The second edition of Aragón Leaders Forum, held in Zaragoza on October 6, 2026, put biotechnology and bioinformatics at the center of the debate on Aragón’s economic growth. The event brought together representatives from science, business, academia and investment to explore how knowledge can be transformed into productive activity and skilled employment.
Aragón Leaders Forum identifies biotechnology and bioinformatics as strategic sectors
Organized by Directivas de Aragón, Fundación Ibercaja, the Instituto Tecnológico de Aragón (ITA) and the Gobierno de Aragón, the forum examined the challenges facing two fields with the potential to strengthen business competitiveness. The event also highlighted the need to encourage STEAM careers and help ensure that advances developed in laboratories reach companies.
The president of Directivas de Aragón, María Sasot, linked the forum to the development of an ecosystem around activities associated with economic change. She also highlighted the visibility of women leading projects and companies, as well as efforts to promote equal opportunities in career choices.
Sasot said biotechnology and bioinformatics offer professional opportunities within STEAM disciplines. The purpose of the event was to connect those opportunities with the available talent and the work of companies, universities, technology centers and research groups across the region.
Aragón’s biotechnology ecosystem calls for collaboration and support for entrepreneurship
CSIC researcher Valeria Grazú, a research professor at the Instituto de Nanociencia y Materiales de Aragón (INMA, CSIC-Unizar), delivered the keynote address. Grazú described biotechnology as a broad field, with thousands of applications and links to other areas of knowledge.
The researcher highlighted the standing of Aragón’s working groups, which are well regarded internationally, and called for greater collaboration both within the region and with international stakeholders. She also stressed the need to support entrepreneurial projects in order to turn research into solutions applicable to society.
ITA Director Esther Borao explained that Aragón is working alongside the Universidad de Zaragoza, the Universidad San Jorge, technology centers and the health system to turn talent into entrepreneurship. According to Borao, the cooperation seeks to consolidate a knowledge-based productive base and create higher-quality jobs.
For her part, Fundación Ibercaja’s head of Education and Employability, Mayte Santos, said Aragón has the talent, universities, research centers and biotechnology companies needed to aspire to become a benchmark in bioinformatics. The regional minister for Education, Culture and Universities, Carmen Susín, closed the event by underscoring that transforming talent and information into useful knowledge is crucial to the competitiveness of Aragón’s companies.
Bioinformatics sparks debate on investment, education and new projects in Aragón
The roundtable Bioinformatics: Opportunities and Challenges for Aragón brought together Paula Esquivias, director of the Bioinformatics Degree program at Universidad San Jorge; Rebeca Sanz, principal investigator at ISS Aragón; Sergio San Agustín, investment director at Clave Capital; Elena Rivas, founder and executive partner at Pinnacle Biopartners and second vice president of ASEBIO; and Antonio J. Fumanal, master brewer at Agora Group and president of the Clúster Aragonés de Alimentación.
The event also featured a biotechnology entrepreneurship case. Sara Gascón and Lucía Murillo, of Origen Bio, presented Lifely, a project that uses genetics and bioinformatics to turn genetic results into a personalized action plan aimed at improving people’s health.
With its second edition, Aragón Leaders Forum reinforces its role as a platform connecting research, business, universities, investment and public administration. The shared challenge is to bring knowledge into the productive economy and turn existing capabilities into innovation, competitiveness and new professional opportunities in Aragón.
