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This knowledge serves to better map fish development and ascertain what foods best meet fish needs and at what times—all for more efficient and effective aquaculture.

“We fund a number of genome projects studying plants, fish, and animals, because when you look at exports from Spain, a large portion of them are from agriculture,” says Jorcano. Like CNB, Genoma España also provides funding and assistance for spinoffs.

But many of the organization’s efforts have involved tracking the growth of the biotechnology sector over the years. There have been dramatic changes. In a recent study, Genoma compared Spain against other European countries, the United States, and Canada. After adjusting for population and income levels, the study found that though Spain’s sector is still relatively small compared to the big international players, it is the fastest growing. In the last two years, the number of companies solely devoted to biotechnology has increased by 40 percent. On average, public and private investment in biotechnology is growing at 22 percent and 32 percent per year, respectively.

Bioincubators provide one method for promoting the growth of these new biotechnology companies. On the same campus as CNB, a bioincubator at the Madrid Science Park hosts companies in early stages of development. The Madrid Science Park (PCM in Spanish) was created in 2001 to promote technology transfer from the academic to the private sector. “These types of parks here in Spain offer a new physical space to create bet ter relationships between universities and companies,” says its director, Antonio Díaz. There are already more than 45 companies in the park.

At the moment, eight biotechnology companies line PCM’s halls. With only a few employees each, the companies share office and lab space and have access to expensive equipment that would usually be out of financial reach at this early stage. In addit ion, the a r rangement provides them wi th administrative assistance in developing their businesses.