The European Biotechnology Renaissance

The European biotechnology ecosystem, traditionally a pillar of competitiveness and a critical shield against global supply chain vulnerabilities, is falling behind the United States and China. As Europe's share of global research and development declines and its share of clinical trials is halved, we are becoming a continent of consumers rather than leaders in health innovation. The European biotech act provides a new pathway for the entire ecosystem to remain firmly rooted in Europe, from world-class science and ambitious scale-ups to mature pharmaceutical leaders.

However, the act cannot succeed in a vacuum. The true test lies in the mobilisation of leading biotech players and how effectively it interfaces with Europe's wider polic landscape. Most importantly, it should avoid the traditional silo-based approach to policymaking, treating science, finance and market access as separate. In reality, innovation is not a linear conveyor belt: it is messy, networked and looped. Regulatory bottlenecks have an impact on startup funding and the trajectory of mature pharmaceutical leaders influences the scaling capacity of early-stage biotech.

Keynotes:

• Olivér Várhelyi, European Commissioner for Health and Animal Welfare

• Teresa Graham, President, Roche Pharmaceuticals

Roundtable Discussion:

• Teresa Graham, President of Roche Pharmaceuticals

• Martine J. van Vugt, Chief Business Officer at Genmab

• Prof Regine Heilbronn, CEO of EpiBlok

• Dr Jacky Vonderscher, CEO of ENYO Pharma

• Edward van Wezel, managing partner, BioGeneration

  Ventures (BGV)

• Martin Bresson, Public Affairs Director at Invest Europe

• Nikos Papandreou, Member of the European Parliament (Greece, S&D)

More to be confirmed.