Madrid, October 30, 2025.– PONS IP, a global consultancy in industrial and intellectual property, together with BIOVEGEN, the Technological Platform for Plant Biotechnology, held the event “The strategic value of IP in technological transactions in the agri-food sector”, which gathered over 70 professionals from the agro ecosystem, investment, and innovation at the Fundación PONS headquarters in Madrid. The goal was to highlight the value and leadership of our country as one of the most innovative countries in the world in agri-food, positioning Spain at the European forefront in both production and the transfer of knowledge and technology applied to the sector.
The General Director of PONS IP, Nuria Marcos, opened the meeting emphasizing that “the sector must decide what it wants to be when it grows up. The adequate protection of research and development results through patents, utility models, plant varieties, or trade secrets can be one of the keys to securing a competitive position in the commercial exploitation of innovations, facilitating technology transfer, and attracting investment for new projects. Only in this way can the agri-food sector consolidate its leadership and move towards a more innovative and sustainable economy in such an important sector for our country.”
Gonzaga Ruiz de Gauna, manager of BIOVEGEN, provided a positive overview of the sector based on the reports “Spanish Agrifood Observatory 2024” and “Mapping the Agrotech Ecosystem Spain 2024.” The data shows that the agrifood sector already accounts for 8.6% of the national GDP and 11.5% of employment, with more than 2.5 million workers. In 2024, the gross added value reached 125.16 billion euros, 3.9% more than the previous year, and exports hit a historic record of 76.356 billion euros, 5.9% more than in 2023. Spain is currently the fourth European country in contribution to agrifood GVA and a leader in the production of citrus fruits, olive oil, and fresh fruit.
“The plant production sector is cross-cutting, strategic for Spain and competitive at an international level, but it faces challenges from production pressure, climate change, and generational turnover that can only be overcome with technology, innovation, talent attraction, and knowledge protection,” summarized Ruiz de Gauna.
Next, the round table “IP management as a key business tool in agriculture,” moderated by Rafael López, director of Technological Transfer and PONS IP in Valencia, featured Xana Belastegui Macadam, General Partner at Swanlaab Venture Factory; Pedro Álvarez, Co-founder & CEO of IVORO; José María Fontán, director of Innovation at EUROSEMILLAS; and Unai Castañón, partner and head of food&beverage at ARCANO PARTNERS.
The speakers agreed that a proper strategy for protecting innovation in the sector and a long-term perspective is essential for attracting investment and facilitating technology transfer. They noted that 50% of startups that register their IP have a higher likelihood of securing funding. The discussion focused on the consolidation and maturity of the Spanish Agrifoodtech ecosystem, which received €179 million in investment in 2024, with a 4.8% increase in employment and a strong female presence in founding teams, which now make up 57%.
Innovation and talent: the showcase of disruptive startups
The showcase of disruptive companies in agri-food, presented by César Marcos, journalist and coordinator of ALAS, highlighted the diversity and innovative potential of the sector. Spain currently has a network of more than 850 agrotech startups, concentrated in Andalusia, Catalonia, the Valencian Community, and Madrid, supported by 50 specialized universities, 20 technology centers and parks, 24 sectoral clusters, and 7 technological platforms such as BIOVEGEN. Innovation hubs and incubators drive the birth and growth of companies from their first patents or plant varieties.
Among the six participating startups, initiatives such as TRICOPHARMING, which applies plant biotechnology to optimize crops through the use of microRNAs and trichome stimulation, enhancing the sustainable production of high-value compounds; EKONOKE, a pioneer in vertical agriculture and indoor hop production, ensuring climate resilience and reducing environmental impact; ID FOREST, a leader in forest biotechnology and applied mycology, developing innovative solutions in biofertilizers, biomaterials, and technological truffle cultivation; BISARI, which promotes the digitization and smart pollination of crops using IoT technology, AI, and biotechnology, improving agricultural productivity; and BIOCEANICS, a university spin-off that researches and produces sustainable functional ingredients, such as Omega-3 oils from microalgae, offering vegan and efficient alternatives for the food and nutraceutical industry. These companies exemplify the dynamism and innovative capacity of the Spanish agrotech ecosystem, contributing to a more competitive, sustainable, and future-oriented agriculture. With that shared goal, the case of the startup PHOENIX caught the audience’s attention with a technology that uses living organisms to transform organic waste into high added-value ingredients, such as protein for animal feed and natural fertilizers based on the efficient bioconversion of food waste, contributing to a true circular economy and reducing the environmental impact of waste management.
The event concluded with a call to strengthen public-private collaboration, promote digitization, and solidify the culture of protecting industrial property, intellectual property, and plant varieties as a lever for internationalization and competitiveness in the global market. Thus, both Gonzaga Ruiz de Gauna and Rafael López agreed that the Spanish sector “is in a mature phase after a time of boiling, now attracting investment with a medium- and long-term outlook, and with the right perspective, we are in a position to leverage our ability to generate innovation to boost our growth through the export of agri-tech, although we still need to truly commit to a culture of industrial property that can unleash all our potential as a country in the agri-food sector”.
