Biotechnica 2011 to Focus on Biotech Growth Areas

Speaking in Hannover, October 5, 2011, Alexander Wurst, senior vice president, International Trade Fairs and Exhibitions, at Deutsche Messe Hannover (Germany), said, “Biotechnica highlights current trends and new developments. The new focus themes, high-caliber conferences, and a comprehensive supporting program are designed to target growth sectors. Biotechnica is an important driving force for the life sciences in Europe.”

With 616 companies from 28 countries exhibiting in Hannover this year, Biotechnica 2011 has attracted a distinctly larger number of exhibitors compared with 2010. Mr. Wurst reported, “This year we have received a particularly positive response. In fact, bookings were up by more than 20%.”

Market leaders such as Analytik Jena, Eppendorf, Merck, Qiagen, Sartorius, and Thermo Fisher Scientific will be exhibiting at Biotechnica. Two thirds of the exhibitors come from Germany. Most of the foreign exhibitors are from Switzerland, France, United Kingdom, United States, and the Netherlands. However, exhibitors are also coming from Iran, Korea, China, Japan, and Taiwan. Biotechnica will be opened on the evening of October 11, 2011, by the German Lower Saxony economics minister, Jörg Bode, and Heinz Riesenhuber, former German minister of research and technology.

Exhibitors in Hall 9 will present a wide range of displays ranging from new therapeutic agents for AIDS, cancer, and multiple sclerosis to innovative vaccines and environment-friendly industrial processes. The trade show will focus on the latest biotechnologic developments and applications in medicine, food, and industrial production, in addition to agriculture and the environment. Other keynote themes include bioprocesses and bioprocess technology, bioanalysis and bioinformatics. The trade fair will also highlight a diverse spectrum of services for the biotech and pharmaceutical industries. Thematically related conferences, special displays, forums, and workshops involving more than 500 international speakers from science, business, and politics will round off the program.

This year, Biotechnica is focusing on the growth markets of bioservices, food technology, and industrial biotechnology. “An increasing number of biotech and pharmaceutical companies are outsourcing research and production to external service providers,” said Mr. Wurst. “For the first time Biotechica is offering biotech and pharmaceutical service providers their own dedicated special display and BioServices conference.”

This new platform has gotten off to a good start, as more than 100 international service providers will be represented, including 30 in the bioservices area. The response from France has been especially good. In addition to a national stand, France will also be represented at the bioservices platform.

Biotechnology is also of great importance to the food industry. According to Mr. Wurst, “this is an area that will assume increasing significance due to the global trade in food.” The new special display and the conference on biotechnologic developments in the food industry will demonstrate processes that can be used to improve the quality of food and the pertinent safety standards. Of particular importance are groundbreaking developments that ensure faster and more effective testing--for example, in the identification of food allergens or pathogens such as Escherichia coli.

A third keynote of the event is industrial biotechnology. At the new Industrial Biotechnology Forum and the accompanying exhibition, experts will address the issue of how chemical processes can be effectively replaced by biotechnologic processes in order to achieve sustainable, environment-friendly production procedures.

Another major focus of Biotechnica will be the development of new techniques to help in the production of proteins for the treatment of cancers and chronic infections, the latest developments in tissue engineering and biotech advances in bone healing, as well as innovative tests and techniques using molecular biotechnology to rapidly and accurately identify the genetic material of pathogens and tumor cells, as well as genetic predisposition to certain diseases. There will also be some fascinating presentations in the field of forensics. “Visitors will learn how criminal actions can be identified, eliminated, analyzed, or reconstructed, and will gain insights into Europe-wide cooperation in crime prevention and detection,” noted Mr. Wurst.

Science, industry, the services sector, and politics will be incorporated within a comprehensive supporting program. For example, the BioBusiness Matching platform will help participants from across the world find partners for joint ventures and cooperation, as well as facilitating strategic alliances and affording insights into patenting and financing. The German Ministry for Education and Research will be presenting government-supported projects that encourage the commercial and industrial application of research findings. Within this context, the European Union’s (EU) “Fit for Health” initiative will be presenting some of the research-based health projects it has supported.

New small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and company start-ups will enjoy numerous opportunities to showcase their innovative ideas at Biotechnica and meet potential investors and other sources of funding. Companies in the international life sciences sector will be able to recruit qualified personnel at the “jobvector career day.” Human resource (HR) specialists from top companies such as BASF or Olympus Europa will be hoping to recruit new qualified personnel, graduates, and career starters in Hannover.

More than 1,000 guests from the fields of industry, science, and politics will attend the opening ceremony. This event will also see the presentation of the European Biotechnica Award, which this year is dedicated to research institutes that have made a considerable contribution to the transfer of technology to industrial and commercial applications.

Related Links:
Biotechnica 2011
Deutsche Messe Hannover