Exhibition visitors surpass 100,000 people over 4 days

BIO Asia–Taiwan 2022, held at the TaiNEX 2 Exhibition Center, Nangang, Taipei, from 27-31 July, came to a successful conclusion on Sunday, 31^st of July. Held in an innovative onsite-online format to encourage international participation, with the pandemic winding down crowds returned to the event in large numbers; around 1,500 people from 30 countries attended the conference and other onsite events while more than 100,000 people visited the exhibition. With Taiwan's biomedical sector continuing to grow strongly, BIO Asia–Taiwan's recent success is a testament to this growth. Living up to its theme 'Connecting the Asian Value Chain', the event provided the perfect platform for the global biotechnology community to link into Asian value and supply chains.

Commenting on the significance of the gathering, Wallace Lin, Secretary-General of the Taiwan Bio-Industry Organization (Taiwan BIO) said that with biotechnology being a global industry, market, regulations and products need to be compliant with international standards and aligned with international requirements. "BIO Asia–Taiwan not only provides the platform for Taiwan to engage with the global biomedical community to help meet these requirements, but also allows the world to see Taiwan. We aim to cement Taiwan's role as an essential player in the international value chain," said Lin.

Lin also thanked PwC Taiwan, Taiwania Capital, the Development Center for Biotechnology (DCB), the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI), the Ministry of Health and Welfare, Academia Sinica, Taipei Medical University, EirGenix, Formosa Laboratories, Quanta Computer, the Taiwan Digital Health Industry Development Association, and the Precision Medicine Industry Association of Taiwan, as co-organizers of the conference. More than 100 local and foreign experts spoke at 22 sessions focused on such topics as post-pandemic strategy, advanced therapies, digital health, supply chain considerations, investment and regional cooperation.

A highlight of BIO Asia–Taiwan is the Company Presentation program, this year featuring 88 presentations from local and overseas biotech, pharma, materials, devices and diagnostics companies. Participating companies enjoyed the opportunity to engage with the onsite and online audience of potential investors and collaborators.

With visitor numbers hitting 100,000, the BIO Asia–Taiwan 2022 exhibition highlighted the latest industry, academia, and research institute achievements. Fully booked with 1,500 booths from 15 participating countries, the four-day exhibition showcased 550 bio-industry manufacturers including more than 50 publicly-listed companies, displaying the pulse and achievements of the industry.

Foreign exhibitors surveyed expressed enthusiasm for the opportunities offered by participating in BIO Asia–Taiwan 2022. Several mentioned that the event also provided the perfect opportunity for Taiwan to be exposed to innovative medical technologies from abroad.

With BIO Asia–Taiwan providing the perfect platform for fundraising and exposure, start-up companies mentioned that they received significant attention and inquiries over the course of the event.

This year the exhibition featured a CDMO (Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization) Zone. Along with an International Zone, other special zones focused on biosimilars, cell therapy and regenerative medicine, precision medicine and genetic testing, medical materials, services, smart medicine, pharmaceutical industry equipment and instruments, government entities, academic and research institutes, and industry-university collaboration highlights.

The CDMO Zone included some of Taiwan leading companies in this industry space; Formosa Laboratories, EirGenix, Mycenax Biotech, Level Biotechnology, ScinoPharm, TFBS Bioscience, Amaran Biotech, Genovior Biotech, United BioPharma, Ann Tong, and so on. Topics showcased included cell lines, biopharmaceutical drug development, clinical testing and API production processes.

In the Regenerative Medicine Zone, products and equipment shared the stage, including the latest automated cell therapy systems, exosome particle size analyzers, etc.

Government research and promotion entities featured included Academia Sinica, the Ministry of Health and Welfare, the National Health Research Institutes, the Institute of Nuclear Energy Research, the Development Center for Biotechnology (DCB), and the Ministry of Economic Affairs' Biotechnology and the Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical Industries Promotion Office (BPIPO).

This year, the National Science and Technology Council led the Hsinchu Science Park, the Central Taiwan Science Park, the Southern Taiwan Science Park, the Taiwan Instrument Research Institute, and 36 other industry players to showcase innovations in new drugs, medical materials, telemedicine, medical cosmetics, and carbon net zero firms. The Research Center for Epidemic Prevention Science also had a display, while 13 research teams demonstrated some of Taiwan's most promising license-ready technologies at the BioMed Commercialization Center.

In the International Zone, 10 countries were featured; the USA, UK, Canada, Poland, Switzerland, Australia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Belgium and Italy.

The BIO Asia–Taiwan Organizing Committee stated that it had already begun discussions with event co-organizers the global Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO) to hold BIO Asia–Taiwan 2023. With the relaxing of Taiwan's border restrictions pending soon, an increased number of international visitors is expected to participate in next year's event, leading to even greater business opportunities for all involved!