From Monday, June 3 through Thursday, June 6, 2019, Philadelphia welcomed the BIO International Convention. More than 16,000 attendees from around the globe gathered to meet global biotech and pharma industry leaders from 67 countries. This annual event offers unparalleled partnering, education, and networking opportunities. The tristate region’s vast array of leading universities and research institutions fostered a particularly collaborative environment for conference participants.
The UK’s delegation to BIO 2019 included more than 200 companies from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The UK sector is in growth mode. After adding 7,500 jobs last year, there are now almost 250,000 people employed in the biotech and pharma industry. 5,800 life science businesses are operating across the UK, including the largest cluster of advanced therapy companies in Europe. The UK offers the largest biomedical pipeline in Europe, with a turnover of £74 billion. Foreign direct investment increased by 5% last year, with US companies in particular looking to invest more heavily.
The industry is rapidly expanding on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean, and on Tuesday evening, June 4, more than 450 people gathered at the Museum of the American Revolution for the BIO 2019 UK reception. The event was presented by the UK’s Department for International Trade in collaboration with: AstraZeneca; BIA (the UK BioIndustry Association); the Welsh Government; Invest Northern Ireland; and the British American Business Council of Greater Philadelphia. We were honored to partner with these groups to provide attendees with the opportunity to meet leading innovators from the UK life sciences ecosystem.
Click here for photos from the UK reception as well as a few shots of the UK Pavilion at the 2019 BIO International Convention.
