Evolution vs revolution: Will Europe seize its biotech moment?

In the past couple of years, biotechnology has seen its profile rise significantly within the policy world, both in Europe and beyond. Within the EU context, its inclusion in the Strategic Technologies for Europe Platform (STEP) positioned the domain as a major pillar of research, development, and implementation of essential technologies deemed vital for future competitiveness and sovereignty.

Against this backdrop, the European Commission has been moving forward with ambitious plans to boost the continent’s capabilities across multiple sectors, ranging from clinical trials and medical devices to agrifood and feed. These efforts are spearheaded by the two-phase Biotech Act, which seeks to establish a new regulatory framework to boost innovation, investment and market uptake of breakthrough solutions. With the initial ‘omnibus law’ part (Biotech Act I) now completed, collective attention turns to the second phase, with its explicit focus on industrial policy – and in particular how Biotech Act II can leverage promising foundations into a dynamic new landscape for multinational companies, high-potential SMEs, and innovative scientists looking to test market viability for their frontier discoveries. 

Beyond regulatory simplification, however, policy makers will need to pay close attention to a wide spectrum of issues that affect the overall performance of biotech R&I value chains. Among the topics for consideration: how to strengthen Europe’s network of research and technology infrastructures to accelerate the development, testing and validation of new concepts and solutions? Which barriers to cross-border R&D would unlock the greatest impact if removed – including cooperation with international partners? Is enough emphasis being placed on biomanufacturing capacity to increase resilience and supply chain security? Does the EU need a new toolbox of financial instruments to de-risk investments into early-stage projects, and to mobilise late-stage growth funds dedicated to advanced biotech sectors?  And how to prepare citizens and consumers for a new age of biotech-generated products, such as novel food technologies and biosimilar therapeutics.

On May 12, Science|Business will convene members of its international Network, EU institutions and other key stakeholders to discuss these questions and more, as a means to generate a series of practical recommendations to harness the full potential of biotechnologies moving forward – also in the context of the future European Competitiveness Fund and next Framework Programme for R&I.