- At the end of 2024, ICEX presented the ‘Mapping of the Agro-tech Ecosystem’, the most comprehensive report on the potential and main technological players in agriculture, prepared by CAJAMAR with the collaboration of BIOEVGEN. At the Congress on October 1, its authors will discuss this key document and the opportunities it opens: more than 450 professionals have already registered
- The VI edition of Biotech Attraction, under the umbrella of Innova&Tech (in Hall 5), will break records for exhibitors, with 22 companies and research centers. During the 3 days of the fair, 18 agro projects and solutions will be presented, and 71 science-business meetings have already been confirmed
- During the BIOVEGEN Congress, the NGENIA project will be presented to advise the Government and interest groups on the development of New Genomic Techniques (NGT’s), but there will also be discussions about ‘drugs’ against drought, nanotechnology to enhance varieties, and biotechnology to revalue the olive oil pomace
Madrid, 29-9-2025.- In 2023, the European Commission presented its proposal to regulate plants obtained through New Genomic Techniques (NGTs), and after passing through Parliament, in March 2025, the Council gave the mandate to negotiate to initiate the so-called ‘trilogues’. However, techniques such as CRISPR do not adhere to deadlines, and their developments have only accelerated, also thanks to the boost provided by the new applications in genomic selection using Artificial Intelligence (AI) or the process of digitization that, for example, allows prioritizing and identifying genetic targets. All of that joint potential is discussed in what is probably one of the most commendable efforts to assess the technological development capacity of our country: the report ‘Mapping the Agrotech Ecosystem in Spain’. This audit, this analysis on the projection of the primary sector and its main technological actors, was presented at the end of 2024 by ICEX Invest in Spain and Grupo Cajamar, and also had the collaboration of BIOVEGEN. Now, at the Biotech Congress held during Fruit Attraction and organized by this last entity, representatives from the three mentioned institutions will discuss the potential of Spanish agrotech, NGTs, and of course, how AI and digitization are driving its development.
This will be the round table that takes center stage at this anticipated event, a meeting -with the status of a Congress from 2024 and to be held at the Fruit Forum (in the connection between Pavilions 1 and 3)- which is one of the most crowded events at the fair and this year is expected to break attendance records again: more than 450 professionals, researchers, representatives from technological centers, and agricultural entrepreneurs have registered. After the inauguration by the director of the exhibition, María J. Sánchez, the presentation by the vice president of Innovation and Technology Transfer of CSIC, Ana Castro, and the host and president of BIOVEGEN, José Pellicer, the awaited debate on the ‘Potential and Perspectives of the Spanish Agrotech Sector’ will take place. Alongside Inés Lucía, investor manager of ICEX; Juan Carlos Gázquez, deputy director of Cajamar Innova; and Gonzaga Ruiz de Gauna, manager of BIOVEGEN, Gabino Sánchez, business director of Hudson River Biotechnology, will also participate. In addition to the contributions from the three promoters of the aforementioned key document, the perspective of the Spanish executive from a company founded in Wageningen (Netherlands) a decade ago will be added, which has already achieved certain sought-after attributes in plants that, through traditional breeding, would take 7-10 years, now achieved in a period of 2 to 4 years using CRISPR.
“Agriculture is subjected to an unprecedented pace of technological changes,” states the president of BIOVEGEN. “Exponential technologies are emerging that impact business models. Innovating is risky. It’s true. Not innovating now can be lethal,” explains José Pellicer as he justifies the ambitious knowledge and business offer that BIOVEGEN has prepared for this trade show edition.
Biotech Attraction and the Biotech Forum
The mentioned congress is its biggest showcase, but BIOVEGEN’s commitment to bringing plant innovation to the primary sector extends with the organization of a fair -Biotech Attraction- that is now in its sixth edition, taking place under the umbrella of Innova&Tech (which also includes Smart Agro, focused on digitization and automation). This year, Biotech Attraction will break records with exhibitors, reaching up to 22, featuring the largest public funding agent for projects, CDTI, the fertilizer giant Fertiberia, institutes like Itene (Valencia, specialized in packaging) or Ainia (Valencia, agro-food) or X_Agritech, a network coordinated by IRTA that brings together more than 300 researchers from eight Catalan scientific institutions. Emerging biotechnology companies that are already leaders and rapidly developing, such as ValGenetics S.L, Madeinplant -both from Valencia-, Cultiply (Sevilla) or 3ABIOTECH (Murcia), as well as other R&D agricultural service providers like Agricola 2000 (Italy), technological centers like Cartif (Valladolid) or Funditec (Madrid), or a breeder, Breedx (Granada), among many others, have also invested in this space. BIOVEGEN wanted to repeat the experience of previous years and give many of these companies and some others the opportunity to present specific agricultural projects and solutions in a more relaxed manner -also in Pavilion 5, at the Biotech Forum-. There, up to 18 communications are expected to be delivered to potential clients over the three days of the fair. NGTs, new digital tools, and the future of AI in genetic improvement of crops are central topics of some presentations. To facilitate technology transfer and the realization of agreements, Biotech Attraction will create spaces (for exhibitors and professionals attending the congress) where, before the fair begins, 71 bilateral meetings have already been scheduled.
Preparing the hatching of the NGTs
Returning to the Biotech Congress, after the roundtable on Spain’s agrotech potential, it will be the turn of the NGTs. Initially, María Lois, director and principal investigator of the Centre de Recerca en Agrigenòmica (CRAG), will present the nGENIA project: a group of experts who will advise the Ministry of Agriculture on the development of these techniques and, in addition, intends to organize meetings with interest groups to analyze their potential for the agri-food sector and coordinate research and dissemination efforts. And from theory to practice, the well-known researcher from IBMCP (UPV-CSIC, Valencia), José M. Mulet, will intervene to unveil the improvements achieved through the NGTs in broccoli cultivation.
Before the closing remarks by the director of Technology and Internationalization of CDTI Innovación, Carlos de la Cruz, three successful cases of technology transfer in public-private consortia will be addressed: Jorge Lozano, also from IBMCP (UPV-CSIC), will present the use of pharmaceuticals to increase drought tolerance in agriculture; Francisco Bermúdez, CEO of Beyond Seeds, will present the results of an operational group in which BIOVEGEN also participated, GO Biodif, on nanofertilizers (nutrients and bioactive compounds) for table olives and olive oil; and finally, Pablo Gutiérrez from Viveros Integrales El Ejidillo will discuss the GO Simbioliva project for the revaluation of pomace.