Record New Zealand presence at BIO 2005

New Zealand will have its largest ever delegation, 47 companies and organizations, at the world’s leading annual biotechnology convention, BIO 2005, which will be held in Philadelphia, US from Sunday 19 June.

“BIO is an opportunity for the New Zealand biotech community to show the world what it has got, including original, high quality research and an ability to generate valuable intellectual property,” says Commerce Minister Pete Hodgson who will head the delegation.

“New Zealand companies need to integrate themselves into global value chains and bio-business networks if they are to realise their potential. Attending BIO represents a great opportunity to do this.”

The New Zealand New Thinking pavilion will be the centerpiece of New Zealand’s presence at BIO and incorporates many of the features of the successful New Zealand stand at the world’s largest IT fair, CeBIT, held in Hanover Germany in March. These include NextWindow interactive touch screens with company story boards.

New Zealand New Thinking is a programme that aims to help New Zealand’s businesses compete globally by building on this country’s clean, green image to include international recognition for our creativity, innovation and technology.

The New Zealand stand will again be along side Australia’s reflecting increasing collaboration between the two countries’ biotech communities.

"Co-location with Australia had shown a lot of promise at BIO 2004 and the ability of the two delegations to work together, rather than compete, opened up new opportunities for both counties."

The companies attending BIO are part of a New Zealand Trade and Enterprise's (NZTE) export network and both NZTE and its investment arm, Investment New Zealand, are actively supporting the delegation. In addition, the Ministry of Research Science and Technology is supporting a delegation of four scientists to build linkages between the science and business of biotechnology.

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