Spain's Biotech Revolution

Though the salaries of researchers are paid by the Spanish government, the research itself is funded by grants from around the world. The center won a grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation for its work as part of a consortium developing an HIV vaccine, which is now being tested in several hospitals.

This type of work is representative of much of the top biomedical and biotechnology research going on around the country. Spain has a strong background in research: the country has historically produced a significant percentage of the papers published in scientific journals from European research centers.

Manel Esteller, director of the Spanish National Cancer Center (CNIO in Spanish), is one of the first Spanish scientists to land on the pages of the Wall Street Journal. His research on monozygotic twins (who share the same DNA) and cancer, and how aging and environment affect DNA and the incidence of cancer, has broad implications for treatment and management of the disease.

The strength of Spanish research has drawn international companies to set up research facilities in the country. Pharmaceutical firms including Merck, Lilly, Abbott, and Baxter have developed labs in Spain. The French pharmaceutical company Sanofi-Aventis invested more than 30 million euros (about $38 million) in a new basic-research center outside Madrid.

The CNB’s focus on technology transfer had been historically rare in Spain. In the past, there had not been much interest in patenting discoveries, or in transferring knowledge to companies that could develop and market the resulting technologies and profit from the research.

Genoma España primarily provides funding for major research programs, such as one, in conjunction with Genoma Canada, studying fish metabolism and changes in the expression of genes at different points in fish development. This knowledge serves to better map fish development and ascertain what foods best meet fish needs and at what times—all for more efficient and effective aquaculture. 

Like CNB, Genoma España also provides funding and assistance for spinoffs.

But many of the organization’s efforts have involved tracking the growth of the biotechnology sector over the years. There have been dramatic changes. In a recent study, Genoma compared Spain against other European countries, the United States, and Canada. After adjusting for population and income levels, the study found that though Spain’s sector is still relatively small compared to the big international players, it is the fastest growing. In the last two years, the number of companies solely devoted to biotechnology has increased by 40 percent. On average, public and private investment in biotechnology is growing at 22 percent and 32 percent per year, respectively.

Bioincubators provide one method for promoting the growth of these new biotechnology companies. CNB has hosted a bioincubator for the past for four years; the most successful of the companies developed there now has offices in four countries.