By Cheryl Coupé
In June, eleven Oregon bioscience companies and organizations debuted at the first-ever Oregon Pavilion at the BIO International Convention’s Global Event for Biotechnology. The focus was to display new technologies, identify commercialization opportunities and create industry collaborations for Oregon’s growing biotech and life science industries. By all accounts, the event was a great success in raising the profile of Oregon internationally, and providing significant contacts for Oregon biotech firms.
Business Oregon provides funding
Business Oregon provided funding for four Oregon company participants to help offset some of their costs of attending. These funds came from the Oregon Trade Promotion Program (OTPP). “Business Oregon made OTPP funding available to Oregon bioscience companies participating in this event because BIO International is the world’s top biotech partnering event,” said Tom DiCorcia, global trade specialist for Business Oregon. “Because BIO International has a global draw, we could show off Oregon’s bioscience sector to potential Oregon investors from around the world. In one place, we met with officials from Singapore, Israel, Hong Kong and Japan.”
The Oregon Translational Research & Drug Development Institute (OTRADI) was also a sponsor and exhibitor at the event. According to Jennifer Fox, Ph.D., assistant director, “OTRADI was very pleased to be a sponsor and participant of the Oregon pavilion at the 2011 BIO International Convention in Washington, D.C. Being an integral presence at this year’s BIO conference, which drew over 15,000 industry leaders from 48 states and 65 countries, provided unprecedented exposure not only for OTRADI, but for the entire Oregon bioscience community.”
Start-ups and established firms make key global connections
13Therapeutics, one of 45 startups launched out of Oregon Health & Science University since 2000, exhibited at the Oregon Pavilion and met with current and potential financial, pharmaceutical, manufacturing and contract research partners. Tom Bruggere, CEO of 13therapeutics said of the event: "At BIO International, we had 1-1 meetings with over 30 large pharmaceutical companies, contract research organizations, press and potential investors. Some of these meetings were a direct result of the visibility we received from exhibiting in the Oregon Pavilion booth. BIO is the largest biotech convention in the world and we were exhibiting with other states, countries and every major pharma company in the world. Being at the convention positioned both 13therapeutics and Oregon as serious players in biotechnology."
Kristin Rencher, OHSU director of technology ventures and marketing agreed, saying, “OHSU considers BIO to be a critical venue for commercialization efforts. Exposure at BIO elevates the reputation of both our university and our state. Bottom line, it puts us on the bioscience map.”
REDpoint International also saw significant benefits to participating. According to Chuck Nokes, president, and Valerie Vance, vice president, "As new members of Oregon Bioscience we were honored to be invited to participate in the WA DC International Bio. The contacts we made at this event have already played a huge role in shaping the sales strategies for REDpoint International. The relationships we made with fellow Oregon Bio members and military attendees have led directly to our involvement in several significant national and international conferences and sales events."
“BIO International was an ideal conference to explore business development prospects by walking the exhibit hall,” said Adrian Polliack, PhD, president, SAM Medical Products. “In addition, BIO provided SAM Medical an unexpected opportunity to learn more about other Oregon companies and organizations who were present at the meeting. In one case, this has led to exploring mutual business opportunities.”
“Showcasing our document control solutions among a worldwide audience of quality and BIO decision-makers from within Oregon’s pavilion at the BIO International Convention was one of our most worthwhile events of the year,” said Douglas Reichard, ColumbiaSoft business development manager. “We were privileged to be among a forward-thinking group taking Oregon’s vision to the convention floor, and made numerous valuable business connections while there.”
BIO Convention offers opportunities for Oregon to compete for biotech businesses
Will Fox, director, Global Marketing Programs, Welch Allyn, Inc. was pleased with the collaboration opportunities available, and noted opportunities for Oregon to better compete for additional biotech companies. “The International BIO Conference in Washington DC was an excellent opportunity to showcase some of the businesses that are members of Oregon Bio but also for member companies like Welch Allyn to better understand how we can collaborate together,” said Fox. “I greatly benefited from the time spent in the booth with representatives from OHSU, OTRADI, ColumbiaSoft and the City of Beaverton as we learned about each other’s’ initiatives and solutions. One area that left a significant impression on me was the sheer size and support of "competitive" states that are also attempting to attract biotechnology businesses to their regions. Some states even have their governors and legislators giving presentations in the respective booths. If we (Oregon Bio) can have similar support from our state government, I strongly believe we will have a great opportunity to create a true cluster for innovative companies to locate and grow in the Northwest.”
BIO International Convention is an annual event
The annual BIO event is the industry’s largest and most connected conference to showcase scientific innovation domestically and around the world. The event creates opportunities for emerging as well as established companies to obtain mentoring, make connections to increase commercialization readiness, to preview pre-and post-clinical assets, and to find capital formation opportunities. Investors, public officials and academia also convene with company leaders to discover how to attract and retain biotech and life science companies. More information can be found at http://convention.bio.org/about_bio_convention.aspx, including information for upcoming dates.
Cheryl Coupé is a freelance technology writer, editor for EE Catalog (www.eecatalog.com), and the editor-in-chief of the BiO quarterly newsletter. Find more information at www.scribo.net or contact her at cheryl@scribo.net.