From 15 to 18 June, more than 115 representatives from 65 Belgian companies and universities, including 30 companies from Flanders, attend BIO, the world’s largest biotechnology conference, that this year is being held in Philadelphia (USA). Over 15,500 biotech specialists will present their research, products and services and will look for partners and investors.
FlandersBio, the umbrella organization for the life sciences sector in Flanders, and Flanders Investment & Trade, the Flemish Agency for International Business, are facilitating the participation of the Flemish companies in the BIO convention and are placing our country’s aces in this fast-growing sector in the spotlight.
The Belgian biotech sector is amongst the top in Europe. Belgian listed companies currently represent a value of EUR 16 billion, which is 15% of the market capitalization of all the listed life sciences companies in Europe. In the past 9 months, three new Belgian companies were floated on the stock exchange and the 9 small and midcap companies are now worth over EUR 4 billion.
“A conference such as BIO is extremely important for the Belgian companies present to further prove their worth and attract potential partners. During conferences such as BIO, the foundation is laid for milestone-based contracts. In the past ten years, our companies have signed contracts worth over 10 billion euros. That’s money that flows directly into the Belgian economy and forms the basis for the 75.000 jobs created in the sector,” Henk Joos, General Manager of FlandersBio testifies.
During the convention, FlandersBio and Flanders Investment & Trade also organize numerous activities to put Belgians in touch with each other and with potential partners. Our Belgian Pavilion always does well and during the past few years our Belgian Café, where we put Belgium’s other aces – namely beer and fries – firmly in the spotlight, has developed into the most successful social but also networking event of BIO, with long queues and always more than 1000 participants!
(Source: FlandersBio)
