Yes, Belgium is a hotspot for innovative biopharma and biotechnology industry and we house all the right ingredients for a successful ecosystem: topnotch academic research centers, a large community of SMEs and last but not least: the top-10 biopharma companies all have key activities in Belgium: Novartis, Pfizer, Roche, Sanofi, Merck & C°, Johnson & Johnson, GSK, AstraZeneca, UCB and AbbVie.
• R&D Investments continue to grow: € 3.4 billion in 2016 (+123% compared to 2006)
• With a total market cap of € 21.5 billion, the Belgian listed biopharma companies represent 18% of the European biotech market cap
• Belgium houses the second largest average market cap of small cap biotech companies (average € 286M) and they are kings of cash: 7 of the 10 highest cash-rich biotech companies in Europe are located in Belgium
• Belgium is the European leader for clinical trials and 2nd in EU in the number of trials per capita. A new Belgian law keeps us at the forefront for Phase I trials, with only 15 days approval time
• We have very supportive national and regional authorities, initiating strong supportive financial incentives
Showcasing our expertise in Immunotherapy: the new paradigm shift in cancer treatment
The BIO International Convention 2017 is the largest global biotechnology conference and exhibition, hosting more than 18.000 experts. On June 19, Belgium organizes a workshop on ‘Immunotherapy: a cure for cancer?’ Belgian key players including Celyad and PDC*Line Pharma showcase recent breakthroughs, and argenx (ARGX) and Iteos Therapeutics demonstrate how they charmed respectively AbbVie and Pfizer into major collaborations.
Belgium’s expertise in this area was already clear through the recent white paper showcasing Belgium’s expertise in immunotherapy, which got a lot of attention in the worldwide life sciences community.
Showcasing an internationally reputable ecosystem
Belgian life sciences companies successfully partnered with large pharmaceutical companies, resulting in a cumulative value of licensing and R&D contracts signed over the last 12 years of more than € 18 billion. More than € 4 billion has already been received as milestone payments. More than 70% of the € 21,5 billion market cap of Belgian listed companies (€ 15 billion) is coming from investors outside Belgium.
Belgium again attends the BIO International Convention 2017 with a stunning number of 135 delegates representing 74 companies and organizations. The Belgian delegation comes together in one of the most vibrant pavilions of the conference. Worldwide companies and partners do not only visit the Belgian pavilion to receive an invitation for one of the most popular social events at BIO: the Belgian Café; they want to meet the Belgian companies for their expertise, their technology and their creativity and to find out more about the thriving environment Belgium offers as a life sciences ecosystem.
