CARLSBAD, Calif. & SUZHOU, China--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The international biotech and pharma community will converge upon the city of Suzhou, China, a rapidly growing base for life science industries, at ChinaBio® Partnering Forum 2012 at the Kempinski Hotel Suzhou, May 23-24. The fourth annual conference is the premier life science partnering event in China, and is expected to bring hundreds of attendees from around the world seeking to increase their market share and embark on new business deals in China. Produced by EBD Group and ChinaBio® LLC, the theme of the 2012 event is focused on leveraging market opportunities in China.

“Investment and market opportunities in China are drawing the attention of international companies and investors including big pharma,” said Greg Scott, President and CEO of ChinaBio® LLC. “While the funding climate has become more difficult in the West, the opposite is true in China. In 2011 alone, nearly USD 10 billion in commercial investment was generated for life science companies in China. This was in addition to the billions of dollars being pumped into the industry to support the ambitious policies of the Chinese government to double the size of the biotech sector in the coming years.”

“China’s rising prominence in the biotech and bio-pharma sector has prompted a tremendous increase in the number of potential partnering opportunities,” said Carola Schropp, President, EBD Group. “ChinaBio Partnering Forum is the largest partnering event in China, and it has been growing steadily each year. We expect record attendance in 2012.”

This year’s program once again features the Innovation Showcase, with leading Chinese scientists presenting advanced technologies, as well as workshops on topics that include the global partnering landscape in China, novel Chinese drug development, and acquiring innovative technologies and products from Western institutions. The conference program highlights the growing interest in China as a global player in the biotech sector, and the increased desire for partnering meetings facilitated by partneringONE®, the leading conference partnering system for the life sciences. Distinguished speakers from high level corporations are scheduled to present on the program panels, and attendees from sponsoring pharmaceutical companies including AstraZeneca, Bayer, and Boehringer Ingelheim are expected.

As a result of the increased number of attendees expected, the conference has relocated to the Kempinski Hotel Suzhou, a world-class venue that supports greater opportunities to network.

The application deadline for presenting companies at ChinaBio Partnering Forum is March 15, 2012. Details on the application process can be found online at http://www.ebdgroup.com/cbpf/presenters/index.php.

The early bird deadline for registration for the conference is March 30, 2012 to save USD 200. Information on the conference and registration details can be found online at http://www.ebdgroup.com/cbpf/registration/index.php.

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
• Partnering for Global Impact®, a new partnering conference providing an innovative forum to partner, identify and generate social and philanthropic investment and funding opportunities
• 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, and partnering360® is the open online community of life science dealmakers that enhances partnering experiences at industry events.

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.

Additional links and information:

Follow EBD Group on Twitter: twitter.com/ebdgroup.

More information is available at www.ebdgroup.com.

About ChinaBio® LLC

Since its founding in January, 2007, ChinaBio® LLC has rapidly created a broad platform of capabilities connecting China life science with the world. ChinaBio has helped global life science companies identify over 400 licensing and acquisition opportunities in China and China companies raise nearly USD 400 million.

• Conferences: ChinaBio organizes the premier life science investment and partnering conferences in China, having attracted over 4,000 attendees.
• Consulting: ChinaBio works with global life science companies and China entrepreneurs to define and execute a successful global strategy.
• Capital: ChinaBio helps companies secure partnerships and acquisitions and access private and government funding in China.
• Publishing: ChinaBio® Today is the most widely read online and email newsletter on China's life science industry, with over 18,000 readers.

More information is available at www.chinabiollc.com.