BIO CHINA 2024 Brings Biotech Experts and Industry Elites Together for Innovation

Despite the uncertainties arose from the recent news that the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO) severing ties with Wuxi AppTec, one of China’s major biotech events, BIO CHINA 2024 (EBC), organized by Enmore Healthcare, was unfazed and took place at the Suzhou International Expo Center in Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, from March 14 to 16.

Related article: Major U.S. Organization BIO Severs Ties With Member WuXi AppTec Amid U.S. Government’s Security Concerns 

Originated in 2016, BIO CHINA International Convention is now in its 9th edition, which has grown from a conference with only about 1,000 organizations to an exhibition and conference with more than 28,000 attendees, and has gradually become a platform for the life sciences sector with industrial influence and international prominence. Under the theme of “Together for Innovation”, this year’s convention achieved a record-breaking scale, with thousands of domestic and foreign cutting-edge enterprises in the biopharma industry and hundreds of investment institutions, as well as industry representatives, trade associations, and various business media from dozens of countries and regions, bringing an estimated 30,000 attendees to Suzhou to celebrate this grand event.

BIO CHINA Grows Rapidly in Scale, From Emerging Therapies to Biomanufacturing

BIO CHINA 2024 (EBC) was divided into three major parts: Exhibition, Conference and Events. More than 500 exhibitors have been invited to participate in the exhibition with five specialized pavilions, namely Outstanding Brands, International Services, Raw Materials, Reagents, and Consumables, Instrument and Equipment, and General Services, to provide precision services to visitors and professional purchasers. Through product showcases, new product launches, trade shows and shopping galas, the exhibition served as a platform connecting upstream and downstream of the biopharma industry chain and building a supply chain for the biopharma industry.

During the three-day conference, 839 domestic and international academics, experts, and industry leaders spoke as distinguished speakers, presenting in 128 forums and summits, as well as 55 brainstorming and case study sessions. Topics covered include antibody drugs, nucleic acid drugs, cell and gene therapy, chemistry manufacturing and controls (CMC) in drug development, commercialization of biologics, corporate investment and financing, business development, CRO and CDMO, biomedical procurement and supply chain, among others.

The BIO CHINA 2024 Scientist Summit, led by top Chinese scholars such as Liu Yongjun (President of Innovent Biologics), Dong Chen (Dean of School of Medicine of Westlake University), Su Bing (Director of Shanghai Institute of Immunology) and Shao Feng (Deputy director at National Institute of Biological Sciences, Beijing), was organized as a platform to gather influential and innovative scientists from China and across the globe to demonstrate the power of scientific research and innovation in China’s biomedical community, and to disseminate China’s tremendous advantages in the biopharma industry to the whole world. Besides, a series of roundtable discussions to allow participants to freely exchange their ideas, discover development potential and innovation opportunities, and inject new impetus and vitality into the future development of the industry.

An Internationalized Event Linking Chinese Biopharma Companies to Global Markets

In terms of business partnering, BIO CHINA 2024 (EBC) adopted the “BIO CHINA Partnering System”, bringing together over 100 domestic and overseas investment institutions, biotech companies, and multinational pharma companies, to arrange more than 5,000 one-on-one meetings in online and face-to-face modes, facilitating project partnerships, matchmaking between suppliers and purchasers, and promoting more business cooperation between enterprises and service providers.

It is noteworthy that even in the face of uncertainties of global and regional conditions, the event engaged representatives and partners from more than 20 countries and regions, including the U.S., Germany, France, Switzerland, Japan, Korea, India, Australia, Singapore, Thailand, and the United Arab Emirates. with examples including the Thailand Center of Excellence for Life Sciences (TCELS), the Australian Trade and Investment Commission (Austrade), and the State Government of Victoria, amongst others. The Australian delegation also established an Australian pavilion to promote cooperation between Australia and China in the biotech industry. Meanwhile, in addition to local Chinese biopharma companies, representatives from leading overseas companies such as MSD, Daiichi Sankyo, Cytiva, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Sartorius, and many others attended the convention. The presence of overseas delegates highlighted the extent of the internationalization of BIO CHINA 2024.

The success of this year’s BIO CHINA International Convention will further promote the exchange of experience between regional biopharma industries with the international community, encourage companies to build more bridges linking with the global market, and create opportunities for the further internationalization of many innovative pharmaceutical products.

Author

Richard Chau