The 10th Bio-Health Meetings (#10RNAEN), held at Torre BAT (Bilbao), have established the Basque Country and the Nouvelle-Aquitaine-Basque Country-Navarre Euroregion as a strategic hub within the European health innovation ecosystem. Over two days, the event brought together companies, research bodies, public institutions, and investors, creating a space for networking and collaboration that is key to the sector’s development.
The first day focused on gaining first-hand insight into the business landscape, with visits to the Histocell and Biolan Microbiosensors facilities, which provided a first-hand demonstration of the region’s industrial and technological capabilities.
The meeting was opened by the chairs of the three clusters in the Euroregion: Asier Albizu, from the Basque Health Cluster; Alicia López, from the Ocáriz de Navarra Health Cluster; and Philippe Lamoureux, from ALLIS-NA, who highlighted the importance of strengthening interregional collaboration, promoting the development of locally sourced healthcare products and moving towards a more robust and competitive European industry.
The second day began with the institutional opening address by Jaione Ganzarain Epelde, Deputy Minister for Technology, Innovation and Digital Transformation of the Basque Government; Philippe Nauche, Vice-President for Health and the Silver Economy of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine Region; and Mikel Irujo, Minister for Economic and Business Development of the Government of Navarre. The event also featured a contribution from Brussels by Marta Marín, the European representative for the health sector, who provided the EU’s perspective on the challenges and opportunities regarding strategic autonomy and industrial competitiveness.
During this second day, the sector’s main strategic challenges were addressed, with a particular focus on strategic autonomy in healthcare in Europe. In this context, the round table discussion “European Preference in Health: Criteria, Capacities and Interregional Cooperation” took place, featuring Alicia López de Ocáriz, Manuel Sánchez Lagarejo, Asier Albizu, David Boucard and Iñaki Betolaza, moderated by Idoia Muñoz.
One of the highlights was the Reverse Pitch session, a format that reverses traditional roles, in which investment firms present their areas of interest, facilitating a more direct connection with start-ups and innovative companies.
The event also featured presentations by the finalists of the RNAEN Awards in the Biopharma and Medtech categories, reflecting the high level of innovation within the ecosystem.
The event culminated in the presentation of the Euroregion awards, which recognised PopCorn Therapeutics (Biopharma) for the development of innovative therapies in paediatric oncology, and Opportunity Health (Medtech) for its medical device for resolving choking incidents.
At Basque Health Cluster, we greatly appreciate the high level of participation and the quality of the interactions generated, reinforcing the role of the BioHealth Meetings as a key platform for boosting the sector’s competitiveness, innovation and international profile.
🔗 10th RNAEN pictures
