The EICC and Edinburgh BioQuarter have teamed up in an exciting partnership that aims to create new opportunities and raise global awareness of the Scottish life sciences sector.  

Here at the EICC, our mission is ‘to create an environment which inspires ideas that change the world.’ In a move that aligns perfectly with this vision, we formed a partnership with Edinburgh’s BioQuarter, the bioscience community that is transforming the present and defining the future of life sciences. 

BioQuarter is a leading global site of healthcare, medical research and life sciences innovation, which over the years has been central in ground-breaking progress in medical technology and patient care. The 100-acre site based near the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh is host to 7500 professionals and numerous pioneering organisations. Projects currently operating on the campus include the Anne Rowling Regenerative Neurology Clinic, funded by author J.K. Rowling, and the Scottish Centre for Regenerative Medicine, headed by Professor Sir Ian Wilmut who created ‘Dolly the Sheep’ – amongst countless other scientific ventures.   

Chief Executive of the EICC Marshall Dallas believes the new partnership will make the EICC, and Edinburgh, even more attractive on the global stage of life sciences research and innovation. “We know there is massive shared potential to bring even more of these events to Edinburgh,” says Marshall. “Through our new partnership and public events, we want to collaborate with partners across the country so that the whole nation benefits from increased life sciences business opportunities.”  

Through this “symbiotic partnership”, the two organisations aim to attract more medical and life sciences conferences to the city of Edinburgh, create new business opportunities and strengthen the city’s profile as a leader in the industry. “Scotland punches above its weight in life sciences and healthcare innovation,” says Anna Stamp, Interim Programme Director of the Edinburgh BioQuarter. “Through this partnership, we can showcase these opportunities, while supporting the EICC to continue to deliver a host of leading conferences and events in these sectors. The partnership will bring a host of benefits to the resident companies based across BioQuarter.

Welcoming innovators 

The EICC has played a role in promoting global scientific innovation by hosting some of the world’s most important life sciences industry conferences. 

A few of those notable life sciences conferences, recent and upcoming, include:

The Association of Dental Implantology (ADI) Team Congress, host to 900 delegates, took place at the EICC in May 2019. The conference focused on the three principles through which ADI are revolutionising dental implantology: skills, innovative technology, and teamwork. 

The European Society of Gene & Cell Therapy promotes research in gene and well therapy as well as genetic vaccines. Together with the British Society for Gene & Cell Therapy, they will host a collaborative congress of 1,000 delegates, which will take place at the EICC on October 2020.  

Drug Delivery to the Lungs (DDL) has taken place annually at EICC since 2005, bringing together world-leading experts in the development of medicines for inhalation. This year’s conference will be held in December 2019 with 600 delegates in attendance.  

The Microbiology Society Annual Conference celebrates its 75th anniversary in 2020. To mark the occasion the conference will span five days, including four days of scientific sessions that will demonstrate the importance of microbiology in addressing global issues. The event will be held at the EICC in April 2020, hosting 1,000 delegates. 

In June 2020, EICC will host 500 delegates for the World One Health Congress. The congress aims to offer early-career scientists the opportunity to network, collaborate and present their work. The event will be co-organised by the One Health Platform, the University of Edinburgh, Africa CDC and the Southern African Centre for Infectious Disease Surveillance. 

One of the first activities kicking off the EICC and BioQuarter collaboration will be EICC Live: The Future of Healthcare, held at the EICC on Tuesday 5 November. Attendees will hear from keynote speakers Dr Jamie Coleman, founder and chair of Edinburgh’s tech incubator CodeBase, and co-founder and COO of drug discovery company UltraHuman; Dr Catherine Stables, a data scientist interested in the power of data in improving health and care; and Prof Kev Dhaliwal, Professor of Molecular Imaging and Healthcare Technology at the University of Edinburgh and a consultant physician in respiratory medicine. 

“We really see the benefits of networking and events and bringing people together at major conferences can have a truly positive impact on companies like CALCIVIS.”  

The event will consider the question, “how important is innovation to the NHS?” Medical research breakthroughs are hugely important, but the matter of implementing such innovation by the NHS becomes a separate issue, particularly considering problems of time pressure, staff constraints and lack of funding. The event’s speakers will consider this in light of recent discoveries and advancement, sharing stories from their careers and drawing on their wealth of experience and expertise.  

The partnership between the EICC and BioQuarter has also been recognised by Edinburgh dental technology firm CALCIVIS. A BioQuarter success story, CALCIVIS was itself established at the site back in 2012 and has subsequently grown from a team of 3 to over a dozen employees. CEO Adam Christie describes the company’s excitement about the collaboration and the opportunities it will bring to the Bio Quarter’s resident companies. “We really see the benefits of networking and events, especially in terms of business development, and bringing people together at major conferences in Edinburgh can have a truly positive impact on companies like CALCIVIS.”  

Register here for free for EICC Live: The Future of Healthcare