Regulatory strategy at BIO‑Europe 2026

Nov 9–11, 2026 Cologne, Germany ~5.8k attendees Website

30 organizations at BIO-Europe 2026 present work in regulatory strategy: 15 drug developers, 8 academic, government and non-profit bodies and 7 service providers. Between them they bring 64 presentations to the program. Most represented: Merck KGaA (9 on the program), Bayer (7 on the program), European Medicines Agency (5 on the program). 21 of them have their own page in this guide. As of Sep 29, 2026.

All 392 organizations at BIO-Europe 2026 →

Format
Top represented
Showing 1–11 of 30 organizations
OrganizationBIO-Europe 2026 Attendance
Merck KGaA
Darmstadt, Germany
◆Platinum Sponsor
Large pharmaPlatinum sponsor
Science and technology company active in healthcare, life science and electronics; operates as EMD Serono and MilliporeSigma in North America.
Talk
Mon Nov 9
15:00–16:15
Merck's EMEA Advance Biotech Grant Program
Five young biotech companies pitch their science to Merck, competing for a grant that helps them bring a product to market.
with Stemmatters, ConvEyXO, Procavea Biotech +3 more
Panel
Mon Nov 9
13:00–13:45
Open Innovation in Action: How Pharma Is Rewiring the Drug Discovery Ecosystem
How big drug companies share their collections of test molecules and data with outside scientists to speed up early drug discovery.
with MichBio, XGEN Venture, Boehringer Ingelheim
Panel
Tue Nov 10
14:00–14:45
Immunology under the microscope: New frontiers
What is new in drugs for autoimmune and inflammatory diseases: emerging targets, recent trial results, and where companies are investing and partnering.
with MRM Health, Hansa Biopharma, Claris Ventures
Panel
Tue Nov 10
16:00–16:45
Unlocking Clinical Trial Systems
How EU clinical trial rules and a planned EU biotech law affect trial approval times, and whether Europe can speed up safely.
with AstraZeneca
Panel
Wed Nov 11
09:00–09:45
From NAMs (New Approach Methodologies) Innovation to Regulatory acceptance: Accelerating human-relevant modelling
How lab models built on human biology, from organs-on-chips to AI computer models, can speed drug development and win regulators' acceptance.
with FRESCI, European Commission, European Medicines Agency
Bayer
Leverkusen, Germany
◆Platinum Sponsor
Large pharmaPlatinum sponsor
Life sciences company with pharmaceuticals, consumer health and crop science divisions.
Talk
Tue Nov 10
09:00–09:30
An Outlook into the Year 2050: Navigating the Future of Efficiency and Innovation
How AI, global expansion and patient community outreach may reshape the way clinical trials are run, and what to change now to prepare.
Panel
Tue Nov 10
15:00–15:25
Inside the Incubator: What It Really Takes to Build a Biotech Company Today
What incubators backed by big drug companies look for in young biotechs, and how they help founders with money, advice and partners.
with Phinomics
Panel
Tue Nov 10
17:00–17:45
Resilient by Design: Reinventing Biopharma Alliances in a Fragmenting World
How drug companies are reshaping research and manufacturing partnerships to stay reliable as political tensions and supply chain risks divide the world.
with Handelsblatt, Angelini Ventures, Evotec +1 more
Business of BiotechBiomanufacturing Strategy
Panel
Tue Nov 10
16:30–16:55
The Role of Innovation in Biopharma Growth
How new ideas and technologies drive growth for drug companies, and how to keep innovating while scaling up, with real examples.
Panel
Wed Nov 11
10:00–10:45
AI Regulations: Driving Innovation While Navigating Compliance
What rules cover AI in drug development, where European and US regulators agree, and how rules could help rather than hinder innovation.
with European Medicines Agency
Panel
Wed Nov 11
09:00–10:00
Collaborative Innovation in CDMO Partnerships
How drug companies and contract manufacturers develop new therapies together, with examples of what makes these partnerships work and where they struggle.
with Eleva, Evotec
European Medicines Agency
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Gov, delegations & associations
EU agency that evaluates and supervises medicines for human and veterinary use.
Panel
Mon Nov 9
11:00–11:45
Unlocking Pharma’s Productivity Potential
Why developing medicines keeps getting costlier and slower, and whether AI and research sourced from other companies can make drug companies more productive.
