The Scandinavian life science industry will be playing on its home turf at the biggest biotech conference in Europe, BIO-Europe, in 2018.

The conference is heading to Danish capital Copenhagen in two years time, according to a press release from Scandinavian life science cluster Medicon Valley.

Approximately 3,600 participants from more than 1,900 biotech companies are expected to attend the conference, of which some parts will be located in the cities of Malmö and Lund.

The partners behind 2018’ Bio Europe are, in addition to some of the region’s larger companies, Copenhagen Capacity, Invest in Skåne, Event in Skåne, Wonderful Copenhagen, Medicon Valley Alliance, Malmö Convention Bureau, City of Malmö, and Medeon Science Park & Incubator. They have been working on attracting the major biotech event for years, says Ulrika Ringdahl, Head of Materials and Life Sciences at Invest in Skåne.

"BIO-Europe is a prestigious event and a unique opportunity for the industry in Greater Copenhagen to show our strengths. Almost 75 percent of the attendees are decision makers regarding investments and co-operations in their respective companies. It makes the conference a marketplace and a showcase with the possibility to establish relationships, agreements and attract international talent. We already have a leading position in the biotech industry but we expect BIO-Europe to promote our position in the region even further," adds Søren Bregenholt, Corporate Vice President and Head of External Innovation and Stakeholder Relations at Novo Nordisk.

It is the first time ever that BIO-Europe is to be held outside of Germany.

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- translated by Martin Havtorn Petersen

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