Delegation to BIO stamps Australia as a world leader in biotech

This year, Australia stamped its presence on the 2014 BIO International Convention with more than 250 delegates from Australia attending BIO 2014, making Australia the eighth-largest international delegation. Australia’s continuing presence at BIO coincides with Australia’s growing reputation as one of the world leaders in biotechnology.

The delegation size was fitting representation given that Australian biotechnology innovation has jumped to fourth on the world stage (up from seventh in 2013), as ranked by the sixth Annual Worldview Scorecard by Scientific American Worldview.

For 10 years, AusBiotech has been leading Australian delegations to the world’s largest and most influential global biotechnology meeting, the BIO International Convention. The convention is hosted by the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) and this year drew 15,667 industry leaders, including nearly 2500 CEOs, from 70 countries.

In managing the Australian delegation to BIO, AusBiotech worked with the federal Department of Industry, the Victorian state government, the NSW state government and BioSA to bring a strong collaborative and national approach to the 2014 Australian representation.

The BIO International Convention demonstrates the global nature of the biotech industry, serving an invaluable networking and partnering opportunity, with countries and regions within countries doing all they can to attract companies and investors. The four intensive days of global learning, sharing and connecting offered by BIO can’t be found on this scale in any other forum.

As a truly international event, BIO also provides valuable opportunities for Australia to host and participate in joint activities with other countries. In 2014 we collaborated with the UK, France, Canada and the state of Colorado, USA. Australian companies also benefited from visits to ResMed’s global headquarters in San Diego and the J&J Innovation Centre.

AusBiotech surveyed the exhibitors who participated as part of the Australian delegation to BIO 2014 and the outcomes are included in a full report (see below).

Without the Australian federal government underwriting the costs and state governments providing base funding, Australia’s strong presence at this global biotechnology showcase would not have been possible. In this context, the strong support federally and by the Victorian, NSW and South Australian state governments in 2014, and in previous years, is greatly appreciated by the industry.

BIO continues to grow every year and the 2015 event in Philadelphia, USA, already promises to offer unparalleled opportunities for developing meaningful and lasting connections with global biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies, academic research institutions and investors from around the world.

Adding to the value of Australia’s presence at BIO 2015 will be two major biotechnology events to be held in Melbourne later that year, each poised to attract large international audiences. Already, through the Australia Pavilion at this year’s BIO forum, AusBiotech has been able to attract speakers, exhibitors and attendees to the 2015 Agricultural Bioscience International Conference (ABIC) and the AusBiotech 2015 national conference.

The full BIO report can be found here