José Luis Aurrekoetxea, Itziar Urtasun
and Frédéric Biava

The Belgian region of Wallonia has declared the Basque Country a priority market in 2010, with biotechnology included among the sectors selected to foment contact between companies. Both in Wallonia and the Basque Country, life sciences in general and biotechnology in particular are growth sectors.

Both bioregions, with the BioBasque Agency in the Basque Country and Biowin in Wallonia, as well as various institutions, are working to prepare the first event in the spring of 2010, and contacts made previously are being maintained.

The announcement of the Basque Country as a priority market came during the commemoration of the first anniversary of AWEX, the Economic and Commercial Delegation of this Belgian region, at a ceremony held in Bilbao on the 24th September. At this event, the Economic and Commercial Advisor to the Wallonian Region, Frédéric Biava, revealed that in the Basque Country AWEX will focus on promoting contact between the biotech companies of these two European regions.

According to Biava, “Wallonia and the Basque Country are lands with top-level small and medium-sized businesses and dynamic clusters, but they do not yet know each other well. The similar profile and development objectives of the regions have motivated our choice of the Basque Country as a priority market”. Biava announced that “in 2010 we will hold a key event that will allow us to drive forward business opportunities and cooperation agreements between the companies and clusters in the Basque and Walloon biotechnology and life sciences sectors”.

Since its arrival in Bilbao in October 2008, the economic and commercial delegation from Wallonia has helped to put institutions, companies, clusters and technology parks from both regions in touch with each other.