In response to ongoing restrictions on in-person gatherings in Taiwan due to the COVID-19 pandemic, BIO Asia–Taiwan 2021 will be held as scheduled from July 21-25 in an all-online format, with the activities including the Conference, Exhibition, BIO’s One-on-one Partnering™ platform for business matchmaking meetings, Company Presentations, and more. The on-site exhibition however will be postponed until November 4-7, 2021, to be held at the original venue, TaiNEX 2, Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center, Taipei.

Johnsee Lee, Chairman of the Organizing Committee of BIO Asia–Taiwan 2021 reflected on event held in these trying times. “The biomedical industry to date has played in essential role in combating the pandemic, and in times of need the entire industry and its stakeholders must step up and work together,” adding that although the event will now be in ‘all-online’ format, the gathering will enable the biomedical community from around the world to network without boundaries. Through online forums, an interactive exhibition, and one-on-one partnering, a wide range of communication tools will be available to seamlessly connect participants and drive meetings and deals. 

Lee also pointed out that with BIO Asia–Taiwan now in its third year, international participation and cooperation will be further cemented. “Already participants from the US, UK, Canada, Brazil, France, Germany, Switzerland, Finland, the Netherlands, Belgium, Australia, China, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, the Philippines, Hong Kong and 17 other countries and regions have signed up,” said Lee. In addition, more than 500 manufacturers from Asia and around the world will participate in the online Exhibition and Company Presentation program, including companies from Europe, the US, and Australia.

To expand and encourage exposure and participation by both participants and media, this year the Exhibition has now been extended an extra four days, now opening on July 19 and closing on July 28. Additionally, the Company Presentation program and BIO’s One-on-one Partnering™ platform open in advance, to allow sufficient time to research and evaluate the hundreds of companies and opportunities on display. Note that One-on-one Partnering will be open 24 hours a day during this time, enabling participants from different countries and across different time zones to more easily engage.

Under this year’s conference theme of ‘A Brave New Era for Biotechnology’, a stellar lineup of more than 100 speakers has been invited including Nobel laureates and other high-level award winners, leaders from some of the world’s largest pharmaceutical companies, and notable investors and financial experts. Topics covered will include breakthrough technologies and the latest medical innovations, cutting-edge pandemic control measures and strategies for the post-pandemic world, digital health, the latest gene and cell therapies, and bio-industry cooperation and investment best practices.

Highlighting the speaker lineup is MIT’s Robert Langer; known as the ‘Edison of Medicine’, inventor and entrepreneur, founder of vaccine company Moderna and more than 40 other biotech companies. Langer’s presentation will be on technology commercialization and innovation. We’re pleased to announce that 2020 Nobel Laureate Michael Houghton will join us in sharing insight on virus discovery and treatment. And Graham Lewis, Vice President of IQVIA, the world’s largest medical information provider; and PwC’s Claire Love will share their insight on biomedical market and investment considerations.

Under the topic Combatting the Pandemic, we’ve invited Chunhuei Chi, director of the Center for Global Health at Oregon State University for a deep dive into global pandemic prevention; Asher Yeshaihu Salmon, Head of the Department of International Relations at the Israeli Ministry of Health, to showcase Israel's pandemic prevention and vaccine delivery successes; and Dr. Li Bingying of National Taiwan University to summarize the current status of pandemic control and prevention in Taiwan.

The conference will also be hosting members of the Asian Federation of Biotechnology and will welcome representatives from Korea, Malaysia, Japan, India, and Taiwan as they present and discuss bio-industry related topics pertinent to their countries.

Herbert Wu, Chairman of the Taiwan Bio Industry Organization (Taiwan BIO), one of the organizers of BIO Asia–Taiwan 2021 along with the Global BIO Association, commented that the promotion of international exchange and cooperation within the biotech industry was one of the main missions of the Taiwan BIO. “During the epidemic, we have continued to work with local stakeholders to help upgrade the domestic biotechnology industry to international standards. BIO Asia–Taiwan 2021 will maintain this momentum and we expect the industry to not only ride out the pandemic but emerge stronger, benefiting from a wave of international cooperation and fundraising opportunities as a result of the gathering,” he said.

Registration for the Conference is currently open, with pre-registration discount ending on July 18th.