BIOTECHNICA 2008: More to Offer Than Ever Before

29/02/2008 - 13:00

"Turning ideas into value": with this slogan the European flagship
trade fair BIOTECHNICA will be welcoming visitors to Hannover from 7
to 9 October 2008. "The tagline for the show sums up a whole series of
changes designed to make BIOTECHNICA even more attractive and useful",
says Stephan Kuhne, who sits on the Board of Management at Deutsche
Messe AG. BIOTECHNICA will be formally opened on 6 October 2008 by EU
Commissioner Gunter Verheugen.

The EU Commission will have a larger presence at BIOTECHNICA this
year. In addition to a planned EU joint display representing the two
Directorate-Generals of Industry Commissioner Guenter Verheugen and
Research Commissioner Janez Potocnik, the three-day event "EU Biotech
Days" will host a series of symposia and workshops featuring
high-ranking representatives of the European Parliament, EU research
committees and the EU Commission, who will be reporting on current
developments in biotechnology and gene technology, biopharmacy,
environmental science and the energy sector.

Four central elements - exhibition, conferences, partnering event
and BIOTECHNICA Award - form a unique platform for strategic
alliances, new business deals and knowledge transfer. In addition to
its extensive coverage of upstream suppliers, service providers and
major players in the pharmaceutical, medical, chemical and
environmental sectors, this year´s show will also focus more attention
on research and product development.

Leading companies such as Boehringer Ingelheim, Eppendorf, Greiner
Bio-One, Mettler-Toledo, Olympus, Sarstedt, Sartorius, Sigma-Aldrich
and Systec have already signed up for the show. First-time exhibitors
this year include Whatman International Ltd. from the United Kingdom,
Hamamatsu Photonics and Getinge AB from Sweden. Also taking part in
October is the Fraunhofer Society for the Advancement of Applied
Research, which will have a large stand at the show. Many bio-regions
in Germany and elsewhere will also be mounting displays.

A further innovation this year is the subdivision of the
conference program into three sections: BioScience/European
BioPerspectives, BioBusiness and BioPolitics. "This gives the
conference program a clear structure and extends its coverage to
include many new themes", says Kuehne. Through the collaboration with
DECHEMA (Society for Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology), which is
teaming up with 17 professional associations to stage the important
biotech congress EUROPEAN BIOPERSPECTIVES in parallel with
BIOTECHNICA, visitors can look forward to a high-powered program of
bioscience lectures delivered by top-notch speakers.

BioBusiness is the platform for new business deals and strategic
alliances. Online networking tools for establishing initial contacts
in the run-up to the show, plus a sophisticated partner-search service
at BIOTECHNICA itself, create ample opportunities for face-to-face
meetings between exhibitors, visitors and conference-goers. Another
plus is the special program of guided tours for decision-makers from
international biotech, pharmaceutical and chemical companies, who will
be taken round to visit selected stands at the show.

The new section BioPolitics provides a dedicated meeting place for
senior European politicians and industrialists and representatives of
business promotion agencies and trade associations. High on the agenda
will be such controversial European issues as the length of the
license period for plants in Europe, drug licensing in the EU,
European strategies for stem cell and gene technology research, and
food labelling.

More than 400 speakers from all over the world will be reporting
on current trends, the latest research findings and successful
commercial applications. They include Ruedi Aebersold, Swiss Federal
Institute of Technology, Zurich (Switzerland); Robert DiCosimo, DuPont
Co., Wilmington (USA); Michael Flickinger, North Carolina State
University, Raleigh (USA); Rudolf Jaenisch, Whitehead
Institute/Massachusetts Institute of Technology MIT, Cambridge (USA);
Stephen Mayfield, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla (USA); and
Romas Kazlauskas, University of Minnesota, St. Paul (USA). "With its
extensive lecture program BIOTECHNICA will once again fulfil its
function as a knowledge hub for the whole of the biotechnology
industry and a powerful driver of growth", declares Kuehne.

Demand for experienced technical staff in the biotech industry can
only increase in the future - which is why the subject of recruitment
looms large at this year´s show. jobvector - the leading careers
portal for natural scientists in the German-speaking world - is
significantly expanding its presence at BIOTECHNICA. "Because
BIOTECHNICA is the leading European trade fair of its kind, it has a
key role to play here in helping companies find the qualified staff
they need", notes Kuehne.

At the opening ceremony for the show, Deutsche Messe will present
the 6th EUROPEAN BIOTECHNICA AWARD to the most innovative companies
working in the field of biotechnology and the life sciences. Now worth
a total of 100,000 euros, the Award ensures that "pioneering new
products get the attention they deserve. Which in turn serves to raise
the profile of the whole industry", as Kuehne points out.

Further press releases and digital images can be downloaded at