Tallinn will host the biggest biotechnology and food technology event in the Baltic Sea
22 September 2010 - 22 September 2010
Estonia
According to one of the main organisers of the event, Jaanus Pikani, Vice President of ScanBalt, very prominent presenters are expected to the forum ranging from Prof. Horst Klinkmann, co-creator of the first artificial organs to Maive Rute, Director of the European Commission’s Biotechnologies and Food Technology Directorate. “Key topics will include population ageing in the entire Europe, healthy nutrition and the food industry’s future and cross-border patient mobility in the EU,” he said. “The goal of all of these discussions is a longer and healthier lifespan for people thanks to better healthcare and living environment and a healthier choice of food”.
The forum will be opened by Juhan Parts, the Minister of Economic Affairs and Communications, Dr. Wolfgang Blank, President of ScanBalt and Maive Rute, Director of the European Commission’s Biotechnologies and Food Technology Directorate who will talk about the future prospects of the European bio-economy. One of the forum’s key presenters Prof. Horst Klinkmann who was part of the group that developed the first artificial heart and artificial kidney in the 1960s will talk about healthy aging and changes in the medical system.
A summary of the present state of Estonian bioeconomy and future prospects will be provided by Olavi Otepalu, Estonian Biotechnology Programme Manager, Prof. Andres Metspalu, Chairman of Estonian Genome Centre of the University of Tartu and Riin Ehin, Board Member of Estonian Biotechnology Association.
Healthy nutrition and the future of the food industry are discussed on all three forum days. In addition to the best Estonian specialists Prof. Marika Mikelsaar, Prof. Mihkel Zilmer, Prof. Raivo Vilu and Prof. Olav Kärt, the future of this field will be outlined by experts from Copenhagen, Turku, Lübeck, Lund and Helsinki universities and the Cork Institute of Technology in Ireland, as well as food industry representatives from Scandinavia and Germany.
Dr. Ain Aaviksoo, head of the Praxis Centre for Policy Studies will chair the cross-border patient mobility discussion and panel discussions include representatives from the Nordic Innovation Centre, Finland National Institute for Health and Welfare and Berlin University of Technology. The discussion on opportunities for health services export will be chaired by Kitty Kubo, the head of Estonian Development Fund’s Foresight Division.
According to Olavi Otepalu, Estonian Biotechnology Programme Manager the conference will include a networking event on 24 September where domestic biomed technology companies and research institutions can find foreign partners. “Over 20 companies and research institutions have registered to this event to-date from both Estonia and abroad,” Otepalu said. “Other Estonian companies include Asper Biotech, provider of DNA diagnostics and personal medical solutions, Girf, developer of patient remote monitoring technology, Hansabiomed who develop solutions to diagnose the earliest stage of tumour, research institutions include for example the Competence Centre of Food and Fermentation Technology and the Biomedical Engineering Department of the Tallinn University of Technology.”
ScanBalt Forum is the biggest biotechnology conference in the Baltic Sea region that takes place annually in different countries. The event is held under the auspices of the ScanBalt co-operation network. ScanBalt is a regional organisation of life sciences that connects clusters, research institutions, biotech companies, healthcare providers and public sector institutions in the Baltic Sea region. Over 60 universities and 2,100 biotech companies operate within the organisation’s region that spans from Iceland to Northern Germany and from Denmark to North-Western Russia. ScanBalt’s secretariat is based in Copenhagen, Denmark with additional offices in Tartu, Gdansk and Rostock.
Venue: 22 September at 1 pm at Swissotel, Tornimäe 3, Tallinn
The forum will be opened by Juhan Parts, the Minister of Economic Affairs and Communications, Dr. Wolfgang Blank, President of ScanBalt and Maive Rute, Director of the European Commission’s Biotechnologies and Food Technology Directorate who will talk about the future prospects of the European bio-economy. One of the forum’s key presenters Prof. Horst Klinkmann who was part of the group that developed the first artificial heart and artificial kidney in the 1960s will talk about healthy aging and changes in the medical system.
A summary of the present state of Estonian bioeconomy and future prospects will be provided by Olavi Otepalu, Estonian Biotechnology Programme Manager, Prof. Andres Metspalu, Chairman of Estonian Genome Centre of the University of Tartu and Riin Ehin, Board Member of Estonian Biotechnology Association.
Healthy nutrition and the future of the food industry are discussed on all three forum days. In addition to the best Estonian specialists Prof. Marika Mikelsaar, Prof. Mihkel Zilmer, Prof. Raivo Vilu and Prof. Olav Kärt, the future of this field will be outlined by experts from Copenhagen, Turku, Lübeck, Lund and Helsinki universities and the Cork Institute of Technology in Ireland, as well as food industry representatives from Scandinavia and Germany.
Dr. Ain Aaviksoo, head of the Praxis Centre for Policy Studies will chair the cross-border patient mobility discussion and panel discussions include representatives from the Nordic Innovation Centre, Finland National Institute for Health and Welfare and Berlin University of Technology. The discussion on opportunities for health services export will be chaired by Kitty Kubo, the head of Estonian Development Fund’s Foresight Division.
According to Olavi Otepalu, Estonian Biotechnology Programme Manager the conference will include a networking event on 24 September where domestic biomed technology companies and research institutions can find foreign partners. “Over 20 companies and research institutions have registered to this event to-date from both Estonia and abroad,” Otepalu said. “Other Estonian companies include Asper Biotech, provider of DNA diagnostics and personal medical solutions, Girf, developer of patient remote monitoring technology, Hansabiomed who develop solutions to diagnose the earliest stage of tumour, research institutions include for example the Competence Centre of Food and Fermentation Technology and the Biomedical Engineering Department of the Tallinn University of Technology.”
ScanBalt Forum is the biggest biotechnology conference in the Baltic Sea region that takes place annually in different countries. The event is held under the auspices of the ScanBalt co-operation network. ScanBalt is a regional organisation of life sciences that connects clusters, research institutions, biotech companies, healthcare providers and public sector institutions in the Baltic Sea region. Over 60 universities and 2,100 biotech companies operate within the organisation’s region that spans from Iceland to Northern Germany and from Denmark to North-Western Russia. ScanBalt’s secretariat is based in Copenhagen, Denmark with additional offices in Tartu, Gdansk and Rostock.
Venue: 22 September at 1 pm at Swissotel, Tornimäe 3, Tallinn