The S|B Health & Life Sciences Day (09:00 – 14:00 CET)
In April this year, the European Commission issued its proposals for a comprehensive revision of the EU’s basic pharmaceutical legislation. Reflecting key lessons learned from COVID, the proposals seek to create an “innovation-and competitiveness-friendly” landscape in Europe for biomedical research and medicines development, while ensuring greater resilience and autonomy in the event of future health crises and addressing the sector’s environmental footprint.
Yet various R&D stakeholders are concerned that – in trying to strike a balance between myriad public and private sector interests – the Commission could inadvertently achieve the opposite. For example, shortening EU patent protection on new therapeutics is intended to boost patient access to medicines, but could persuade pharmaceutical companies, scientists and investors to prioritise other regions to develop and commercialise breakthrough innovations in the future. Under such a scenario, Europe’s whole health and life sciences community is likely to feel the chill, with fewer resources over time to sustain its historical excellence in fundamental research, international cooperation platforms, and global scientific leadership. Both pharmaceutical and medical technology companies are closely watching the EU’s actions on data sharing.
What ultimately emerges in terms of new directives and regulation will have a direct impact on pharmaceutical and medical technology R&D ecosystems everywhere – not just in terms of corporate investment and production planning, but also attractiveness to venture capital, public-private partnerships and top research talent, among others. And perhaps more importantly, it may influence Europe’s readiness to provide global leadership – both scientific and political – when the world is confronted with its next urgent health crisis.
On 15 November, the S|B Health & Life Sciences Day will therefore take as its central theme health innovation and the future of medicines development. It will explore the state of play at the interface between healthcare legislative and regulatory agendas and their R&D equivalents. It will also feature expert roundtables and debates on specific challenges and opportunities that will influence the next era of research-industry collaboration, including issues such as data access and sharing across borders, and the wider implications for health and life sciences in Europe.
Participants profiles
- Science: Vice-rectors, deans of faculty, heads of department, institute, or lab, and senior researchers
- Industry: R&D executives overseeing key projects, pipelines and partnerships, EU and Government Affairs teams
- Policy: Key representatives from European institutions, national ministries, innovation agencies and international organisations
09:00 Welcome coffee and registration
09:30 Conference opening
09:35 For the greater good: How can regulatory frameworks foster breakthrough innovation in health and life sciences?
Plenary debate about the latest developments in negotiations around the Commission’s proposals to revise the EU’s general pharmaceutical legislation and the wider implications for HLS ecosystems, both in Europe and beyond.
Panel discussion featuring:
- Tomislav Sokol, Member of the European Parliament (EPP)
- Janina Dzambazoska, Head Regulatory Affairs Europe, Novartis
- Lilia Luchianov, Policy Officer, Medicines: policy, authorization and monitoring, DG SANTE, European Commission
- Sol Ruiz, Head of Biologics, Biotechnology and Advanced Therapies, Spanish Agency of Medicines and Medical Devices
- Arjon van Hengel, Deputy Head of Unit, Health Innovations & Ecosystems, DG RTD, European Commission
10:30 Coffee and networking break
11:00 PARALLEL SESSIONS – Strategic choices: Where should policy makers focus next?
Parallel panel debates on where Europe and international partners should prioritise R&I policy instruments and investments to increase the world’s preparedness and resilience for future health crises. Indicative themes:
1/ Combat stations: Upscaling efforts to tackle antimicrobial resistance
According to the World Health Organization, antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is an urgent public health and economic challenge, and good quality research is a vital part of the response. This session explores what is needed to effectively drive the development of a robust and sustainable R&D pipeline for novel antimicrobials.
Panel discussion featuring:
- Andrea Chiarello, Head of EU Government Affairs, Pfizer
- Ingrid Wanninger, Board Member, BEAM Alliance and Managing Director, HYpharm GmbH
- Olivier Mignolet, Partner, Simmons & Simmons
- Reinhilde Veugelers, Professor, Faculty of Economics and Business, KULeuven
2/ Forewarned is forearmed: Can industry-research alliances prepare us for the next pandemic?
An unprecedented level of cross-sector, cross-border scientific cooperation underpinned the world’s response to COVID. Can policy, science and business agree on a strategic R&I agenda to mitigate future crises, and if so, what should be at the top of the list of research and technological priorities?
Panel discussion featuring:
- Sarah Garner, Senior Policy Advisor, Access to Medicines & Health products, Division of Country Health Policies and Systems, World Health Organisation Europe
- Clément Williamson, Political Assistant to the Director-General, Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority (HERA), European Commission
- Paul Kellam, Professor of Virus Genomics, Department of Medicine, Imperial College London; CSO, RQ Biotechnology Ltd, UK
- Roberto Bruzzone, Professor, Institut Pasteur, Paris; Co-Director, Centre for Immunology & Infection, Hong Kong
- Magda Krakowiak, Director of Business Creation, EIT Health
12:00 Transition Break
12:10 Impact pathways: Transforming the biotech ecosystem
Live Q&A with:
- Hugues Bultot, Chief Executive Officer, Univercells
12:30 Competitive balance: How will Europe be positioned by 2030?
A closing plenary discussion that explores the longer-term implications of the Commission’s proposals at the interface between industrial competitiveness, trade policy and its R&D equivalent, and where that might leave Europe as a global actor in the decade to come.
Panel discussion featuring:
- Maja Fjaestad, Expert Coordinator, Centre for Health Crises, Karolinska Institutet
- Paul Csiszar, Director, Markets and Cases IV: Basic Industries, Manufacturing and Agriculture, DG Competition, European Commission
- Niklas Blomberg, Director, ELIXIR
- Robin Evers, Senior Vice President for Submissions & Life Cycle Management, Novo Nordisk
13:15 Networking lunch
14:00 Close of conference
Do you want to raise your organisation’s visibility and actively contribute to the EU policy dialogue around health innovation and the future of medicines development and the role of research and innovation to create an “innovation-and competitiveness-friendly” landscape in Europe for biomedical research and medicines development? Science|Business offers you to steer part of the event programme.
- Expert roundtables to increase the visibility of key partners and position them in a strategic policy area within a broader context of EU and international policy developments and programmes. At the premium level, it also includes a one-year full Science|Business Network Membership.
- Dynamic panel discussions with audience Q&A that seek to source the latest, qualitative, targeted information around a particular topic of interest to the partner. This can range from key funding programmes, to the policy priorities shaping them, or the opportunity landscape to engage in and benefit from.
All partnerships are supported by guided networking activities, editorial coverage, and branding in all event- related onsite and online communication materials and complimentary access passes to the event.
You can contact us for any further questions and request the partnership brochure via the following form.
The audience
The event, fully hybrid, will bring together 125-150 participants onsite – and several hundreds online -including key representatives from European institutions, national ministries, innovation agencies, corporate R&D executives, government affairs teams, vice-rectors, deans of faculty, heads of labs, senior researchers, and representatives from international organisations.
For network members, please contact [email protected] for any information needed
For non-network members, please contact [email protected]
Venue:
Maison de la Poste (Tour & Taxis)
Rue Picard 5/7, 1000 Bruxelles
Partners
Receive the Funding Newswire [full access requires a subscription] each Tuesday, our Policy Bulletin each Thursday, and news about bridging Europe’s east-west innovation gap twice a month in The Widening. 
A unique international forum for public research organisations and companies to connect their external engagement with strategic interests around their R&D system.