Hyderabad, December 10, 2019: Switzerland, consistently ranked no.1 in innovation, is widely known for innovation in big pharma with the presence of eminent pharma and life-sciences companies like Novartis, Roche, Lonza, Ferring Pharma, etc. The country is looking to forge closer ties with India which has grown to be a significant player in the Lifesciences industry globally and has now partnered with the most widely attended life sciences convention BioAsia, as the Country Partner for the 17th edition, BioAsia 2020.
Switzerland has a thriving ecosystem that’s hugely powered by innovation in academia and startups. This, coupled with the ease of doing business and policies to attract and retain talent, make Switzerland the breeding ground for cutting-edge technologies and solutions. Switzerland’s strength in health-tech is unparalleled with over 1,400 companies employing 58,500 professionals and generating CHF 15.8 Billion in revenue (in 2018). Swiss MedTech industry contributes 2.3% of the country’s GDP. The Swiss Biotech industry alone is home to 312 companies, generating revenue of CHF 4 Billion whilst investing over CHF 1.5 Billion in R&D, yearly.
The officials of Government of Telangana and Consulate General of Switzerland signed the Partnership agreement in the presence of Mr. K T Rama Rao, Minister of Industries, IT&EC, MA&UA, Govt. of Telangana later today. On the occasion, Mr. Ramarao said, “Over the years, Telangana has strengthened its position in the Lifesciences industry, and we are aiming towards becoming one of the top Lifesciences hubs of the world. BioAsia has been an integral part of the Hyderabad growth story and has helped to attract global leaders from about 100 countries to this vibrant city. We are delighted that Switzerland has partnered this time with BioAsia as Country Partner and we are committed to exploring multiple opportunities with swiss authorities and companies.”
Mr. Jayesh Ranjan, Principal Secretary of the Industries & Commerce and Information Technology, Govt of Telangana said “Switzerland has an outstanding reputation globally as an extremely specialized production location for innovative life sciences products. This has become possible with an incredible focus on science-backed by the country’s strong academics in applied sciences and financially sound and research-based pharmaceutical companies. Telangana is a state committed to promoting innovation and entrepreneurship, and the focus of BioAsia has been centered around innovation over the years. Hence, we are truly delighted to welcome Switzerland onboard as the Country partner of this 17th edition of BioAsia. Both Telangana and Switzerland have inherent strengths in life sciences and bringing them together will drive significant developments in the life sciences industry globally.”
“Switzerland recognizes India as a strategic partner in health-tech. Hyderabad is one of the prominent hubs in life sciences and health-tech has been an attractive ecosystem for us to engage with. As a country partner at BioAsia, we’re bringing a holistic representation of the Swiss health-tech ecosystem spanning from corporates to startups to academia to investors. We’re eager to collaborate with the key players in India and pursue new solutions today, for tomorrow,” said Ms. Silvana Renggli-Frey, Deputy Consul General – Consulate General of Switzerland.
More than 1/3rd of Swiss exports come from the pharmaceutical industry making it a significant contributor to the overall economy of Switzerland. Switzerland has placed itself as one of the most important stock exchanges for life sciences companies in Europe. There is an increasing interest from innovation centers, startups, and universities to engage with India. For start-ups, the aim of Swiss organizations is to engage with drug development and product design services to achieve faster, safer drugs & devices in niche markets. Cantonal representatives of Switzerland are interested in leveraging BioAsia for investment opportunities in Switzerland. Indian companies can invest in Swiss cantons to avail of the manufacturing facilities and specialized technologies that are a win-win for India and Switzerland alike.
Mr. E V Narasimha Reddy, Vice Chairman & Managing Director, TSIIC said, “There are several Swiss-based companies like Novartis, Lonza, Ferring, to name a few, which have large operations in Telangana. This showcases the close relationship the state has cultivated with Switzerland. Through platforms like BioAsia, we are working towards attracting more Swiss organizations to Telangana.”
BioAsia has benefitted from its extraordinary participant history including Nobel Laureates, Lasker Awardees, Breakthrough Prize winners, Food Laureates, established scientific and industry leaders, amongst others. This year too, BioAsia will bring a galaxy of established and next-generation Leaders including Mr. Vas Narasimhan (CEO, Novartis), Dr. Carl June (University of Pennsylvania & CAR-T Expert), Dr. Peter Piot (Director, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, and Co-Discoverer of Ebola), Mrs. Kiran Mazumdar Shaw (CMD, Biocon), Mr. Dilip Shanghvi (Chairman, Sun Pharma), Dr. Swati Piramal (VC, Piramal), among others.
“The event will attract the participation of leaders from over 50 Countries. Its been a tradition to invite a Partner Country and we are truly delighted to welcome Switzerland as the Country Partner for the first time which only goes to show the rapid growth in scale and magnitude of the event. We have had the pleasure of hosting Norway, UK, South Korea, Spain, Thailand, South Africa among others as Country Partners in the past years” added Mr. Shakthi Nagappan, Director (Life Sciences and Pharma), Govt of Telangana and CEO – BioAsia.
With the theme of – Today For Tomorrow – BioAsia 2020, to be held between 17th to 19th February 2020 at Hyderabad will explore the capabilities that Life sciences companies should invest in Today to thrive and create value Tomorrow. Currently, newer technologies and ubiquity of data and analytics is continuing to blur the traditional boundaries between therapeutics, medical technologies, consumer devices and information technology (IT). This rapidly evolving superfluid market is putting pressure on the life sciences companies to change their business models and personalize their products and services. Hence, at BioAsia 2020, these companies will deliberate on how they should be preparing themselves for the coming future.
About BioAsia: BioAsia is born with a vision to enhance, enrich and encourage newer innovations, path-breaking discoveries and effective solutions in the biotechnology industry by offering a vibrant global platform for the convergence of the key stakeholders – Biotech &Biopharma Companies, research institutions, academia, investors, service providers, policymakers, regulators and analysts. BioAsia is focused in its efforts – to drive the growth of the industry by enabling an effective environment for fostering collaborations, JV’s M&A’s; ensure knowledge and experience sharing by global industry players to benefit all stakeholders; promote innovations and initiatives through appropriate awards and recognitions; play a pivotal role in advocating issues to the policymakers and chartering the road-map of biotechnology. BioAsia is a dynamic platform for companies -to exhibit, launch and showcase their unique strengths, products, and services. BioAsia is playing the role of a key catalyst in mobilizing all elements that are required to drive the growth of the emerging industry of Biotechnology as well as optimize the immense business potential of biotech. On a larger level, BioAsia is working to drive a global transformation from the treatment of illness to wellness.