Costa Rica promotes the biotechnology sector at Bio Digital 2021 fair

• More than 3,000 organizations from all regions of the world are participating.

San José, June 16, 2021. For the second consecutive year, six Costa Rican organizations from the biotechnology sector will participate in the Bio International Convention Digital 2021, the most important fair in the world for this sector, which as in 2020, this year will be held virtually from June 10 to 18.

The objective of the Costa Rican delegation – composed of CR Biomed, Speratum, Grupo Trisan, Florex, Laboratorio Nacional de Nanotecnología (LANOTEC), Urëk Biotechnology and the Foreign Trade Agency of Costa Rica – is to showcase the country’s advances in research and development (R&D), as well as to publicize the country’s competitive advantages as a destination for companies in the life sciences sector.

“Exhibiting Costa Rica’s biotechnology offer at an international fair like Bio Digital is a great opportunity for national organizations and for the country in general, because it allows us to make ourselves known and position ourselves in an industry that is knowledge-intensive. In addition, it gives us the option to have contacts and to transfer good practices with other companies worldwide,” said Alvaro Piedra, director of Exports of Foreign Trade Agency of Costa Rica.

Bio Digital offers participants a business roundtable system in which they can have contact with more than 3,000 organizations from around the world, through the BIO One-on-One Partnering tool. It also provides the opportunity to update knowledge through more than 100 interactive educational sessions on industry topics such as digital health, business development, gene editing, among others.

Patricia Trinler, president of Grupo Trisan, mentioned that “participation in international events has been part of its growth over the years and one of the ways to implement innovation in regional markets. Being in the largest biotechnology event in the world, such as Bio International Convention Digital, gives us the opportunity to have access to lectures and be in contact with the best scientists, biotechnologists, academics, regulatory bodies and entrepreneurs in these areas”.

Participants in detail

• CR Biomed: is the representative body of the biotechnology industry in Costa Rica. It is formed by the private sector, the academy, the government and public institutions, and works to optimize the business climate for the benefit of the sector in the country.

• Speratum: is a Costa Rican biotechnology company dedicated to the research and development of proprietary MicroRNA-based therapies and diagnostics to combat pancreatic cancer.
• Trisan Group: a group of companies that manufactures and markets, through research and market development, products and services for crop nutrition and protection, golf courses, seeds for planting, animal health products, raw materials and ingredients for the food industry, detergents, and wastewater treatment.
• Florex: provides environmentally friendly cleaning solutions. It designs, produces, and commercializes biodegradable, high quality and high-performance cleaning chemicals.
• National Nanotechnology Laboratory (LANOTEC): specializes in research, design, and implementation of nanotechnology-related technologies. It focuses on the synthesis and study of new materials, as well as the transfer of knowledge and technology from the academy to various industries.
• Urëk Biotechnology: focuses on value creation from biomass through R&D. Since 2012 it has worked in collaboration with research and academic institutions, in partnership with companies in the swine, poultry and other agricultural industries.

According to “Mapping of biotechnology: characterization of the industry”, carried out by the Foreign Trade Agency of Costa Rica the previous year, as of 2018, this sector generated 6,821 direct jobs between companies, ventures and research centers related to this industry. In addition, it was revealed that revenues were around $629 million, a figure that, when compared to GDP, shows that these revenues have a size equivalent to 1.05% of the national economy.

Of the total number of jobs, 1,548 (22%) were dedicated to research and development (R&D) activities, of which 60% corresponded to female employment. In terms of income, the average income generated per employee is approximately three times higher than the average productivity of the rest of the economy, which confirms the high added value of a highly knowledge-intensive industry.