BIO Deutschland: Seize the Opportunity Presented by the EU Biotech Act Now and Strengthen Europe’s Innovative Capacity

BIO Deutschland welcomes the European Commission’s initiative to create a European Biotech Act as an important step toward strengthening the competitiveness of biotechnology in Europe. In a recent statement on the draft Biotech Act I, the association outlines key priorities to secure Europe’s position as a hub for innovation in the long term and better position it in global competition.

“Biotechnology is a key technology and a central driver of innovation for health, industry, agriculture, and a sustainable bioeconomy. When it comes to translating excellent research into marketable applications and fostering successful companies, Europe faces structural challenges compared to the U.S. or China. In our view, the EU Biotech Act offers a unique opportunity to address these challenges in a targeted manner,” explained Roland Sackers, Chairman of the board of BIO Deutschland. “We recommend five key priority areas for action: accelerating clinical trials, closing the funding gap during scale-up, modernizing European state aid law, strengthening innovation-friendly regulation, and creating governance structures that operate across sectors for biotechnology,” added Sackers.

Viola Bronsema, Executive Director of BIO Deutschland, commented: “A swift implementation of the first part of the Biotech Act is now just as important as the work on the second part, which has been announced for the second half of this year. Biotechnology is a platform technology, not only for health, but also for agriculture, food, and sustainable production and products. While the first part of the Biotech Act does include food, including novel foods, we welcome the planned improvements to their approval process. However, we cannot understand the exclusion of novel food developments, such as plant-based cheese or cultured meat, from the real-world labs intended specifically for breakthrough innovations. This needs to be addressed urgently.”

The statement on the draft Biotech Act I can be found here.