Leaders from the global biotechnology industry will gather for the 4^th annual BIO-Europe Spring^® partnering conference in Barcelona, Spain, March 8–10 at the CCIB’s Convention Centre. The event will attract more than 1,500 executives from 1,000 companies representing over 40 countries who will engage in upwards of 7,500 one-to-one partnering meetings.

Almirall, Bayer Schering Pharma and Merck Serono, will be among many pharmaceutical companies sponsoring BIO-Europe Spring this year; Amgen, AstraZeneca, Baxter, Crucell, Esteve, Johnson & Johnson, Merck & Co., Inc., Novartis, Nycomed, Palau Pharma, Pfizer, Roche, sanofi-aventis and many others sponsors will also be in attendance and ready to partner.

“BIO-Europe Spring is a powerful and successful platform for getting partnerships started in the biotech industry. The event will enable the biotech community to identify potential partnering opportunities with organizations in Catalonia, as well as globally, which will result in tomorrow’s cures for the many unmet medical needs of patients around the world,” said Manel Balcells, President of the Biocat Executive Committee.

The backdrop to the conference is Barcelona’s thriving life science community. Organized under the banner of BioRegion of Catalonia, the region has become one the main economic drivers for Spain. Over the past several years this sector has achieved an annual growth rate of 30 percent and now consists of 21,000 researchers, 145 research centers and 12 scientific parks.

Balcells added, “Catalonia recognizes that collaborations are essential for the continued growth of our biotech industry. The development of partnerships between emerging biotech innovators, big pharmaceutical firms, as well as research organizations will support the continued vibrant growth of our industry.”

The BIO-Europe Spring program, a hallmark of the event, annually features the leading industry decision makers who take on the most pressing challenges confronting biotech’s future growth and competitiveness. New, this year, BIO-Europe Spring program includes Therapeutic Insightby Defined Health, one of the leading strategic bio-pharma business development firms. Relied upon for many years by bio-pharma decision makers, Defined Health’s Therapeutic Insight explores transformative growth opportunities in leading therapeutic categories such as oncology, CNS, infectious, cardiovascular and metabolic diseases.

Notes to Editors:

Entry to BIO-Europe Spring 2010 is free to members of the press, including full access to the partnering system, sessions, press conferences, workshops, and pre-arranged partnering meetings. Visit the BIO-Europe Spring conference website at http://www.ebdgroup.com/bes/press_reg.htm for registration details.

About EBD Group

EBD Group is the leading partnering firm for the global life science industry. Since 1993, biotech, pharma and medical device companies have leveraged EBD Group’s partnering conferences, technology and services to identify business opportunities and develop strategic relationships essential to their success.

EBD Group’s conferences are run with the support of leading corporations and international trade associations, and include:

• BIO-Europe and BIO-Europe Spring^®, Europe’s largest life science partnering conferences, supported by the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO)
• BioPharm America™, the fastest growing partnering event in North America
• EuroMedtech™, EBD Group’s partnering event for the innovative medical technology industry
• BioEquity Europe, the investor conference co-organized with BioCentury Publications and BIO
• ChinaBio^® Partnering Forum, the first dedicated biotech/pharma partnering conference in China, co-produced with ChinaBio^® LLC
• Biotech Showcase™, a unique forum in San Francisco for presenting to investors and business development executives, co-produced with Demy-Colton Life Science Advisors

EBD Group’s sophisticated web-based partnering service, partneringONE^®, is used as the partnering engine at numerous third-party events around the world.

Outside of the conference format, EBD Group’s consultants provide hands-on assistance for firms seeking to in- or out-license products and technologies.

EBD Group has offices in the USA and Europe.

For more information visit www.ebdgroup.com