January 2006

In 2006-2007 the Government of Navarre will invest 1.5 million euros to strengthen the biotechnology sector in the region. This was announced by the Regional Minister for Industry, José Javier Armendáriz, during the seminar held yesterday. He added that, following the two studies made to implement the BioNavarra project, the region is calculated to have a potential of around 70 companies and institutions that are in a position to carry out activities in biotechnology.

The biotechnology sector consists of more than 4,400 companies worldwide, of which 1,815 are located in Europe. In Spain there are over 100 companies that work exclusively in biotechnology, with a turnover of 296 million euros per annum. There are also 103 companies that work non-exclusively in the sector and around 114 users of biotechnologies. 60% of the companies are in Madrid and Catalonia, according to Cristina Garmendia, President of the Spanish Bio-Company Association.