More than 5,700 participants from 61 countries visited the partnering event BIO-Europe 2024 in Sweden. There was a lot going on at the Saxon booth, with Leipzig’s life science ecosystem one focal point.

BIO-Europe, the continent’s largest partnering event for the global biotech and pharma industry, was held for the 30th time in Stockholm/Sweden from November 4-6, 2024. Leipzig for Life Changers was one partner at the joint booth representing the German Free State of Saxony which attracted visitors from all over the world, including the USA, Great Britain, Japan, Pakistan, Israel, South Korea and New Zealand.

Even though the focus of BIO-Europe is primarily on pharmaceuticals and therapeutics, the Saxon booth proved to be a magnet for medtech companies. MEDICAL FORGE Leipzig, the accelerator for young and innovative medical technology companies located on the BioCity Campus, garnered much interest from visitors. They wanted to learn more about how MEDICAL FORGE Leipzig offers start-ups tailored support in areas such as navigating regulatory issues and enabling access to German and European markets.

The event also gave Leipzig the opportunity to showcase its unique strengths within the European life science landscape – not just as a pioneer in digital medicine, but as an international transfer location for innovative cell and gene therapies and lab-on-chip diagnostics. Both Leipzig’s Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology (IZI) and Leipzig University’s Innovation Center Computer Assisted Surgery (ICCAS) are celebrating their 20th anniversary in 2025 – which will also see the 25th anniversary of the Saxon Biotech Offensive.

Saxony’s biotech, medtech and health association ‘biosaxony’ (soon to be ‘leap:up’) together with the Saxony Economic Development Corporation highlighted how the German free state offers excellent infrastructure and funding opportunities for life science companies looking to grow. Visitors were able to learn this for themselves by talking directly with the Saxon companies BIOTYPE, AGED Diagnostics and qualitype, who were present in Stockholm. The new Saxon radiopharmacy cluster nukliD® also attracted much attention.

In addition to this bustle of networking and partnering, attendees managed to find plenty of opportunity to combine business and pleasure. Whether during the welcome reception at Stockholm’s gorgeous city hall, the evening get-together at the Saxon booth, or at the farewell party singing to the tunes of ‘Abba’ – the relaxed atmosphere participants experienced during the three days bodes well for the next event. So here’s hoping to see you soon at the BIO-Europe 2025 in Vienna, Austria!