Wellington has been named host of the event in a multi-year contract between signatories BioTechNZ, WellingtonNZ, and Business Events Wellington, and supported by conference organiser Brightstar and Tourism New Zealand’s business events team.
The first conference will take place March 22-23, 2023 at Shed 6, a waterfront venue. From 2024 onwards, the conference will be based at Wellington’s new convention centre, Tākina, with the aim of growing the event year on year to attract wider domestic and international audiences.
“Our objective is to bring New Zealand’s biotechnology and Life Sciences industries together across the sectors, including agricultural, environmental, industrial and human health. Having this breadth of participants highlights New Zealand’s capability, and promotes research and commercial opportunities to solve the biggest challenges on the planet,” BioTechNZ executive director Zahra Champion says.
New Zealand currently ranks fourth in the world for innovation potential in biotech, with 211 companies and NZ$2.7 billion in revenue. Globally, biotechnology is expected to be worth NZ$1.1 trillion by 2025.
“Biotech is an increasingly important industry in New Zealand for addressing our pressing environmental health, climate, and food challenges. To date, there hasn’t been an event that draws together business, academia, government, and investors across this sector in Aotearoa. The innovation and commercial potential for this sector is immense, and this event will serve as a platform for growth,” WellingtonNZ general manager of Business & Innovation Rebekah Campbell says.
Wellington’s the home of Callaghan Innovation’s Gracefield Innovation Quarter, which has been earmarked for a new Biotech Hub; The Malaghan Institute of Medical Research, New Zealand’s world-leading independent biomedical research institute; and some of New Zealand’s top Life Sciences research centres, including Scion, NIWA, AgResearch, GNS, HortResearch and Victoria University.
The capital city also offers connection and collaboration opportunities with relevant government organisations, including Ministry for Business, Innovation & Employment, The Ministry of Health, Callaghan Innovation (New Zealand’s innovation agency), New Zealand Trade and Enterprise and the Ministry for Primary Industries, alongside a wealth of companies that support the sector such as intellectual property firms, venture capital, consumables, banks, and insurance companies.
