BIO-Europe® 2016 in Cologne Breaks Records for Partnering, Attendance

CARLSBAD, California and COLOGNE, Germany, November 15, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Cologne, Germany was the center of drug development partnering last week where 3,700 high level executives from the life science/drug development industry attended BIO-Europe® 2016 global life science partnering event, held November 7-9, 2016.

BIO-Europe 2016 broke records for number of delegates and number of one-to-one partnering meetings which reached 20,833, an all-time high and up 9% from 2015. CEOs and decision makers from 1,982 companies and 63 countries discussed asset deals and strategic collaborations. There were 4,734 licensing opportunities on offer, 153 company presentations and 97 exhibitors.

"The incredible success of BIO-Europe in Cologne is both a testament to the region's key central European location and its strong biopharma sector, as well as the increased need for partnering as a critical ingredient in successful strategic planning by companies spanning the drug development spectrum, " said Anna Chrisman, Group Managing Director, EBD Group. "This spectrum has grown to include early stage academia, startup biotech companies, innovators in cell and gene therapy and digital medicine, and many more, making BIO-Europe a fully integrated partnering event that has real relevance in the future of healthcare."

A Startup Slam pitching competition took place during the course of the event, offering emerging entrepreneurs a chance to pitch their company to business development executives, venture capitalists and industry experts. The event, sponsored by Johnson & Johnson Innovation with support from Innovation Forum and BIO.NRW, was won by Jeremy Chrisp of EpiAxis Therapeutics Pty Ltd, a new startup company spun out from the University of Canberra in Australia. They aim to commercialize their novel approach to prevent the recurrence of metastasis, with an initial focus on breast cancer.

Planning is already underway for BIO-Europe 2017 which will take place in Berlin, Germany, November 6-8, 2017 in partnership with Berlin Partner and Berlin-Brandenberg HealthCapital. As a leading hub for life sciences, the German capital region will welcome biotech experts from Europe and abroad. The region's biotech sector in particular has registered steady growth and high startup dynamism, with 90% of the 240 biotech cluster companies working in biomedicine. A strength of the region its unique research landscape, the close links between science and industry and the excellent infrastructure for clinical trials with more than 130 clinics, including Europe's largest university hospital, the Charité.

"As a leading location for innovation in biotechnology and pharmaceuticals, we are delighted that BIO-Europe 2017 is returning to Berlin,"  said  Dr. Kai Uwe Bindseil, Cluster Manager for Healthcare Industries in Berlin-Brandenburg - HealthCapital. "Every day, over 240 biotech companies in the capital region are working on the development of new active substances and diagnostics-at BIO-Europe, we place this excellence at the forefront and are creating the foundation for new international cooperations."

Early planning is now in place to bring BIO-Europe to Copenhagen, Denmark in 2018 in partnership with Invest in Skåne and Copenhagen Capacity. Copenhagen is an important biotech and life science location for a global audience. The region's life science cluster, Medicon Valley, spanning Eastern Denmark and Southern Sweden, is world leader within cancer, metabolic diseases, inflammation and brain/central nervous system diseases, and it is highly recognized for its strong patents and product pipeline as well as for the unique and successful collaboration between industry, academia and government.

Watch video coverage from BIO-Europe and other key partnering events, including interviews with executives and thought leaders from the life science industry, on EBD Group's Insight, a premier news source for the biopharma industry, or by following the #BIOEurope event hashtag on Twitter.

Additional links and information: 

Follow BIO-Europe on Twitter:  @EBDGroup (hashtag: #BioEurope).

About EBD Group  

EBD Group is the leading partnering firm for the global life science industry. Since 1993, biotech, pharma and medical device companies have leveraged EBD Group's partnering conferences, technology and services to identify business opportunities and develop strategic relationships essential to their success.

EBD Group's conferences are run with the support of leading corporations and international trade associations and include:

• BIO-Europe® and BIO-Europe Spring®, Europe's largest life science partnering conferences, supported by the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO)
• BioPharm America™, the fastest growing partnering event in North America
• Biotech Showcase™, a unique forum in San Francisco for presenting to investors and business development executives, co-produced with Demy-Colton Life Science Advisors
• BioEquity Europe, the investor conference co-organized with BioCentury Publications and BIO
• ChinaBio® Partnering Forum, the first dedicated biotech/pharma partnering conference in China, co-produced with ChinaBio® Group
• Biolatam®, facilitating partnering among global life sciences executives in Latin America's vibrant life science hubs
• Cell & Gene Exchange, a partnering forum focused on the patient community in cell and gene therapy sectors, co-produced with Alliance for Regenerative Medicine (ARM).

EBD Group's sophisticated web-based partnering service, partneringONE®, is used as the partnering engine at numerous third-party events around the world, and partnering360® is the open online community of life science dealmakers that enhances partnering experiences throughout the year.

Tune into EBD Group's Insight for timely coverage of news that influences the business strategies of the life science industry.

EBD Group is an Informa company. Informa is the largest publicly-owned organizer of exhibitions, conferences and training in the world.

EBD Group has offices in the USA and Europe.

For more information please visit http://www.ebdgroup.com.