BioPartnering: Global BioPartnering: A Personal Perspective

Biotechnology players are emerging in countries that historically have not been substantially active in this industry.

Partnering is a global phenomenon that will change the biotechnology industry for the better. Until recently most biotechnology companies were based in the United States, Canada, Europe, Australia, and Israel. The outlook is changing fast as new companies are now being created in Japan, China, Singapore, India, and Russia. There are many predictions that by 2050, much global economic growth will take in Brazil, India, Russia, and China. We expect biotechnology innovation to play an important role in these economies.

In the future, many new opportunities for partnerships will exist outside the US and Europe. These are likely to be in research and development, manufacturing, clinical trials, and the many other components of a successful drug development program.

There are indications that the globalization of biotechnology is already happening. I have first-hand experience of this phenomenon. When my company created the first BioPartnering Europe conference in London in 1993, biotechnology companies used partnering as a way to validate their businesses through licensing deals, research collaborations, and other financial vehicles. Now in 2004, partnering has become the primary revenue generator for many public and private biotechnology companies around the world. BioPartnering Europe has since been joined by partnering events in Tokyo and Vancouver with a combined delegate-base representing nearly forty countries — an indication of the global dimension of partnering.

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