Features donors per million inhabitants, the highest rate reported is driving key advances in these areas: it is important to re- to date in any country in the world, according to data from member that biotechnology companies are responsiblfe or the Ministry of Health. up to two-thirds of the biomedical innovations currently Sources at ICEX Spain Export and Investment point being developed in Europe”, he adds. out that in recent years Spain has also become “a hub for Alongside biotechnology, a sector comprising more than research and innovation inthe life sciences sectors”, be- a thousand companies in Spain(more than half of which are coming “a global leader in biomedical innovation, includ- micro-enterprises) that invested €1.282 billion in research ing basic, preclinical, translational and clinical research”. and development in 2023, the country also has significant “We rank ninth in scientific production worldwide, third activity in pharmaceutical production. With national lead- in scientific production in the EU, and account for 3.3% ers such as Cinfa, Grifols, Almirall, Faes Farma, PharmaMar, of scientific publications worldwide in life sciences; the Rovi and Reig Jofre, the country also has plants and research challenge, therefore, is not in science, but in transforming centres belonging to international groups including Novartis, knowledge into impact”, indicates Marta Valero, Director Bayer, AstraZeneca, Pfizer, Rche, GSK, MSDand Snofio a , of Infrastructure and Industrial Technology at ICEX. among others. Farmaindustria, the industry association, es- The president of the Spanish Association of Biotechnology timates that the sector generates 56,000 direct jobs in the Companies (AseBio), Rocío Aroyo, also highlights thatr country, in addition to 270,000 indirect jobs. Investment in Spain is an international leader in fields such as fertility research and development in the sector reached €1.395 bil- and assisted reproduction and ophthalmology, “but also lion in 2022, and 76% of production was exported. in others such as transplants and oncology, thanks to its In the field of medicine, Spain has also seen the emergence medical excellence, specialised hospitals and highly quali- of large business groups such as Miranza in ophthalmology, fied professionals”. “Furthermore, Spanish biotechnology Donte Group in dentistry and IVI in assisted reproduction, Spain is a powerhouse in life sciences research, accounting for 3.3% of scientific publications worldwide in this field. 66