Programme


 Thursday, June 15, 2023
08:00-09:00 REGISTRATION
09:00-10:15 WELCOME & OPENING REMARKS
  • Ioanna Koukli, HBio President; Founder & CEO Pharmassist Ltd, Greece
  • Christos Dimas, Former Deputy Minister for Research & Technology, MP Nea Dimokratia
  • Athanasios Kyriazis, General Secretary for Research & Innovation; President of “Elevate Greece S.A.”
  • Vasiliki (Vicky) Loizou, Secretary General for International Economic Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Chairperson, Enterprise Greece
  • Sophia Kounenaki-Efraimoglou, President, Athens Chamber of Commerce & Industry (ACCI), Greece
  • Nektarios Tavernarakis, Chairman, Foundation for Research & Technology; Research Director, Institute of Molecular Biology & Biotechnology, FORTH, Crete, Greece
  • Thomas Bartzanas, Vice Rector, Research, Finance & Development, Agricultural University Athens; Director, Lab of Farm Structures, Agricultural University of Athens, Greece
  • Dimitris Kletsas, Vice-President National Centre for Scientific Research “Demokritos”; Director, Institute of Biosciences & Applications (IBA), Greece
  • Efstathios Gonos, General Director, Hellenic Pasteur Institute, Greece
  • Denis Sarigiannis, Director & President of the Board, National Hellenic Research Foundation, Greece
  • Georgios Skretas, Director, Institute for Bio-innovation, Biomedical Sciences Research Center “Alexander Fleming”, Greece
  • Konstantinos Tamvakopoulos, Research Director, Institute of Biomedical Research, Academy of Athens, Greece
  • George Vassilopoulos, Executive Consultant, Hellenic Union of Pharmaceutical Industry (PEF), Greece
  • Michael Himonas, General Manager, Hellenic Association of Pharmaceutical Companies (SfEE), Greece
  • Costas Troulos, Senior Advisor, Industry, Growth, Technology & Innovation, SEV Hellenic Federation of Enterprises, Greece
10:15-12:35

KEYNOTE SESSION 1: The vision of the Biotechnology & Life Sciences sector: Opportunities & challenges
Chairperson: Constantine A. Stratakis, MD; Senior Associate, NICHD, National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, MD, USA; Chair, Science Board & Director, Research Institute, ELPEN, Inc. Athens; Director, Human Genetics & Precision Medicine, IMBB, FORTH, Heraklion; Director, Medical Genetics, H. Dunant Hospital, Athens; Head, Hellenic Network for Molecular Oncology (EDIMO) , Athens, Greece

Panelists:

 10:15-10:35  Innovating and Collaborating for Tomorrow - Global drivers of change
George Kourepis, Director, Strategy Consulting practice, Deloitte, Greece
10:35-10:55
The innovative scientific venture responsible for the COVID19 vaccines
Alexis M. Kalergis, Director & Full Professor; Millennium Institute on Immunology & Immunotherapy P. Universidad Católica de Chile, Chile; Founder, Biomedical Research Consortium & Biothervax
10:55-11:15 The next frontier in neuroscience and the future of biotechnology
Michel Vounatsos, Former CEO Biogen Inc.; Director of PerkinElmer since 2020, Chair of the nominating & governance committee; Director, Zai Lab Ltd since 2023, Chair of the commercial committee & member of the research and development committee; Entrepreneur, USA
11:15-11:35  Research in Greece is a necessity
Spyros Artavanis-Tsakonas, President, National Council for Research, Technology & Innovation (ESETEK); Professor Emeritus of Cell Biology; Faculty Member, Harvard Medical School's Cell Biology Department, USA
11:35-11:55 Investing in biotechnology: innovation with multiplier effect for Greece
Vassilis Paretzoglou, Group Director of Corporate Development, DEMO SA, Greece
11:55-12:15
Health and Biotech at EIC: Strategy, Challenge-based Calls and Impact
Iordanis Arzimanoglou, EIC Program Manager for health & biotechnology
 12:15-12:35 Discussion & Q&A
12:35-14:30 NETWORKING LUNCH - EXHIBITION BOOTH PRESENTATIONS - B2B MEETINGS
14:30-17:30 KEYNOTE SESSION 2: Bridging the Gap from Research to Commercialization
 Chairperson: Georges Kotrotsios, Technology Advisor Roumai Medical; Member, Industrial Advisory Board, Swiss Academy of Engineering Sciences, Switzerland

