- The Spanish Society of Horticultural Sciences and the biotechnological platform strengthen their relationship and design a calendar of actions for the remainder of 2026 and throughout 2027
- The SECH, founded in 1981, is one of the most significant scientific societies, comprising the leading researchers and horticultural technicians in the country, is structured into 12 specialized groups, and is dedicated to promoting science and innovation in this sector
- BIOVEGEN, supported by the Ministry of Science and Innovation, is a public-private association led by the business sector: it integrates 146 companies, 27 research centers, and 12 technological hubs, all dedicated to plant biotechnology
It could be said that they were destined to understand each other, that they had already been doing so before and that they have now strengthened that relationship. Promoted in 1981, the SECH is the largest scientific community dedicated to horticulture, with 420 scientists and technicians, 24 structured students in 12 specialized working groups, and 8 corporate partners (companies). It gathers, individually, the most distinguished representatives of basic research in the country. BIOVEGEN, for its part, is a public-private partnership backed by the Ministry of Science, Innovation, and Universities and includes among its partners 146 companies, 27 research centers, and 12 biotechnological associations and centers with which it collaborates to generate opportunities and projects. That is, it integrates a good part of innovative agents and has direct contact with companies that are interested in turning that knowledge into concrete developments. Together, they cover all the aspects of R&D&I that the Spanish biotechnology sector needs to materialize, “especially now, following the approval of the new European regulation on New Genomic Techniques” (NGT’s in English abbreviation). This is how the president of SECH, Francisco José Arenas, expressed himself last week during the webinar where the formal presentation of this alliance took place. Such commitment has already materialized into a calendar of joint actions for what remains of this year and throughout 2027.
“We have established a stable and lasting framework for collaboration and have worked to generate new opportunities and services for our members. We had already been cooperating, but now we will do so more closely, with joint impactful actions that we will review and agree upon each year in a follow-up committee of this alliance,” stated Gonzaga Ruiz de Gauna, the director of BIOVEGEN, regarding this matter.
The SECH-BIOVEGEN Action Plan will kick off in the coming days. It will take place in Málaga at the XII National Congress on Plant Genetic Improvement (from September 28 to October 1), promoted by SECH alongside the Spanish Society of Genetics (SEG) and the ‘La Mayora’ Subtropical and Mediterranean Horticultural Institute (IHSM-UMA-CSIC). In this context, BIOVEGEN will be responsible, along with testimonies from leaders of notable biotechnology companies, for one of the sessions on ‘Legislation and business vision of genomic editing.’ Days later, during Fruit Attraction (IFEMA, from October 6 to 8), with BIOVEGEN as the promoter in this case, the Biotech Attraction Congress – which attracts nearly half a thousand researchers, entrepreneurs, and representatives from research centers each year – will again address the possibilities of this alliance and will detail its dimensions by exemplifying such collaboration in the presentations of two important Operational Group projects (PISTABIOTECH and VINEURO) and facilitating hundreds of bilateral science-business meetings. On November 26, both entities will co-organize an online session on ‘Plant Biotechnology (genomic editing and applied bioinformatics),’ in which representatives from the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAPA) will also participate. And in the first quarter of 2027, again jointly, another webinar will be held with the participation of experts from that department, this time to discuss the delegated and implementation acts that are still pending approval from the mentioned new community regulation for NGTs.
Another shared goal is to facilitate access for researchers and companies to public or private funding channels, as well as to inform them about R&D opportunities in this field. With this intention, BIOVEGEN will promote and make available to SECH researchers the R&D marketplace service it offers, which contains updated information on calls, funding lines, and programs in which this entity participates, promotes, or is aware of. Along these lines, work is already being done on strategies to encourage the creation of mixed consortia (company-academia) to apply for key R&D calls (Horizon Europe, PERTE, Operational Groups, in which BIOVEGEN has significant experience). Lastly, both entities will address – as a new opportunity to strengthen institutional and commercial ties – new joint actions at their respective major annual events — the BIOVEGEN general assembly (April 2027 in Madrid), and the XIX National Congress of SECH (May 31 – June 3, 2027, in Seville). At the first meeting, ‘B2B’ meetings will be organized between research groups and companies for SECH members. At the second, BIOVEGEN will have a commercial exhibition space and will lead a session during the mentioned congress to present the latest advancements in the sector and bring its affiliated companies closer to researchers to solidify transfer projects in plant biotechnology.
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