The BioFIT 2017 conference programme is designed to address the needs of its audience constituted by academia, TTOs, research institutions, pharma, biotech companies, but also law experts and investors in pre-seed, seed and Series A. The BioFIT agenda aims to provide solutions, best practices for every player of the sector.

BioFIT’s 2017 wide-ranging programme has been redesigned around three tracks:

Track 1: New players involved in innovation in the health sector

Track 2: Nurturing and licensing early-stage assets

Track 3: Bioentrepreneurs’ challenges at pre-seed, seed and Series A stages

This year’s aim is to focus on bioentrepreneurship, explore the mutually beneficial relationships between academia and industry, address access to seed capital, and oversee new trends in financing early-stage innovation.

The event reflects the fast-paced and dynamic Life Sciences sector.

Discover the last confirmed speakers

PLENARY SESSION

Successful early-stage innovation deals: Pharma and biotech partners divulge specifics

What is pharma looking for nowadays?

Seed funds crossing borders: How far and how fast is the early-stage investment market in biotech globalising?

TRACK 1:
NEW PLAYERS INVOLVED IN INNOVATION IN THE HEALTH SECTOR

Big data and health IT companies provide key expertise to potentially increase efficiency in the discovery, preclinical and clinical stages of development. What will be their position and involvement in the therapeutic innovation chain: Will they participate or lead? Examples of collaborations between biotech, pharma, IT companies and academic research will be highlighted. However, these new players don’t only originate from the big data sector, they also come from various areas such as animal health or e-health.

How to differentiate as a potential partner on the crowded oncology playfield?

How has the 2020/COVID-19 global health crisis led to unprecedented public-private partnerships?

Would-be CEO Workshop

What are the recent successful industry-academia collaborations in Artificial Intelligence?

Managing pre-competitive collaboration in Life Sciences: Testimonials on outcomes & limits of European consortia.

How can big data fuel collaborations between industry and academic institutions?

What are the outcomes of long-lasting commitment between universities and pharmaceutical companies?

Artificial intelligence to speed up drug discovery: The revolutionary road to advancing innovation

How can common pathways in human and animal health set up a new era for collaborations?

05 Dec 2018 9:00-10:30 am

Why should a human-focused biotech company be interested in the animal health industry? Are there common grounds that can lead to more frequent and fruitful collaborations between animal and human health companies in the future? Today, it is obvious that the animal health industry offers a clear value proposition to human biotechnology companies, which can maximise the financial and clinical impact of their assets by leveraging both human and veterinary health. The physio pathological features of several diseases (cancer, osteoarticular affections, infectious diseases, pain…) are progressively understood as at least common between animal and human. This paves the way to innovative products developed under the sign of a so-called comparative medicine. This panel will encourage a provocative, straightforward and realistic discussion on what each side needs from the other to set up mutual beneficial partnerships.

The speakers

I want to become a Speaker of this session

Beyond shared R&D means of pharma and academic institutions, common strategies for collective success

TRACK 2:
NURTURING AND LICENSING EARLY-STAGE ASSETS

Early-stage assets evolve in an ecosystem in which TTOs, scientists and entrepreneurs are closely connected. This subject will focus on assessing opportunities in licensing early-stage projects, discussing the mentoring role of TTOs and exploring scientists’ commitment. It aims to underline the difficulties for maturing early-stage assets. How can we transform science into business more frequently and efficiently?

How is having a solid IP strategy crucial and how to design one?

Understanding the European R&D licensing scene: 2020 tendencies and 2021 expectations

How to prepare your package for a due diligence by a pharma player?

What to ensure before the creation of a viable spinout opportunity?

Which new forms of academia-industry partnerships to better mature assets?

How to prepare your package for a due diligence by a pharma player?

What are the milestones to be reached for an academic asset?

What roles do academic institutions or TTOs play as shareholders in spinoffs?

What are the recent initiatives to ensure more mature assets of academic origin?

Is externalising the tech transfer function for academic institutions a key to succeed?

TRACK 3:
BIOENTREPRENEURS’ CHALLENGES AT PRE-SEED, SEED AND SERIES A STAGES

The right mindset, a solid presentation and business model are not the only requirements that bioentrepreneurs must fulfil at pre-seed, seed and Series A stages. What are the expectations of project maturity from investors in 2017? How often are new types of early-stage investors involved in financing rounds (including philanthropic and specialised ventures)? How does the angels/seed investors relationship work? Are there increasing interactions and partnerships between pharma and VCs at these initial stages?

How to valorise a technology platform?

Investor pitch & tips: What are investors looking for?

19 Sep 2020

10 minutes investor’s pitch. Each investor talks 5 minutes about what they are looking for and then take the questions from the audience. The goal is to help identifying the right investor for the right project. The pitches will be followed by a 45-minute moderated discussion to gather the investor panel insights on how to raise and secure funds in a crisis/recovery context. How has COVID-19 crisis influenced investors and what is the impact on early-stage pattern of investment? How to raise funds in a post-crisis context? The panel will feature feedback from early-stage investors, discussing key figures and recent experiences as well as guidance for start-ups dealing with this additional funding challenge.