies allows ideas to move more quickly from the laboratory to the market and healthcare system, facilitating the adoption of innovative technologies and treatments. This dynamic, combined with the sector’s visibility, makes Euskadi more attractive for investment and the retention of qualified talent, fostering new business initiatives and strengthening high-value profiles.
These events also promote strategic coordination within the sector. They provide opportunities to identify shared needs, understand available capacities and infrastructures, and advance collaborative roadmaps, enabling larger-scale projects.
A region with scientific strength and strategic vision in neuroscience
Euskadi’s progress in neuroscience is now a tangible reality. With over 22,800 people working in R&D, Euskadi leads Spain in research employment, and neuroscience is one of its strategic areas with the highest potential. Centers such as Achucarro, BCBL, the Bioaraba, Biobizkaia, Biogipuzkoa, and Biosistemak research institutes, BRTA technology centers, universities, and companies within the Basque Health Cluster form a growing ecosystem with direct impact on brain health, precision diagnostics, and advanced therapies.
The conference held at FAES FARMA’s facilities showcased the strength of the Basque model: the integration of basic science, clinical research, technological capabilities, and the business network. This facilitates knowledge transfer and accelerates the development of solutions for citizens.
The III Matchmaking of the Basque biosanitary ecosystem confirmed the territory’s high collaborative capacity and the leading role of the Basque Health Cluster. Startups, industry, technology centers, universities, clinics, and public institutions shared projects and opportunities focused on personalized therapies, medical technologies, artificial intelligence applied to healthcare, and new diagnostic models. These dynamics enable ideas to move quickly from the lab to the market and healthcare system, strengthening Euskadi as a competitive hub for biomedical and pharmaceutical innovation, while also increasing its attractiveness for investment and talent.
Growing socioeconomic impact
The Basque biosanitary sector creates qualified employment, drives industrial activity, and represents a significant share of the regional GDP. The combination of scientific talent, advanced technological infrastructure, and companies with high production and transfer capacity positions Euskadi on the map of European health innovation with a distinctive identity: scientific excellence + industrial capacity + strategic collaboration + market orientation.
A cluster advancing collectively toward the medicine of the future
From Basque Health Cluster, we emphasize that these two events demonstrate the maturity of the ecosystem and its capacity to tackle global challenges from a small but ambitious territory. These milestones are another step in consolidating Euskadi as a biosanitary innovation hub, with dynamic companies, strong technology centers, and a mature scientific community capable of turning research into real impact for citizens.
The collective of companies, technology and research centers, and universities in the biosanitary sector provides qualified employment and generates growing macroeconomic impact in the community. The Basque Health Cluster considers the sector a significant labor and productive mass, with hundreds of people involved and representing a notable percentage of regional GDP, highlighting its weight in the Basque economy.
