More than 70 Victorian medical technology, pharmaceutical and biotechnology delegates will travel to San Francisco today as part of a delegation showcasing the state’s expertise at the world’s largest biotechnology conference.
The BIO International Convention (BIO2016) is the world’s largest and most influential global biotechnology conference drawing around 15,000 industry leaders from more than 70 countries to generate trade and investment opportunities.
The Victorian Government has supported a trade delegation to the conference for the past 15 years, highlighting Victoria’s reputation as a global leader in medical technologies, pharmaceuticals and biotechnology.
The 2016 Victorian delegation includes companies that develop and manufacture a range of products including pharmaceuticals and medical devices, as well as providing specialist services to the global biotechnology sector including strategic consulting, start up financing and data management.
A focus of the delegation includes Victoria’s capabilities across infectious disease and diagnostics, cancer, neurology and regenerative medicine, development of medical devices, drug development and clinical trials.
Victoria is a world-leading location for the development and manufacture of medical technologies, biotechnologies and pharmaceuticals with one-third of Australian clinical trials activity taking place in Victoria.
Victoria is also home to more than 180 biotech companies, ten major medical research institutes, ten major teaching hospitals and nine universities.
The medical technologies and pharmaceuticals is one of the key growth sectors identified to drive growth through the Labor Government’s Future Industries Fund – it currently employs more than 20,000 people and generates more than $12.7 billion in revenue for the state.
Later this year Victoria will also host the 17th International Biotechnology Symposium and Exhibition (IBS 2016), the AusBiotech 2016 Conference and Australia Biotech Invest 2016 conference, to bring leading professionals in this space to our doorstep to network and collaborate with local industry.
Quotes attributable to Minister for Small Business, Innovation and Trade Philip Dalidakis
“Trade missions that target conventions such as BIO2016 are a great way for our researchers and innovators to collaborate and explore trade and investment opportunities with the world’s best minds.”
“Victoria is leading the country in biotech and the Andrews Labor Government is making sure we can take our expertise to the rest of the world and strike deals that will mean more opportunities for local jobs and future economic gain.”
Reviewed 19 August 2020