European Night at BIO 2023: overview

On 30 May 2023 the European Innovation Council announced it would co-host an invitation-only "European Night" Reception during the BIO International Convention in Boston. The event brought together EU institutions, national trade agencies and industry associations to promote European biotechnology innovators attending BIO 2023, the sector's largest global trade show. The reception aimed to connect European exhibitors with potential US partners, investors and counterpart organisations.

Organisers, scope and audience

The reception was organised by the European Innovation Council of the European Commission together with Trade Estonia, the Italian Trade Agency, Switzerland Global Enterprise and Wallonia.be. EuropaBio supported the event and the Polish Investment and Trade Agency collaborated. More than 300 attendees were expected, including high level representatives from the European Commission's EIC and delegates from multiple European national pavilions at BIO 2023.

Agenda highlights and speakers

The business reception included a panel discussion intended to highlight opportunities for internationalisation and cross border collaboration in biotech. The panel was moderated by Claire Skentelbery, Director General of EuropaBio. Confirmed panellists included Hilary Stiss, Director of International Affairs and Managing Director of the International Council of Biotechnology Associations, Alessandra Rinaldi, Trade Commissioner at ITA Los Angeles, Benjamin Bollmann, CEO of swissnex in Boston and New York and Consul of Switzerland in Boston, and Tineke Van Hooland, Deputy Secretary General at bio.be/essenscia speaking on behalf of Wallonie-Bruxelles International. A speaker from the Polish Trade and Investment Agency was listed as to be confirmed. Cornelius Schmaltz, Head of Unit at the European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency EISMEA, was also on the programme.

Context: BIO International Convention and its role

BIO is one of the world's largest biotech conferences, bringing together companies, academic institutions and industry groups from the United States and more than 30 other countries. In 2023 organisers presented the theme "Stand Up For Science" which framed BIO as a venue to promote research driven innovation that addresses public health and other global challenges. For European start ups and scale ups the event is an opportunity to meet potential partners, investors and buyers in a concentrated timeframe.

How the European Innovation Council and EISMEA fit in

The European Innovation Council and the European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency EISMEA play a role in helping EU funded innovators reach international markets. The EIC supported a European Pavilion at BIO 2023 and provided access to the Overseas Trade Fairs Programme. The reception was presented as part of those wider efforts to raise the profile of EIC-funded companies at major trade fairs.

Which European companies were supported to exhibit at BIO 2023

The EIC published a delegation of EIC-funded companies selected to exhibit at BIO 2023 under the Overseas Trade Fairs Programme. The profile of the delegation illustrated the range of technologies Europe took to Boston, from digital health applications to lab tools and sustainable biotech solutions.

Preparatory activities for the delegation

Ahead of BIO 2023 the EIC organised preparatory workshops for the delegation. A one day online briefing in April covered market opportunities in the US, logistics and how to maximise trade fair participation. Guest speakers included Marcel Kaminstein, Senior Manager International Relations at BIO, Blandine Chantepie-Kari from ENRICH in the USA and Temple University Small Business Development Center and Cor Schepens from Applied Nanolayers who shared first hand experience of prior EIC trade fair participation.

Analysis: what these events accomplish and what they do not

Networking receptions and EU pavilions at major trade shows serve clear functions. They raise visibility, create meeting opportunities and help smaller companies project a larger presence than they could alone. For companies with early proofs of concept or pilot customers, introductions at BIO can lead to pilots, partnerships or investor attention.

Those benefits are real but limited if they are not followed by tailored commercialisation support. European SMEs trying to scale into the US face regulatory, reimbursement and capital market differences that one reception will not resolve. Practical follow up matters, including introductions to US legal counsel, clinical trial partners and payers, continued coaching on US business development and measurable targets for deals or pilot agreements reached after the show.

There is also a question of evaluation. Public bodies often present attendance numbers and high level statements about promoting 'European excellence' but do not always publish concrete KPIs such as number of business meetings converted into letters of intent, contracts signed, or capital raised after the trade fair. For EU programmes seeking to justify public investment in internationalisation, these hard metrics are essential.

Policy and ecosystem context

The European Commission has made internationalisation of deep tech and biotech a policy priority. The EIC combines grants and equity investment to de-risk critical steps and aims to support market entry through initiatives such as trade fair programmes and business acceleration services. These interventions complement national trade agency efforts that concentrate on market intelligence and in market representation.

Takeaways and what to watch

The European Night at BIO 2023 illustrated coordinated public sector effort to give EU biotech firms more visibility on the global stage. The real test will be whether participating companies turn introductions into concrete commercial outcomes and whether programme managers can report transparent, outcome based indicators. Watch for post-BIO reporting from EIC, EISMEA and national trade agencies that shows deals, pilot programmes and investment flows attributable to the delegation.

Longer term, the European Innovation Council's trade fairs work has evolved into subsequent editions of the International Trade Fairs Programme that continue to select and support EIC awardees for strategic events worldwide. Observers should continue to assess whether the combination of grant funding, coaching and pavilion presence increases the conversion rate for EU innovators entering priority markets.

Further information

Event details and participant lists were published by the European Innovation Council and on the EIC Community platform. BIO International Convention program and speaker lists are published by BIO and are publicly available. For questions about EIC support services and trade fair programmes consult EISMEA and the EIC Community pages.