Last week, we held our first-ever Partnering Week, which gathered four leading biopharma companies, a robust cohort of early-stage startups, academic institutions, and attendees from across the globe. This event was a continuation of the initiatives we’ve been doing at MassBio for the last decade – hosting custom events to connect early-state companies with world-leading life sciences organizations to accelerate collaboration and innovation in our sector.
Averaging more than 200 attendees per day, Partnering Week 2021 was a huge success. Participants had the opportunity to hear from Biogen, Johnson & Johnson Innovation, EMD Serono, and BeiGene about their therapeutic focus areas, their approaches to partnering and external innovation, and their 2021 outlook through panel discussions and presentations from senior leaders. Following each of the sponsors’ overview sessions, attendees visited virtual booths to ask questions before the companies broke into one-on-one meetings with selected early-stage innovators. The response was greater than we ever expected: Partnering Week facilitated more than 600 direct connections between representatives from the United States, China, Japan, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, Spain, Israel, and Chile. Our sponsors were thrilled with the event and overwhelmed by the level of engagement with the MassBio innovation community.
This global network speaks to the “new normal” of the pandemic. Hindered by the lack of in-person meetings and major conferences, business development in the life sciences has shifted dramatically. However, virtual meetings that have no geographic boundaries or travel requirements are creating new opportunities for the industry. MassBio’s Partnering Week found success in building on that momentum and continuing to provide unique pathways to connect major life sciences organization with early-stage innovators.
We’ll continue to build on this impact with another Partnering Week as part of our annual State of Possible Conference in May. The State of Partnering will take place May 10-14, the week before the State of Possible Conference on May 19. During the State of Partnering, we’ll facilitate more opportunities for early-stage innovators and life science leaders to connect and collaborate. With all five days dedicated to sponsor organizations, this is an event you won’t want to miss.
Stay tuned for the official launch of the State of Partnering. You can also contact Partnering@massbio.org to learn more and inquire about sponsorship opportunities.