Speakers:
14:30-14:50 Barriers and Accelerators for new biomedical spinouts
Mike Romanos, Assoc. Dean, Enterprise, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College, London, UK
14:50-15:10 Developing clinically-relevant medical technologies in the academic lab
Nikos Stergiopoulos, CEO Rheon Medical, Lausanne, Switzerland
15:10-15:30 Building impactful innovation ecosystems
Lysimachos Zografos, Entrepreneur-in-Residence (Wellcome Trust), University of Edinburgh, Scotland
15:30-15:50 Breaking Barriers: Filling the Missing Gap
Christian Duchow, Director – Founder The BioArte Ltd & The Materia Company Ltd, Greece
15:50-16:10 The Role of Medical Affairs bridging between science and value in General & How can Big Pharma support and accelerate speed to market for Biotech Start ups
Gerald Panday, Head of Medical Europe, Canada & Thrombosis Franchise; Global Medical Affairs, LEO Pharma, Denmark
16:10-16:30 Financial and non-financial tools by HDB: bridging the gap
Panagiotis Papageorgiou, Director of Innovation, Hellenic Development Bank, Greece
16:30-16:50 Preparing the ecosystem for smart health data spaces
Dimitrios Katehakis, Head, Center for eHealth Applications& Services
FORTH, Institute of Computer Science, Greece
16:50-17:30 Discussions & Q&A
17:30-19:00 NETWORKING DRINKS - EXHIBITION BOOTH PRESENTATIONS - B2B MEETINGS
 Friday, June 16, 2023
08:30-10:00 GREEK BIOPHARMA INNOVATION: Your changing world with the new EU Pharma Legislation
EU pharma legislation is going to change your business. What you make, where and how you sell it, and whether your business model is even viable.
The European Commission published new legislative proposals in April that will redefine the business model of biotechnology in Europe. In trying to bring medicines to more patients, the legislation proposals reduce data protection, limit exclusivity for orphan medicines and brings heavy pressure to launch in all 27 Member States within two years of EMA approval.
Changing the rule book that has helped build Europe’s small company ecosystem over the last 20 years is going to have consequences for start-ups, those seeking scale up investment, clinical trials and companies going to market, often for the first time.
This session/panel, chaired by EuropaBio, presents the key impacts points for biotechnology innovation within Greece, with contributions from small and large companies and policy makers – bring your voice to the discussion for the future of your own science.
Chairperson: Claire Skentelbery, Director General EuropaBio, Belgium

Panelists:
  • Hardy Rideout, Co-founder & CSO, Anacalypsis Therapeutics, Greece
  • Georgios Drakakis, CEO, Purposeful, Greece
  • Kostas Papagiannis, Country President & Managing Director, Novartis Hellas, Greece
  • Michael Himonas, General Manager, Hellenic Association of Pharmaceutical Companies, Greece
  • Ioanna Michalopoulou, Managing Partner, Michalopoulou & Associates, Greece
10:00-12:00 KEYNOTE SESSION 3: The role of clinical research in supporting disruptive innovation  
Chairperson: Nassos Alevizopoulos, Senior Scientific Advisor, Pharmassist Ltd, Greece

Speakers:
10:00-10:20 Breakthrough Innovation in Rare Disease:  Opportunities and Challenges
Angelos Stergiou, President & CEO SELLAS Life Sciences Group, USA
 10:20-10:40 Focused Case Study from a Project Management Lens: The real cost of doing business
Sariah Ramoutar-Persaud, Executive Director, Clinical Operations, Applied Therapeutics, Inc., USA
10:40-11:00
Early phase clinical trials in Greece: the case of the Clinical Research Unit at the Aristotle University School of Medicine
George Papazisis, Professor Clinical Pharmacology, Psychiatrist & Clinical Pharmacologist, Medical Director, Clinical Research Unit, School of Medicine, Aristotle University Thessaloniki, Greece
 11:00-11:20 How we can locally enhance clinical research and promote innovation
Manos Koutalas, Medical Affairs Director, Janssen Greece-Cyprus-Malta
11:20-11:40
Boundless Mass Spectrometry Measurements in Biomedical Sciences; A driver for the Discovery and Development of novel therapeutics
Konstantinos Tamvakopoulos, Research Director, Researcher A‘ Center for Clinical, Experimental Surgery & Translation Research; Head of Pharmacology Laboratory, Institute of Biomedical Research, Academy of Athens, Greece
11:40-12:00 Discussions & Q&A
12:00-14:00 NETWORKING LUNCH - EXHIBITION BOOTH PRESENTATIONS - B2B MEETINGS
14:00-16.30 KEYNOTE SESSION 4: Investment Opportunities for Disruptive Innovation  
Chairperson: Elias Papatheodorou, Board Chair, HepaRegeniX (Germany) & Memo Therapeutics (Switzerland); Board member, Tribune Therapeutics, Sweden

