With 616 companies from 28 countries exhibiting in Hannover this year, BIOTECHNICA 2011 has attracted a clearly bigger number of exhibitors compared with 2010. Wurst reports: “This year we have received a particularly positive response. In fact, bookings were up by more than 20 percent.” 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, the United Kingdom, the USA, and the Netherlands. However, exhibitors are also coming from Iran, Korea, China, Japan and Taiwan. BIOTECHNICA will be opened on the evening of 11 October by the Lower Saxony Economics Minister, Jörg Bode, and Heinz Riesenhuber, former German Minister of Research and Technology.
Broad spectrum of topics
Exhibitors in Hall 9 will present a broad array 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 biotechnological developments and applications in medicine, food and industrial production, as well as 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.
Platforms for future-oriented markets
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 Wurst. “For the first time BIOTECHNICA is offering biotech and pharmaceutical service providers their own dedicated special display and BioServices conference.” This new platform has clearly got 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 particularly 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 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 biotechnological innovations in the food industry will demonstrate processes that can be used to improve the quality of food and the relevant safety standards. Of particular importance here are groundbreaking developments that ensure faster and more reliable testing – for example, in the identification of food allergens or pathogens such as E. 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 biotechnological 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 quickly and accurately identify the genetic material of pathogens and tumour cells, as well as genetic predisposition to certain diseases. There will also be some fascinating talks 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”, said Wurst.
Focus on networking
Science, industry, the services sector and politics will be brought together 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 EU’s “Fit for Health” initiative will be presenting some of the research-based health projects it has supported.
New 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 head-hunt qualified personnel at the “jobvector career day”. HR specialists from top companies such as BASF or Olympus Europa will be hoping to recruit new qualified personnel, graduates and career beginners in Hannover.
More than 1,000 guests from the fields of industry, science and politics will attend the opening ceremony. This occasion will also see the presentation of the EUROPEAN BIOTECHNICA AWARD, which this year is dedicated to research institutes that have made a substantial contribution to the transfer of technology to industrial and commercial applications.
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Your contact for further information at Deutsche Messe:
Katharina Siebert
Tel.: +49 511 89-31028
E-mail: katharina.siebert@messe.de
www.biotechnica.de
