ZURICH & AMSTERDAM--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Mar 6, 2012 - BIO-Europe Spring®
2012 produced by EBD Group, the leading partnering firm for the life science
industry, will be held in Amsterdam March 19–21, 2012 at the Amsterdam RAI
Convention Center. This year's exciting event will kick off with opening
remarks from Eberhard van der Laan, the Mayor of Amsterdam; David Thomas,
Director of Industry Research & Analysis for the Biotechnology Industry
Organization (BIO); and Carola Schropp, President of EBD Group.
The real flavor of the event will be provided by BIO-Europe Spring keynote
speaker Hans Schikan, CEO of Prosensa, a Dutch biopharmaceutical company that
targets genetic disorders that have a large unmet medical need, with a primary
focus on neuromuscular disorders. Schikan's address, “About polders, pioneers
and partnerships,” will highlight the thriving Dutch biopharmaceutical sector,
and focus on the importance of partnerships as an essential ingredient of
success in biopharmaceutical pioneering. In light of the Amsterdam conference
setting, Schikan will also explain the role that lowlands and “polders” have
played in the Dutch way of cooperation. A polder refers to the Netherlands' characteristic
lowlands, or reclaimed farming soil, that are enclosed by embankments known as
dikes and that, like windmills, are part of the rich agricultural history of
Dutch farm life.