Seminar

CIC bioGUNE in the context of the BioRegion: navigating the sea of life sciences in the Basque Country (and how to find Wally when you need it)

María Aguirre, PhD

Development of life sciences in the Basque Country experienced a significant push at the beginning of last decade, when the BioBasque 2010 strategy was designed and gradually implemented. The ultimate goal was the diversification of the Basque industry and thus, the economy, by creation of a new business sector linked to biosciences. Such a sector is R&D-intensive and, consequently, one of the BioBasque strategic axes was related to knowledge generation, and required strengthening the existing R&D capabilities, both in terms of researchers and infrastructures. That effort derived in the creation of CIC bioGUNE and CIC biomaGUNE, as well as other organisations created de novo or by reorganisation of existing structures. The recent evolution in the life sciences scenario has transformed the Basque Country into the Basque BioRegion, a network of entities (businesses, science and technology, biomedical environment, investors, etc.) whose activities not only are productive in scientific terms, but also have an economic impact in Basque economy. Concurrent with the own growth of CIC bioGUNE, diversity and complexity have grown within the Basque BioRegion. The seminar will look at the increasing capabilities and variety of potential interactions and partners available for different endeavours, in the context of the role, or roles, CIC bioGUNE can play within the BioRegion and in the international arena.