BIO International Convention 2023: Standing up for Science, Dutch biotech and transatlantic cooperation!
The BIO International Convention 2023 last week in Boston had it all. With this year’s tagline ‘Standing up for Science’ in mind, HollandBIO – together with Health~Holland – stood up for the Dutch biotech sector by hosting a big bright orange pavilion and extending its transatlantic collaboration with Massachusetts. To top it off, the world’s biggest biotech conference intertwined with an economic mission jointly led by Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Policy Micky Adriaansens and Minister for Health, Welfare and Sport Ernst Kuipers and mission leader Hans Schikan. We are proud to have been able to put both Ministers in the spotlight during the conference for a Super Session, an Executive Roundtable and a Fireside Chat, where they represented the Dutch life sciences ecosystem and could revel in innovations that are developed by the global biotech community.
Dutch Ministers in the spotlight at BIO convention
The economic mission took place during BIO International Convention, world’s biggest biotech conference with nearly 20.000 biopharma leaders as participants. On behalf of Health~Holland, HollandBIO hosted a bright orange Dutch pavilion at the exhibition floor, serving as a welcoming joint living room abroad for the 204 Dutch attendees present at BIO, as well as an exhibition hotspot offering information about collaboration with Europe’s connected Life Sciences & Health metropolis. We were honored to welcome both ministers on several occasions at BIO, during the well-visited Dutch hospitality reception and bike raffle, as well as at a Super Session, an Executive Roundtable and a Fireside Chat. Both knowledgeable ministers proved to be great ambassadors for the Dutch biotech sector, and expressed a genuine admiration and enthusiasm about the global biotech community.
Extended collaboration with Boston – the world leading biotech hub
When it comes to biotech, Massachusetts is the undisputed place to be. And with the world’s leading biotech conference (BIO) in town, the economic mission, bringing two Ministers and 75 mission delegates to Boston, there could not have been a better place and time to showcase our beautiful biotech sector. And we did, by celebrating the successes of our Program of Cooperation in Life Sciences over the past year with our counterparts in the Massachusetts area. Currently multiple Dutch companies have established business connections in Massachusetts and likewise, two Massachusetts companies have chosen to establish their European headquarters in the Netherlands. We took a deep dive in the future to find out how to deepen our extensive partnership. Two activities HollandBIO will continue to work on with our counterparts are opening up MassBio’s International Day for Dutch biotech entrepreneurs and a visit for the Termeer Foundation Transatlantic Connections Fellows to the Netherlands.
About the Transatlantic Life Sciences Partnership
The mission builds upon existing ties and relationships between the Netherlands and Massachusetts which contributes to our joint ambition of building a healthier world together and to showcase the strengths of our beautiful biotech sector to both Ministers. The collaboration between Massachusetts and the Netherlands has built a solid foundation over the years after the economic mission with Prime Minister Mark Rutte in 2019. Up to now, several activities were initiated that contribute to our goals including missions, workshops, conferences, visits and the Henri Termeer Transatlantic Connections Award, sponsored by The Termeer Foundation.
We look forward to continue building a healthier world together with Massachusetts!
