German Pavilion at Biotech China: Contact Platform for the Biotech Market of the Future

Biotech China was held from 28 to 30 May in the Shanghai International Exhibition Centre (INTEX) and provided a communication platform for biotechnology in Asia for the second time. Germany was represented for the first time at the fair with a shared stand funded by the German Federal Economics Ministry. BIO Deutschland accompanied and advised the German participants. 41 per cent of the exhibitors came from outside China and there were over 5000 trade visitors from 29 countries.

121 exhibitors from 15 countries exhibited their products and innovations in a space of 3,700m². Exhibitors included the German Stand and the companies Sarstedt, Millipore, Merck Chemicals, Roche Diagnostics and Sartorius. While the majority of the exhibitors at last year’s fair came from Asia, this year many companies from Germany and the USA and Canada were also represented. Besides the German Stand, biotech associations and trade and industry promoters from Austria, Spain and the USA also attended the fair. In addition, delegations from Spain, Canada and the USA were represented.

The programme of events for international exhibitors included an evening reception at the German Consulate-General and a visit to a modern biotech industrial estate in Shanghai, which provides excellent infrastructure for the work of research institutes and many international biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies.

The three-day fair was complemented by an Innovation Forum, where exhibitors gave presentations on their firms and products.

The recruitment of specialised staff was also an important topic in Shanghai. The Bio Career Day provided a career platform on 30 May, where companies from the international life science industry were able to introduce themselves as employers and meet potential employees in individual interviews. The companies who took part included Fosun – one of the largest Chinese pharmaceutical companies – Abbott, Qiagen and Invitrogen.

Next year, Biotech China will be h eld in Shanghai again from 1 to 3 June 2009. The German Federal Economics Ministry has once again included this exhibitor platform in Germany’s official programme of foreign trade fairs so that next year it will also be possible for companies to exhibit on the German Stand.