Social projection of the biosciences

Biocat actively contributes to improving the knowledge the Catalan society has about science in general, and biotechnology in particular. The main tools for doing so are transdisciplinary discussions on topics of high social interest, collaboration with various organisations that bring new audiences, presence in the media and promotion of internet presence of the Biocat’s activities through the web and social networks.

At the beginning of 2013 it was already possible to consult the new Biocat Directory, which represents a qualitative improvement in the public information about the companies and organisations in the biotechnology, biomedical and medical technology sectors in Catalonia. Thanks to an agreement with the company Venture Valuation (owner of the BiotechGate international reference database) it was possible to make a new, more efficient search engine available and incorporate financial information and the products of the various organisations registered to the Directory files. The Directory also includes a separate, specific search engine for research groups and a revised and updated catalogue of public science and technology platforms.

The Biocat website, the online presence of other projects such as B·Debate and Moebio, and the continued activity on social networks are intended to facilitate access for professionals and the general public to updated and relevant information about the biosciences sector, with special attention to the Catalan initiatives in scientific research, innovation and entrepreneurship. The positive response of society has generated a growing audience across all channels. Consequently, the number of visits to the Biocat website, which is published in three languages, grew by 20% in 2013 (up to 246,904) and the number of users increased by 21%, which exceeded 133,500. With regard to the B·Debate website, oriented more towards the scientific education and debate, it exceeded 9,000 users and the website of the Moebio training initiative, which was launched on 3rd March 2013, totalled 7,437 users by the end of the year.

In terms of social networks, the various profiles managed by Biocat reached 6,730 followers on Twitter and 1,732 followers of Linkedin. On Slideshare, Biocat’s documents and presentations received 48,900 views, while the two active blogs finished the year with a total of 5,189 visits (1,270 visits to the Biocat blog, and 3,919 visits to the Moebio blog).

The boost to the web has complemented the presence the activities of the organisation have had in the media. During 2013, a qualitative and quantitative improvement in the public presence of Biocat and its projects, particularly centred around activities such as BioEurope 2013, BIO Chicago, Design Health Barcelona (Moebio) programme and the B·Debate events. In total, 153 articles were published in the written press and 318 on digital media, and a dozen or so appearances were made on radio and television.