with Norstella, M Ventures, Novo Nordisk +1 more
Business of Biotech
Panel
Tue Nov 10
13:00–13:45
Aligning with Regulators to Propel Innovation
What help and incentives the European Medicines Agency offers developers of new treatments, and how to use them on the road to approval.
with MSD
Panel
Tue Nov 10
14:00–14:45
Harnessing Regulatory Sandboxes to Drive Innovation in Novel Therapeutics & Technologies
How regulatory sandboxes, where regulators let new products be tested under adjusted rules, could support new therapies and health technologies in Europe.
with HTW Berlin, Innovative Health Initiative, CSL Behring
Panel
Wed Nov 11
10:00–10:45
AI Regulations: Driving Innovation While Navigating Compliance
What rules cover AI in drug development, where European and US regulators agree, and how rules could help rather than hinder innovation.
with Bayer
Panel
Wed Nov 11
09:00–09:45
From NAMs (New Approach Methodologies) Innovation to Regulatory acceptance: Accelerating human-relevant modelling
How lab models built on human biology, from organs-on-chips to AI computer models, can speed drug development and win regulators' acceptance.
with FRESCI, Merck KGaA, European Commission
Johnson & Johnson
New Brunswick, NJ
◇Silver Sponsor
Large pharmaSilver sponsor
Healthcare company developing innovative medicines and medical technologies; its Innovation unit partners with external researchers and start-ups.
Panel
Mon Nov 9
16:15–17:00
Building the Next Global Biotech Hubs: What Makes an Innovation Ecosystem Work?
What makes a region a strong biotech hub, from talent, labs and funding to links with global drug companies.
with 59 North Communications, Gateway Factory, Grove Biopharma +2 more
Panel
Tue Nov 10
10:00–10:25
Regulatory Updates for Orphan and Paediatric Medicines
How updated EU drug laws change the rewards for rare-disease and children's medicines, such as longer protection from competing copies.
Panel
Wed Nov 11
10:00–10:45
Envisioning the future of ophthalmology
What new data show about treatments for retinal disease, glaucoma and other eye conditions, and where investors see the most promise.
with Micro CRISPR, Boehringer Ingelheim, AAVantgarde Bio +1 more
Panel
Wed Nov 11
13:00–13:45
What's Next for Biomanufacturing Strategies?
Where the manufacturing of biological medicines is heading, from sturdier supply chains and industry mergers to AI and new ways to scale up.
with Resolution Therapeutics, Sandoz, Valneva
AstraZeneca
Cambridge, United Kingdom
Large pharma
Global pharmaceutical company developing medicines in oncology, cardiovascular, renal, respiratory, immunology and rare diseases.
Panel
Mon Nov 9
17:00–17:45
AI in the Lab: Why Greater Efficiency Could Mean More Drugs, Not Fewer Scientists
Why AI that forms hypotheses and guides experiments could mean more drug candidates, not fewer scientists, and how to pick which to pursue.
with Evaluate, Ingenix, Sofinnova Partners
Ecosystem InnovationBusiness of Biotech
Panel
Tue Nov 10
16:00–16:45
Unlocking Clinical Trial Systems
How EU clinical trial rules and a planned EU biotech law affect trial approval times, and whether Europe can speed up safely.
with Merck KGaA
Panel
Wed Nov 11
11:00–11:30
Sustainability & Innovation: Transforming Biopharma Partnerships for a Greener Future
How drug companies, smaller firms and suppliers can team up to cut supply chain carbon emissions and bring greener technologies to industrial scale.
EUCOPE
Brussels, Belgium
Gov, delegations & associations
Trade association representing small and mid-sized innovative pharmaceutical and biotech companies in Europe.
Panel
Tue Nov 10
10:30–10:55
Addressing Unmet Medical Needs in Europe’s Evolving Pharmaceutical Landscape
How regulators judge which diseases lack good treatments, which faster approval routes apply, and whether recent EU drug law changes have helped.
with PTC Therapeutics
Panel
Wed Nov 11
13:00–13:45
HTA Regulation: Early Insights and Reimbursement Implications
Early lessons from the EU's new joint reviews of how much new drugs help patients, and whether they ease or hinder patient access.
with Lundbeck
Panel
Wed Nov 11
10:00–10:45
Most Favoured Nations: A Game-Changer for Biotech Dealmaker?
How the US 'most favoured nation' policy, which ties US drug prices to prices paid abroad, is changing drug deals and European launch plans.
