Costa Rica continues to thrive on the life sciences industry

By IDeas trademarks & patents


The Costa Rican Cluster for Biotechnology, Medical Devices and Life Sciences in general (CRbiomed) organized the first edition of BIO Líderes, a virtual event that looks to improve the country’s business climate for the biotechnology and life sciences industry.

The event took place on August 25, 2021, with the participation of the Foreign Trade Promoter of Costa Rica, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Science and Technology, the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean and the Biotechnology Innovation Organization, among other international organizations.

“BIO Líderes is important for the country, since it is a space for improving the busines climate of the Costa Rican biotechnology and life sciences industry, allowing updates on different topics of interest to the sector, such as bioeconomy, biomedical applications, bioinformatics, bio-entrepreneurship, agri-food issues, use of waste, university-business linkage, intellectual property, among others, in order to insert the country and its members into global value chains,” said Patricia Trinler, President of CRbiomed.

Costa Rica’s biotech and life sciences industry continues to thrive, building on two decades of transformational growth in the country and consolidating its position as a prime nearshoring destination.

Costa Rica’s geographical proximity to the United States, Canada and Europe enables straightforward collaboration between teams, while its free trade agreements give preferential access to two-thirds of the world’s GDP. On top of this, it is well located to facilitate exports, with ports on both the Pacific and Caribbean coasts.

On 8 May 2020, the government of Costa Rica declared the medical and wellness industry "of public and national interest" and announced that Costa Rica is well placed to become a hub for wellness, innovation, and life sciences. The Presidential Decree issued to that effect defines the industry as the activities geared towards the generation of technology and new forms of prevention of disease, promotion of health, and innovative medical care.

Costa Rica is home to a robust ecosystem of companies in the life sciences sector, comprising more than 80 multinationals in technology and medical devices committed to the mission of saving lives around the world. Furthermore, Costa Rica is home to 13 of the top 20 original equipment manufacturers and 16 leaders in cutting-edge technology.