Meeting of the International Council of Biotech Associations in Boston

In the lead-up to the BIO International Convention, the International Council of Biotech Associations (ICBA) met in Boston for its annual meeting, which was also attended by Oliver Schacht, Chairman of the Board of BIO Deutschland, together with around 30 colleagues from all around the world. To kick off the meeting, the host, the US biotech association BIO, presented current developments and key areas of work.

The member organizations then described the situation in their respective countries. They focused on the importance of biotechnology in political priorities, their current most important topics, and approaches to strengthening resilience in pharmaceuticals, and supply chains. The Chair of the ICBA, Claire Skentelbery, presented the most important results of the current 2024/2025 working year, including the successes in the negotiations of the last three to four years in connection with the WHO pandemic preparedness agreement, which is supported by the BIO.

In a subsequent discussion round, the global advocacy activities and the definition of priorities for 2025/2026 were discussed. Oliver Schacht commented: “It was great to see that there is a global consensus that in times of high uncertainty and current political dynamics in many countries, international cooperation across national borders is more important than ever for the biotech industry.”

The ICBA was founded in 2014 as an association of 32 national biotechnology industry associations from six continents with the aim of promoting public understanding of biotechnology and advocating multilateral and globally oriented policies that support the growth of the innovative biotechnology sector. BIO Deutschland is a founding member of the ICBA. Further information on the alliance of associations can be found here: internationalbiotech.org