This year was BIO.NRW’s first time to have a stand at the European Forum For Industrial Biotechnology & The Bioeconomy (EFIB) in Rotterdam (Netherlands) on 24 and 25 October 2023.

Together with our colleagues from CLIB and a total of five start-ups from NRW, we represented NRW as an innovative biotech location. The start-ups involved – BioThrust, LuminoGen, Sweethoven, Varuta, and Verdancy – successfully secured free tickets from BIO.NRW in the run-up to the event.

The founder teams from NRW met at our joint stand to network and exchange views. We had many good conversations with leading players in the European biotech sector and were able to make valuable contacts. In addition, the 1:1 meetings helped participants to engage in targeted discussions with potential cooperation partners, service providers, companies, and consultants. The two-day programme provided a comprehensive insight into where the sector is heading and what start-ups should focus on.

EFIB, which is organized by EuropaBio in cooperation with local partners (this year HollandBio and ChemistryNL), is Europe’s primary conference dedicated to the economic and green contribution to Europe from innovation and manufacture within industrial biotechnology and the bioeconomy.

This year’s 2.5-day event including the Pre-EFIB day was attended by 375 representatives from three continents. Over 65 speakers gave presentations at a dedicated pre-summit, and a campus tour, nine sessions, two panel discussions, and an SME breakfast were held. In addition, an exhibition featuring the “SME Village”, more than 500 1:1 partnering meetings, and two network receptions took place.

We are already looking forward to the next EFIB event on 4 and 5 November 2024 in Marseille.

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