European innovators gather at BIO 2024 as EIC pushes trade fair and soft-landing support
- ›The European Innovation Council co-hosted an invitation-only European Night Reception at BIO 2024 on 4 June 2024 in San Diego with five partner countries.
- ›Around 150 selected innovators and high level representatives from over a dozen countries attended a panel moderated by EuropaBIO's director general.
- ›The reception ran alongside EIC efforts to help awardees commercialise abroad through the EIC International Trade Fairs Programme 3.0 and USA soft-landing activities.
- ›Fifteen EIC-backed biotech companies took part in BIO 2024 and received tailored pre-departure coaching to support entry to the US market.
- ›The event highlights the EIC's outward branding push but raises familiar questions about how outcomes from trade fairs and exclusive receptions are measured.
European Night Reception at BIO 2024
On 4 June 2024 the European Innovation Council of the European Commission co-hosted an invitation-only European Night Reception during the BIO International Convention in San Diego. The reception was organised with partner delegations from Belgium, Estonia, Italy, Poland, and Switzerland. It brought together a curated group of innovators and influencers representing more than a dozen countries and sectors to promote networking and potential commercial partnerships.
Organisers expected just over 150 participants. Robert Schröder, Head of Communication at the European Innovation Council, welcomed attendees. The programme included a panel discussion featuring senior representatives from the European host country delegations. The panel was moderated by Claire Skentelbery, Director General of EuropaBIO.
What BIO is and why it matters
Large trade conventions like BIO are valuable for matchmaking because they gather multiple actors in one place. They also create a crowded signal environment in which measurable commercial outcomes can be difficult to attribute without systematic follow up. Dedicated receptions and pavilions help to amplify a regional or programmatic brand but they also concentrate resources on relatively small groups of companies.
Which countries and companies were represented
The European Night Reception highlighted participants from a list of more than a dozen countries present at BIO 2024. The event information named attendees from Belgium, Czech Republic, Estonia, France, Germany, Italy, Lithuania, Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Switzerland and the United States among others. In parallel, 15 European companies supported by the EIC took part in BIO under EIC trade fair and soft-landing activities.
| Company | Country |
| ABILITY PHARMACEUTICALS SL | Spain |
| ACOUSORT AB | Sweden |
| BEATS THERAPEUTICS Ltd | Ireland |
| GENOMTEC S.A. | Poland |
| IRIS AI AS | Norway |
| KVANTIFY APS | Denmark |
| MCULE.COM KFT | Hungary |
| MTM Srl | Italy |
| PEPTOMYC SL | Spain |
| REACT4LIFE S.R.L. | Italy |
| SDS OPTIC S.A. | Poland |
| STAB VIDA INVESTIGACAO E SERVICOS EM CIENCIAS BIOLOGICAS LDA | Portugal |
| VAULTREE LIMITED | Ireland |
| VERIGRAFT AB | Sweden |
| VITALERA | Spain |
EIC International Trade Fairs Programme 3.0 and support to companies
For BIO 2024 the selected companies underwent onboarding calls and a pre-departure briefing on 16 April 2024. The briefing covered event logistics, US market context and cultural advice intended to make trade fair participation more productive. The EIC emphasises end-to-end support and visibility for awardees, and has promoted similar interventions across other fairs such as CES and MWC.
EIC materials describe the ITF 3.0 offering as including soft-landing services for market entry. This package of advisory and promotional support is useful for early stage exporters. At the same time the value of such programmes depends on follow through beyond the trade fair, especially in translating meetings into contracts and investment.
Management, funding and governance context
The European Innovation Council is implemented and administered by the European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency, known as EISMEA. EIC awards are complemented by EIC Fund investment mechanisms that can provide equity alongside grants for scaling deep tech companies. EISMEA coordinates international trade fair participation as part of its Business Acceleration Services portfolio.
The EIC and EISMEA aim to raise the profile of EU deep tech and biotech. Their communications highlight co-investment leverage and follow-on funding. Observers and policy analysts will watch not only how many connections are made at fairs but how many result in measurable outcomes such as signed commercial contracts or durable investment rounds.
Takeaways and next steps
The European Night Reception at BIO 2024 and the parallel trade fair support reflect an active EIC push to internationalise European biotech companies and to brand the EU as a source of deep tech innovation. The approach mixes targeted, invitation-only networking with broader trade fair exposure and coaching. That combination can be effective for selected firms, provided there is disciplined follow up and transparent measurement of outcomes.
Interested readers and stakeholders were invited to follow EIC activity at BIO under the hashtag #EUatBIO2024 on LinkedIn and X. The EIC and EISMEA publish further information about participating delegations and the companies selected for BIO on their online platforms. Observers who want to assess impact should look for post-event reporting that goes beyond headcounts and brochure lists to reveal concrete business and investment results.