Biotechnology is Not Affected by the Situation; 80 Percent of the Participants in the Biotech 2002 Week Have Already Reserved a Place At Biotech 2003.

Business Editors & Health/Medical Writers

BIOWIRE2K

BIO-TECH ISRAEL 2003

TEL AVIV, Israel--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 6, 2003

Some four months before the National Biotech Week (11-13 March 2003) more than 80 percent of the exhibitors from Israel and abroad who took part in Biotech 2002 have already confirmed contractually their participation.

This was disclosed by the organizers of the Biotech 2003 exhibition, the companies Conexpo and Kenes.

Among the many multinational companies that have confirmed their participation are several leading pharmaceuticals companies.

The organizers estimate that the area of the exhibition will be twice that of the 2002 event. On the basis of this data, the exhibition has been moved from its former venue, the David Intercontinental Hotel in Tel Aviv, to the Israel Trade Fairs & Convention Center grounds.

According to Conxepo General Manager, Danny Farber, "Biotech 2003" is already emerging, despite the situation, as Israel's largest biotechnology event. It is forecast that 180 companies from 12 states, scientists, academics and representatives of some of the world's largest venture capital companies in the field of biotechnology will participate.

The National Biotech Week, under the auspices of the Office of the Chief Scientist at the Ministry of Trade and Industry, MATIMOP (Israeli Industry Center for R&D) and the Israel Export Institute, will take place over three days (11-13 March) at the Tel Aviv Trade Fairs grounds. In addition to the economic conference, that will attract some of the world's largest venture capital companies, which will come to Israel in order to identify investment opportunities in biotechnology, a bio-medical conference is also included in the framework of the week. The Kenes company is likewise organizing scientific and economic conferences under the auspices of the Chief Scientist's Office.

"The success of Bio-Tech Israel 2002 confirmed the thirst of the biotechnology community for a forum where scientists, entrepreneurs and the business community could interact in an informal and direct way," says Dr. Yaffa Beck, Chairperson for the Bio-Tech Israel 2003 Conference. According to Dr. Beck, the program covers such diverse topics as Regenerative Medicine, Pharmaco-Genomics, and Bio-Devices in Medicine.

"To complement these sessions, we have added a special track of roundtable panels, designed for the general practitioner or bench scientist who wants to play a part in the world of biotechnology. Issues such as ethical issues, intellectual property and how drugs are clinically developed -- from the bench to the market, will be discussed. We plan to have business and corporate sessions on creative approaches to partnering and on technology transfer -- from academia to industry. Last but not least, leading experts will be sharing with us Israeli success stories, describing how their ideas stood the test of time."

It is amazing to discover such an alert response and demand by numerous companies and bodies from abroad, in contrast to all the assessments, and to the slowdown in the economy, says Yair Amitai, Managing Director of MATIMOP. This phenomenon undoubtedly reflects the standing and power of Israel's bio-tech industry in the international arena.