A study by the European Commission, which was published in 2007, revealed that medical biotechnology has become an important economic factor and is predicted to be a key industry within the next decades. However, the study made obvious that in comparison with the US, the European biotech industry still shows tremendous deficiencies in the commercialization of scientific inventions.

With the “Science to Market” conference EAPB aimed at contributing to measures countering the European commercialization deficiency in biotechnology research and promoting the industrial application of scientific inventions.

Dr. Wieland Wolf, president of the EAPB resumed, “the intention of our second Science to Market conference was to provide a suitable platform where researchers from academia and small biotech companies can find industrial partners who are interested and capable of turning innovative scientific ideas and findings into products.”

Therefore, the conference laid emphasis on the poster presentations of scientists from universities and research institutions about their research and development projects to a forum of experts from the biotech and pharma industry, accommodating to the claim of networking.

In addition, well-known scientists gave state of the art plenary lectures on scientific highlights and product accomplishments in the areas of antibody, stem cells and RNA therapies, diagnostics and biotechnological production processes. Among them was Dr. Horst Lindhofer, CEO of Trion Pharma GmbH, Munich, which recently received EU market approval for Removab for the treatment of malignant ascites and who was among the final nominees for the European Biotechnica award 2009.

A splendid key note lecture on “How do we stay healthy? – Dr. Darwin explains our evolutionary heritage” was held by the science historian Prof. Dr. Ernst-Peter Fischer who the German newspaper “DIE ZEIT” entitled as polymath and entertainer of education, and who on the occasion of celebrating the 200th birthday of Charles Darwin, published a great book on evolution.

The next Science to Market conference will take place in Vienna, February 24-25, 2010.