The European Biotech Renaissance

Europe is trailing the U.S. and China in clinical trials and global research and development just as biotechnology becomes an important asset for global competitiveness. The upcoming European biotech act provides a vital framework to keep innovation anchored on the continent, but regulation is an important enabler and not the growth engine itself. Realising its full potential will require the mobilisation of Europe’s leading biotech players and a collaborative, holistic approach that puts science, finance, regional leading hubs and market access at the heart of the road ahead.

To bridge this gap between legislative intent and market reality, the Lisbon Council convened the High-Level Policy Roundtable on ‘The European Biotech Renaissance: The Role of European Policy,’ bringing together European decision-makers, researchers, investors, leading pharma companies and biotech start-ups and scaleups. Keynoting the discussion were Olivér Várhelyi, European commissioner for health and animal welfare; and Teresa Graham, chief executive officer, Roche Pharmaceuticals. High-level participants included Tomasz Dylag, deputy head of unit, health innovations and ecosystems, directorate-general for research and innovation, European Commission; Michiel Scheffer, president, European Innovation Council Board; Nikos Papandreou, member of the European Parliament (Greece, S&D); Paulius Saudargas, member of the European Parliament (Lithuania, EPP); Loukas Georgiou, health attaché, Permanent Representation of Cyprus to the European Union; Nathalie Moll, director general, European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA); Regine Heilbronn, co-founder and CEO of EpiBlok Therapeutics GmbH; Dr Jacky Vonderscher, chief executive officer, ENYO Pharma; Edward van Wezel, managing partner, BioGeneration Ventures; and Martin Bresson, public affairs director, Invest Europe.

The discussion will inform The European Biotech Renaissance, an upcoming policy brief authored by the Lisbon Council with the support of the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA) that aims to feed directly into the biotech policy debate, including on the European biotech act.