Speakers:
  • Maria Hala, Senior Business & Strategic Development Advisor / Angel Investor, Greece
  • Aristos Doxiadis, Partner, Big Pi Ventures, Greece
  • Valeri Petrov, Partner, Eleven Ventures, Bulgaria
  • Christian Kumar, Entrepreneur in Residence; Research, Enterprise & Scholarship Department Innovation & Entrepreneurship, The Open University, UK 
  • Sofia Ioannidou, Partner, Andera Partners, France
  • Elias Eliades, Director, Investment Promotion, Enterprise Greece
  • Antigoni Lymperopoulou, Chief Executive Officer, Hellenic Development Bank of Investments (HDBI), Greece
16:30-18:30 EXHIBITION BOOTH PRESENTATIONS & B2B MEETINGS
 Saturday, June 17, 2023
09:30-11:30 Precision Medicine - Innovative Approaches to Tailoring Disease, Prevention & Treatment
Chairperson: Stamatiki Kritas, Business Development Manager HBio
09:30-09:50 MEDIC NEST: A collaborative initiative of 4 EU Life Science Clusters and the vision of a European Meta Cluster in Precision Medicine
Johan Lecocq & Verlee Veerle De Colvenaer, MEDVIA BE
Alfonso Garcia, BIOTECYL Health Cluster of Castilla y León ES
Raluca Ursaciuc, IMAGO-MOL Cluster RO
Stamatiki Kritas, HBio GR
09:50-10:10 Hellenic Network for Molecular Oncology (EDIMO)
Constantine A. Stratakis, Head, EDIMO, Athens, GR
10:10-10:30 National Research Infrastructure for Personalized Medicine (pMedGR)
Piyi Papadaki, Infrastructure Manager, Center of New Biotechnologies & Precision Medicine, National & Kapodistrian University of Athens, GR
10:30-10:50 Hybrid Molecular Imaging Unit at FORTH.  Cutting-edge molecular imaging technology setting new standards into translational research
Georgios Z. Papadakis, Institute of Computer Science, FORTH GR
10:50-11:10 Building Data Management Systems for Precision Medicine: Lessons Learnt from Four National Flagship Projects.
Irini Fundulaki, Institute of Computer Science, FORTH GR
 11:10-11:30 Discussion & Q&A
11:30-12:00 NETWORKING MORNING TEA / EXHIBITION BOOTH PRESENTATIONS / B2B MEETINGS
12:00-14:00 INTERACTIVE WORKSHOP FOR STARTUPS & SMEs
12:00-12:50 Digital Transformation in the Healthcare Sector: How High Performance Computing can transform your Business.
The performance of almost all industries is significantly impacted by digital transformation, and healthcare is no exception. Especially for the healthcare and biotech sector is crucial to offer better patient care digitally, wherever the patient may be. There are a growing number of opportunities in the diagnostics and healthcare sectors related to digital transformation offering enormous opportunities for the innovative start-up companies. The European Digital Innovation Hubs (EDIHs), a pan-European Initiative, are one-stop shops that assist businesses and the public sector in responding to digital challenges and enhancing their competitiveness.
Dimitrios Filippidis, Senior Project Manager at the ICS-FORTH, will present the European Digital Innovation Hub on Precision Medicine and Innovative E-health Services (smartHEALTH) that brings together all the research and innovation leaders in Greece in the field of digital and smart health to facilitate the digital transformation of the private and public sector.
Eleni Kanellou, Research Collaborator at ICS-FORTH, will demonstrate the importance of adapting High Performance Computing (HPC) in SMEs and its impact to drug discovery, personalized medicine and healthcare.
Participants will have the opportunity to get an overview of the various benefits that HPC can bring to their business through the smartHEALTH Digital Innovation Hub.
 12:50-13:20 Preparing for investment in changing landscape of capital
Christian Kumar, Entrepreneur in Residence; Research, Enterprise & Scholarship Department, The Open University, UK
 13.20-13.30 Challenges during the establishment of a startup
Barbara Geladakis, Founder & CEO, Rodi Fertility
 13.30-14.00 Discussion & Q&A
14:00-15:00 NETWORKING LUNCH / EXHIBITION BOOTH PRESENTATIONS / B2B MEETINGS
15:00-17:00 PITCH YOUR IDEA
Moderator: Michael Dritsas, CEO, Elevate Greece SA
17:00-18:00 FINAL REMARKS - ANNOUNCEMENT OF WINNERS



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This event is organized under the framework of the MEDIC-NEST project aiming to enhance collaboration between European clusters and their members in the field of precision medicine.