Fourteen EIC-backed biotech innovators head to BIO 2025 in Boston — who they are and what they bring
- ›A delegation of 14 companies supported by the European Innovation Council will exhibit at the BIO International Convention 2025 in Boston from 16 to 19 June.
- ›The companies will present at the EIC Pavilion under the EIC International Trade Fairs Programme 3.0 and will receive coaching, matchmaking and on‑site support.
- ›The group spans therapeutic drugs, diagnostics, imaging hardware, regenerative implants and quantum‑enabled drug discovery.
- ›EIC preparatory activities included a pre-departure workshop on 6 May and tailored services such as reverse pitches, one‑to‑one meetings and investor introductions.
- ›Participation offers visibility and partnership opportunities but commercial and regulatory translation in the US market remains a heavy lift for early stage companies.
EIC delegation to BIO 2025: purpose and programme
A delegation of 14 companies backed by the European Innovation Council will attend the BIO International Convention 2025 in Boston between 16 and 19 June. They will present at the EIC Pavilion under the EIC International Trade Fairs Programme 3.0, an initiative of the EIC Business Acceleration Services. The programme offers a platform for European innovators to meet global biotech industry leaders, potential partners and investors.
BIO International Convention 2025 in context
BIO is the largest annual event in biotechnology, drawing tens of thousands of industry professionals. The 2025 convention is expected to attract more than 20,000 attendees and will host over 120 sessions covering topics from AI and digital health to biomanufacturing, gene therapy, oncology and patient advocacy. The event is a dense marketplace of partnering meetings, panels and private discussions. Organisers reported robust participation in previous editions, with BIO 2024 registering nearly 22,000 registrants, more than 1,600 exhibitors and tens of thousands of partnering meetings.
Who the 14 EIC-backed companies are
The selected companies represent a cross section of European biotech and life sciences innovation. They range from clinical‑stage drug developers to hardware builders and diagnostics firms. The list below retains the descriptions provided by each company or the EIC announcement. Readers should note that many claims are at early stages of development and will require clinical validation, regulatory approval and commercial scale up before reaching patients.
| Company | Country | Short description |
| Ability Pharmaceuticals | Spain | Oral anticancer compounds that induce autophagy-mediated cytotoxicity; clinical stage candidate ABTL0812 in trials. |
| Acorai | Sweden | Non-invasive handheld device for estimating cardiac and pulmonary pressures. |
| Acousort | Sweden | Microfluidic products that automate biological sample preparation. |
| Aortyx | Spain | Bioresorbable, biomechanically tuned endovascular platform designed to promote aortic tissue regeneration. |
| Arctic Therapeutics | Iceland | Applied genomics approach to accelerate drug development for neurological and other diseases. |
| BestHealth4U (BH4U) | Portugal | Bio2Skin adhesive materials offering strong but skin‑gentle adhesion for medical dressings and devices. |
| Genera Research | Croatia | OSTEOGROW-C bone regeneration implant that converts patient blood into bone tissue. |
| Hemispherian | Norway | Developing GLIX1, a first‑in‑class small molecule targeting TET2 for aggressive brain cancers such as glioblastoma. |
| Qubit Pharmaceuticals | France | Quantum‑aided molecular simulation and AI platform to design novel therapeutics. |
| SiriusXT | Ireland | Lab‑based soft X‑ray microscope intended for intact whole‑cell imaging. |
| Spartha Medical | France | Materials and coatings with antimicrobial, pro‑regenerative, antiviral and antifungal properties. |
| Tafalgie Therapeutics | France | Non‑opioid peptide therapeutics designed to relieve pain without conventional opioid side effects. |
| Glycanostics | Slovakia | Early‑stage tumour detection diagnostics that analyse glycan patterns for highly accurate cancer screening. |
| Spika Tech | Spain | Real‑time 3D heart rhythm visualisation technology for diagnostics and treatment guidance. |
EIC support before and during BIO
Selected companies benefit from a suite of services under the EIC International Trade Fairs Programme 3.0. Support includes pre‑departure workshops, market briefings, tailored coaching, B2B matchmaking and onsite assistance. The stated aim is to help EIC awardees maximise visibility, identify commercial leads and build partnerships in target markets such as the United States.
What participation can and cannot deliver
Trade fair presence provides visibility, rapid networking and potential lead generation. For European deep tech and biotech SMEs these opportunities are valuable because access to US partners, investors and clinical collaborators is often a prerequisite to larger commercial deals. The EIC Pavilion and organized reverse pitches lower some entry barriers by creating curated introductions.
At the same time exhibiting is not the same as market entry. Converting contacts into revenue requires regulatory work, clinical evidence, capital and scaled manufacturing. For therapeutics and diagnostics particularly, US pathways involve complex regulatory hurdles with the FDA, lengthy clinical programmes and payor negotiations. Hardware startups also face supply chain, certification and reimbursement challenges. Early claims on efficacy or commercial readiness should be treated as indicative rather than proven until peer reviewed data and regulatory milestones are published.
Broader EU innovation context and value of EIC backing
The EIC plays a central role in the EU innovation ecosystem by providing financing, scaling support and market access for deep tech and life sciences companies. Programmes such as ITF 3.0 are designed to complement grants and equity investments by helping recipients build international networks. For policy watchers the EIC’s trade fair activities are a visible demonstration of EU attempts to help SMEs bridge from research to market at an international scale.
Nevertheless, observers should note selection effects. The firms featured are EIC‑backed which means they have cleared certain evaluation thresholds. That support gives them advantages when pitching to investors and partners, but it does not guarantee clinical success or commercial scale up. Market expansion in the United States remains expensive and operationally demanding even with EIC support.
Next steps and how to follow the delegation
Leading up to and during BIO 2025 the EIC will provide coaching and matchmaking for the selected companies. The EIC Business Acceleration Services publishes updates, open calls and stories via a newsletter. The EIC also posts recaps, videos and case studies from previous trade fair editions to illustrate outcomes and lessons learned.