News & Press Releases

BIOLINK FORUM is JETRO's international biotech business networking, symposium and business partnering event that provides an opportunity for representatives from biotech companies in Japan and abroad to come together for symposiums, networking and one-on-one business talks. Last year's event (BIOLINK 2006) in Osaka attracted close to 400 attendees, including 350 participants from some 60 biotech clusters in 14 countries.

Given the success of last year's event, and the growing importance of cross-border exchanges and tie-ups in the biotech industry, JETRO will hold BIOLINK FORUM 2007 in Yokohama on September 19th-21st. Biotech companies and organizations are cordially invited to participate in BIOLINK 2007 to discover firsthand why the biotech world is talking about Japan.

Date:
Symposium: September 19th
Networking: September 20th
Business Matching: September 19th-21st

Venue:
Pacifico Yokohama
*networking reception will be held at the Yokohama InterContinental Hotel

Organized by:
Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO)
BioJapan 2007 Organizing Committee

Supported by:
Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry

Special support by:
Kanagawa Prefecture

Expected number of participants:
350(Symposium)
350(Cluster Networking)
about 400 meetings(Business Matching)

Expected range of participants:
Representatives from Japanese and overseas biotech companies, industrial organizations, public and private institutions and local and national governments

Event details
The BIOLINK 2007 symposium will explore recent trends of pharmaceutical and biotech companies in the US, Europe and Asia; the cluster networking event will be a great opportunity to build new business relationships with key figures in the global biotech community.

Symposium Program (Tentative) 13:30-17:15

13:30-13:35

Opening Address by Co-organizer
Hiroshi Tsukamoto, President, Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO)

13:35-13:40

Opening Address by Co-organizer
Ichiro Kitasato, President, BioJapan 2007 Organizing Committee (President, Japan Bioindustry Association (JBA), and Chief Corporate Adviser, Meiji Seika)

13:40-15:10

-Keynote Address (40min) "Forward-looking research-partnering in early stages of drug discovery and development"
Ms. Barbara Yanni, Vice President and Chief Licensing Officer, Merck & Co. (USA)
-Case Studies (20min each) "Drivers of and barriers against forward-looking research-partnerships"
Dr. Uwe Peukert, Director, Global External Research and Development, Lilly Research Laboratories (USA)
Dr. Naseem Amin, Senior Vice President, Biogen Idec (USA)

15:10-15:25

Break

15:25-17:15

-Keynote Address (40min) "Impact of emerging Asian biotech countries onthe global biotechnology market"
Mr. Scott Sarazen, Global Biotechnology Markets Leader, Ernst & Young (USA)
-Case Studies (20min each) "Business models and partnering strategies in Asia's emerging biotech market"
Mr. Seiji Miyazawa, Director, International Affairs, Japan Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association (Japan)
Mr. Arun Sawhney, President, Dr. Reddy's Laboratories, Ltd. (India)
Mr. Jiansan Zhang, Vice President, Sinovac Biotech Co., Ltd. (China)

Networking: 18:00-20:00 September 20th (Thu.), 2007
Networking and information-gathering opportunity for representatives from biotech clusters in Japan and other countries. Participating clusters can make use of a table and display wall (application required) to present the unique and attractive features of their biotech cluster and highlight key companies. Cluster representatives can also use a special corner set up within the venue for one-on-one talks, business negotiations and networking with potential partners. Participating clusters will automatically be registered in the event's online business matching system, through which registrants can browse profiles of other participating clusters and firms and schedule meetings with potential business partners.

* Registration to attend Symposium and networking
Registration will be closed when all seats are filled.

*Application for a table at the Networking Reception now closed. Thank you for your interest.


Deadline: July 31st (Tue.), 2007
1. Only one table and wall display per cluster (multiple applications from one cluster will be treated as one application).
2. If the number of applicants exceeds the maximum number of participant spaces, JETRO will select participants based on a fair geographical distribution.
3. JETRO will provide detailed information to selected participants by August 6th, 2007 (completing an application does not guarantee a display space at the reception).
4. Participants are responsible for setting-up and displaying their table and wall space.

Business Matching: September 19th (Wed.) - 21st (Fri.), 2007
Participants in BIOLINK 2007 can make use of a special online business matching service to browse profiles of other participants and to schedule meetings with prospective partners for joint research, technical collaboration, licensing, and other business tie-ups. Some 180 biotech firms from 19 countries took part in the partnering event at BIOLINK 2006.

* To register for Business Matching website
* Log-in for registered Business Matching website users

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For more information, please contact:
High-Tech Industry Division, Industry and Technology Department
TEL: +81-3-3582-4631 FAX: +81-3-3582-7508
E-mail: BIOLINK2007@jetro.go.jp