The head of the Basque Bioregion, María Aguirre, had a meeting with James C. Greenwood, President of the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) within the framework of the BIO 2009 convention, held in Atlanta (U.S.A.) from 18 to 21 May. BIO is the world's largest biotechnology organization, with more than 1,200 members worldwide, and is responsible for organizing the convention.

During their conversation, Greenwood and Aguirre touched on issues such as the importance of training as an essential pillar for the biotechnology sector or the presence of the Basque delegation at previous edition of a convention that intends to move to Chicago for its next edition, in 2010.

The BioBasque Agency also met representatives of the American and Canadian network of technology parks. Among the contacts carried out with European organisations, the links established with the Belgian bioregion of Wallonia, which might lead to future joint collaboration between the two regions, should be highlighted.

The international projection of Euskadi, the Basque Country, as a bioregion has increased considerably in recent years, as demonstrated by its active participation in global networks like the Human Proteome Organisation (HUPO) initiative, or direct participation in networks such as the CEBR (Council of European BioRegions) and organizations such as EuropaBio.