BIO moves 2020 international convention online
The Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO) has converted its 2020 international convention into an entirely online experience, BIO Digital.
Instead of the in-person event, which was due to take place in San Diego in June, BIO Digital will take place online between June 8-12.
The organisation said the decision to move the convention online was taken to “protect the health of the BIO community while ensuring we can continue to collaborate on COVID-19 vaccines, treatments, and diagnostics”.
BIO said its online offering doesn’t replace the convention, but it does help amplify the work it’s already doing to facilitate virtual collaboration.
“Because now, more than ever, we need industry partnerships—like [the] just-announced expanded partnership between BIO members Vir Biotechnology and Alnylam Pharmaceuticals on groundbreaking RNAi antiviral therapeutics to treat COVID-19, as just one of the many examples,” said the organisation.
During the online conference, registrants will be able to attend live and on-demand educational panels focused on topics including COVID-19, infectious diseases, vaccine development, digital health, business development, and the latest therapeutic advancements in biotech.
Registrants will also be able to use BIO’s one-on-one partnering to request and schedule virtual meetings with potential partners through mid-July.
BIO president and CEO Jim Greenwood said: “The coronavirus is an urgent focus for the biotechnology industry as we work tirelessly to combat this public health threat.
“Now, more than ever, it’s critical for the biotechnology world to convene and forge collaborations, partnerships and research to advance innovations for our patients and to solve our most timely global issues. Especially now, we see how these connections can make a lifesaving difference.”
The BIO international convention will return from June 14-17, 2021, in Boston.
Last week, sister site WIPR reported that the International Trademark Association (INTA) had confirmed the US venue and date for its annual meeting, which was postponed earlier this year.
For the first time, the annual event will be combined with the association’s leadership meeting and will take place in Houston, Texas between November 16 and 20, 2020.
The European Communities Trade Mark Association (ECTA) has also postponed its 2020 annual conference, which was due to take place in Copenhagen in June. The event has now been moved to June 15-17, 2022.
While the 2020 conference will not be held physically, ECTA is planning to hold its council and committee meetings remotely. It is also working on organising some of the conference sessions as webinars to take place later this year.
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