Hi readers,
New Zealand BIOTech, you rock!
I have just arrived back from BIO 2019 in Philadelphia, where New Zealand biotech companies, universities, New Zealand Trade and Enterprise (NZTE), the Innovative Partnerships team at the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE), and BIOTechNZ attended as part of the NZ delegation.
The conference was a busy time with 17,000 delegates attending the five days of events which included education sessions, talks and panels, an exhibition hall and bio-partnering.
This was the first year in quite some time that New Zealand had a booth at BIO which was separate from Australia. The booth was impactful with the large backdrop saying NEW ZEALAND, Hello from the Future (the branding of MBIE’s Innovative Partnerships.) The feedback from the companies on the booth said it was well worthwhile.
These delegations do not happen without the hard work of individuals and I would like to give a shout out to:
· Friederike Steinebach – Programme Manager, MBIE
· Aliki Weststrate – Senior Stakeholder Engagement Advisor, MBIE
· Kimberlee Jordan – Senior Commercialisation Manager, Auckland UniServices
Friederike, especially, was invaluable on the stand, and we all appreciate her passion and hard work to pull together this delegation. I don’t have space here to thank everyone who was involved, but you can read the full list here.
We will be reviewing the opportunity to send another delegation to BIO 2020 in San Diego. Keep an eye out for all of the details.
BIO Taiwan New Zealand Delegation
BIO Taiwan, 24-28 July, is getting closer. BIOTechNZ has been working with NZTE and BiotechEast to have a New Zealand presence in the International Pavilion. If you are interested in being part of the New Zealand delegation, please contact me.
Growing the next generation of biotech
Growing the next generation of biotech students is key for our economy, and I would like to thank the companies that will host the 2019 Bioscience Enterprise interns. Over the next eight months these students will be submersed in these companies and will finish their masters by submitting a thesis in February 2020. An extra special shout out goes to Quantec and Revolution Fibres who tasked the Bioscience Enterprise students to a market challenge (wicked problem) and they used design tools mixed with more traditional marketing in order to address it.
Have a great month.
Kia Kaha,
Zahra Champion
Executive Director
News and Events
BIOTechNZ member HoneyLab’skānuka honey cold sore treatment has been hailed ‘as good as the pharmaceuticals’ after a revolutionary clinical trial.
University of Canterbury’s Professor Emerita Paula Jameson has spoken about how important it is to consider gene editing as a tool to improve crop production to meet the sustainability demands of New Zealand.
ProteinTECH 2019 (30-31 July, Auckland) will examine what alternative protein means for New Zealand primary industries. Register here.
Registrations are open for the Global Biotechnology Congress, 3 – 5 September in Boston.
Help inspire the next generation of girls into tech careers by signing up to be a ShadowTech 2019. Mentors are still needed in Palmerston North, Hamilton and Dunedin.
Join EdTechNZ and TechWomentomorrow in Wellington, 20 June in Auckland and 26 June in Christchurch to discuss how to achieve diversity in the tech sector. Registrations opening soon.
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