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Over 1000 meetings took place between science and business representatives last week at the international life science Forum in Vilnius Life Sciences Baltics 2012. Companies, research institutes, clinics, and universities from USA, Israel, Austria, Sweden, Switzerland, Russia, Germany, UK, Kazakhstan, and other countries in the European Union and the rest of the World, looked for cooperation possibilities with Lithuania’s and the Baltics’ life science sector. According to the organizers, Lithuania’s scientific achievements, infrastructure, and competitive business atmosphere impressed its foreign guests. Many useful contacts were established both at the international Exhibition and Partnership Event, and new collaboration agreements are expected to soon take place on the international life science arena.

 

Life Sciences Baltics 2012 took place in Vilnius September 12-14. It was the first and largest international life science forum in the Baltics, organized by Enterprise Lithuania. Paulius Lukauskas, the Managing Director, emphasizes that the country’s competitive business edge is primarily export, and that the future belongs to countries strongly orientated towards creating high added value products and services. “The life science sector, especially the biotech field, is very advanced in Lithuania, offering favorable conditions for growth and a friendly investment atmosphere for establishing joint companies with foreign partners,” he says. In his opinion, bioeconomy, economy based on life sciences, has become a priority in strengthening national competitiveness and economic prosperity. This is substantiated by the life science sector’s constantly growing input in the country’s GDP, of which it is currently around 1% but is expected to double in the nearest future if the current growth and rate is maintained. The country’s life science sector has undergone tremendous progress over the last two decades, experiencing a 22% annual growth the last few years. Last year export in the sector surpassed LTL 276.2 million (EUR 79.99M), with 21.1% exported to Sweden, 10.9% to Germany, 8.1% to Italy, 6% - UK, 6,7 – Denmark, 4.7% - Russia, 4.6% - Norway, 4.3 % - France, and 2.7% to Latvia.

Besides the highlight of the Forum which was undoubtedly the Conference, featuring over 50 lecturers from various scientific and business fields in the world, with Nobel Prize 2009 winner in Chemistry, prof. Ada E. Yonath from Israel as the Conference Star, participants also had the possibility to become closely acquainted with the Baltics’ life science sector, discussing cooperation possibilities with key representatives of its scientific and business community in B2B meetings, and to become familiarized with a wide array of Baltic biotech products, ranging from complex medical equipment to cosmetics that were presented in over 40 stands at the Exhibition.

“Lithuania, along with the other Baltic States, is developing its life sciences sector, and is now in a very good position. Interest in the field is growing in this part of the world and Lithuania is turning into a bridge between the EU and the countries of the former USSR,” – says Adel Nada, Senior Medical Director, Cardiovascular Cellular Therapies, Baxter Healthcare (USA), who lead a workshop at the Forum, explaining the Company’s clinical development program in CD34 + cells for chronic myocardial ischemia / refractory angina, and presented Baxter International clinical trials in Western Europe and the Baltics.

Yafit Stark, Regional Clinical Development (EMIA) & Global Clinical Advisor at TEVA Pharmaceutical Industries in Israel, and who took part in several B2B meetings, seems to agree. “I found it very useful because I met many researchers and had the opportunity to talk to specialists of Vilnius University Hospital Santariškių Clinics, which demonstrated both quality conditions and highly qualified personnel, I also became very interested in the possibilities of sensory therapy,” she says. Yafit also appreciated the Exhibition, as, according to her, it presented an excellent opportunity to interact for young talented people and companies, who have a lot to offer. “Such events present an excellent opportunity to draw attention to one’s country and attract investors, and Lithuania indeed has many interesting lecturers of its own. I was very happy with the overall organization and the people were very warm and welcoming. Lithuania is not an entirely new country to TEVA, we already cooperate with the Lithuanian biotech company SICOR Biotech, which is part of the TEVA corporation, and greatly value the high quality of Lithuanian specialists. The amount of Government investments in bio and life sciences overall impressed me very much also. I hope we can expand the scope of our cooperation in the nearest future,” says Yafit.

In parallel with Life Sciences Baltics 2012, one of the Conference lectures, Dr. Rathindra Bose, Vice-President for Research and Chemistry professor at the University of Houston (USA), held open lectures at the Lithuanian Institute of Health Sciences and Vilnius Gediminas Technical University. With the latter, the University of Houston representative signed a Memorandum of Understanding for future broad spectrum collaborations with emphasis on joint study programs, research, and faculty exchanges in the fields of construction and environmental engineering, energetics management, and technomathematics.

The Organizers of the Forum said that foreign guests were mostly interested in research services, medical equipment, investment opportunities, and Baltic start-ups. A special programme was specially prepared in cooperation with the expatriates Remis Bistras (President, Walden Vision, USA), and Rūta Laukien (Director, C.W. Downer & Co., USA) for Baltic life science entrepreneurs. 9 mentors from the UK, USA, and Lithuania held lectures on the specifics of starting a business in the sector, the establishment and development processes, key requirements and regulations, research, licensing, and funding options among other things. A Best-Pitch Contest was organized where the start-ups had to present themselves to investors, and the best three pitches were awarded with monetary prizes founded by Bruker, the global provider of a wide range of technological products and solutions. The main prize, founded by Enteprise Lithuania, a visit to the Akron Global Business Accelerator (Biomedical Corridor program), was awarded to Integrated Optics, a young Lithuanian laser technology company, specialized in the creation and production of compact laser sources and laser regulating electronics.

“It was the first time we organized an event of such scope. A lot of responsibility and patience was required, so there was inevitably tension and stress present all the way until the end. To us this was a question of not only our own honour, but of the entire country and indeed all of the Baltic States, and the positive feedback we are getting from both foreign and local guests, is more than rewarding,” – says Paulius Lukauskas.

Life Sciences Baltics 2012 was organized to present the potential of Lithuanian, Latvian, and Estonian life sciences potential on an international arena. The Forum encompassed an international conference, exhibition, business partnership event, a start-up programme, student conference, and visits to key life science companies, clinics, research centers in Lithuania.