The largest Spanish alliance in health and biosciences, ACESABIO, has been officially presented to Government representatives

Spokespersons from the 12 regional groups that comprise the Alliance of Spanish Health and Bioscience Clusters (ACESABIO) met in Madrid with the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Universities, Juan Cruz Cigudosa, the Director General of Industrial Strategy and SMEs of the Ministry of Industry and Tourism, Jordi García Brustenga, and the Secretary General for Digital Health, Alfredo González, to announce the creation of the largest Spanish alliance in health, which brings together the needs of the 1,050 Spanish entities it represents and aims to turn the health sector into an economic driver. 

From left to right starting from the top row: Jesús Agüero (BIOVAL), Montse Fernández (Cluster SIVI), Carlos Lapuerta (AraHealth),
Laura Corcuera (Navarra Health Cluster), Iván Rarís Filgueira (Cluster Saúde de Galicia, CSG), Javier Selva (CataloniaBio & HealthTech),
Myriam Martín (TicBioMed), Loli Pereiro (BIOGA), Zara Pons (BIOIB), Idoia Muñoz (Basque Health Cluster) and Marta Sánchez (WeMind).

The Alliance of Spanish Health and Bioscience Clusters (ACESABIO) includes 12 regional clusters representing 10 Spanish regions: Arahealth (Aragón), Basque Health Cluster (Basque Country), BIOIB (Balearic Islands), Bioga (Galicia), Bioval (Valencian Community), CataloniaBio & HealthTech (Catalonia), the Extremadura Healthcare Cluster, Cluster Saúde de Galicia (Galicia), Navarra Health Cluster (Foral Community of Navarre), Cluster SIVI (Castilla y León), Ticbiomed (Region of Murcia) and WeMind Cluster (Catalonia). 

It brings together 1,050 entities, a unique level of representation in the sector, with a strong business focus. 73% of the entities are SMEs, 197 of which are startups (18% of the total), 15% are corporations, and the remaining 12% are knowledge centres, third-sector entities and patient associations. With an aggregate turnover of more than €27.000 million and the direct creation of 378,000 jobs, ACESABIO is emerging as a major player in the sector. 

With these significant figures, the Alliance is present in all areas and processes of the sector. In addition, it combines the regional knowledge of each cluster with a joint coordination. This individual and collective vision will enable it to become a benchmark across the entire value chain, drive innovation and promote synergies among actors. 

ACESABIO works to improve the competitiveness of companies; to generate solutions that improve people’s health. It also advocates for demand-driven innovation. This approach contributes to economic growth with the aim of making health an essential and strategic sector in the Spanish industry. Despite the current uncertain economic situation, studies show that Spain stands out in innovation, leading in patent applications in Europe in 2023, excelling in attracting competitive innovation funds and demonstrating a high investment in R&D&i.  

Yesterday’s meeting with the three public administrations provided an opportunity to underline ACESABIO’s crucial role in promoting Spanish industrial transformation and cooperation among health ecosystem agents, leading to greater territorial cohesion; knowledge generation and technology transfer; and the growth of the qualified talent required by the industry. These objectives align with the State Plan for Scientific and Technical Research and Innovation 2024-2027, the support programme for Innovative Business Groups (AEI) and the Digital Health Strategy of the National Health System.  

According to Carlos Lapuerta, manager of Arahealth and representative and coordinator of the Alliance, “the reception by the three ministries recognises ACESABIO as a top-level interlocutor for promoting R&D&i in a ‘quadruple helix’ format, in a structure based on collaboration to achieve the excellence of the services developed by the clusters for the ultimate benefit of their members.” 

It is a source of pride for Ticbiomed to be part of this promising Alliance, through which we will continue to work on innovation, with a special focus on adoption, as is already our trademark. Indeed, the promotion of innovation from demand, co-creation and the adoption of innovation is one of our fundamental objectives, which also aligns with the interest shown by the Ministries. Myriam Martín, our Project Director, attended these meetings yesterday to support the presentation of the Alliance, as well as to strengthen the presence and collaboration of companies from Murcia.