with Astellas, Bristol Myers Squibb, Boehringer Ingelheim
European Commission
Brussels, Belgium
Gov, delegations & associations
Executive body of the European Union, proposing legislation and running EU programmes, including health, medicines and research policy.
Panel
Tue Nov 10
09:00–09:45
Accelerating Innovation and Market Exclusivity Through Regulatory Incentives
How updated EU drug laws and the Biotech Act change how long new medicines are shielded from competing copies, compared with rules elsewhere.
with Swedish Medical Products Agency, Novartis
Panel
Wed Nov 11
09:00–09:45
From NAMs (New Approach Methodologies) Innovation to Regulatory acceptance: Accelerating human-relevant modelling
How lab models built on human biology, from organs-on-chips to AI computer models, can speed drug development and win regulators' acceptance.
with FRESCI, Merck KGaA, European Medicines Agency
Consulting, legal & services
Regulatory consultancy advising drug developers on regulatory and commercialization pathways, including gene therapy applications.
Panel
Mon Nov 9
14:00–14:45
Community Conversations – Session 1
Attendees join small-group lunch tables on a topic of their choice, from regulatory strategy and global launches to hiring talent and managing partnerships.
with R Kupiec Consulting, Sartorius, Venture Valuation +3 more
Business of BiotechRegulatory Strategy
Panel
Mon Nov 9
15:00–15:45
Community Conversations – Session 2
A second round of the same small-group lunch tables, letting attendees switch to another topic such as regulatory strategy, launches or partnerships.
with R Kupiec Consulting, Sartorius, Venture Valuation +3 more
Business of BiotechRegulatory Strategy
Panel
Tue Nov 10
13:00–13:55
Unlocking APACs Clinical Trials Potential: Navigating Regulatory Pathways, Bridging Strategies and Market Access Across the Region
How to run clinical trials and win approval in Japan, Korea, Taiwan and Southeast Asia, and when studies in local patients pay off.
CSL Behring
King of Prussia, PA
◆Platinum Sponsor
Large pharmaPlatinum sponsor
CSL's biotherapeutics business, making plasma-derived and recombinant therapies for rare and serious diseases.
Panel
Mon Nov 9
13:00–14:00
Navigating partnering and business development in a shifting global landscape
How funding conditions, treatment trends and geopolitics are shaping partnerships and acquisitions between drug and biotech companies, with real deal examples.
with Syneos Health, Abingworth, Genmab +2 more
Panel
Tue Nov 10
14:00–14:45
Harnessing Regulatory Sandboxes to Drive Innovation in Novel Therapeutics & Technologies
How regulatory sandboxes, where regulators let new products be tested under adjusted rules, could support new therapies and health technologies in Europe.
with HTW Berlin, Innovative Health Initiative, European Medicines Agency
MSD
Rahway, NJ
◆Platinum Sponsor
Large pharmaPlatinum sponsor
Global pharmaceutical company, known as Merck & Co. in the US and Canada, making medicines and vaccines.
Panel
Tue Nov 10
13:00–13:45
Aligning with Regulators to Propel Innovation
What help and incentives the European Medicines Agency offers developers of new treatments, and how to use them on the road to approval.
with European Medicines Agency
Panel
Wed Nov 11
09:00–09:45
How is the APAC region reshaping global biopharma?
How China, Japan, South Korea and other Asia-Pacific countries are moving from making drugs to inventing them, and how Western firms can partner.
with Sinovoy Health Group, WinHealth Pharma, Flagship Pioneering
Biogen
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Large pharma
Develops and markets therapies for neurological and neurodegenerative diseases, including multiple sclerosis and Alzheimer's disease.
Panel
Tue Nov 10
16:00–16:45
AI and Innovation in Clinical Trials: Transforming Operations and Accelerating Development
How AI can speed clinical trials, from drafting trial plans and finding patients to computer-simulated patients that cut how many real ones are needed.
with Atrogi, TransPerfect
Panel
Tue Nov 10
15:00–15:45
Mastering the Shifting Regulatory Landscape: Leveraging the Biotech Act for Innovation and Global Success
How the EU Biotech Act shapes cell and gene therapies, and how Europe compares with UK and US programmes for rare and personalised treatments.
with Roche

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