#EBW26 Live:   Aneta Tyszkiewicz delivers keynote lecture II –  ‘From scientific excellence to industrial leadership: Strengthening Europe’s attractiveness for research and innovation through the EU Biotech Act’  

This article is  351 words and a 2-minute read.  

Thursday’s keynote was delivered by Aneta Tyszkiewicz, Director of Science and Regulatory at the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA). The subject of the keynote was ‘From scientific excellence to industrial leadership: Strengthening Europe’s attractiveness for research and innovation through the EU Biotech Act’.  

The keynote addressed how fragmentation and regulatory complexity are undermining competitiveness and how the Biotech Act could help build a more coherent, innovation-friendly ecosystem. 

Reflecting on Europe’s biotechnology sector, Aneta highlighted the need encourage investment in research and development:  

“The most important point is about how Europe can strengthen its ecosystem to attract investment in research and development on life-saving therapies, such as advanced therapies, the most complex innovative therapies such as gene therapy, cell therapies or personalised medicine. 

Europe has a very strong foundation when it comes to scientific excellence, and now is the time to translate it into actual innovation that is being delivered to patients. Currently, structural obstacles related to fragmented approaches, lack of predictability and very complex frameworks prevent Europe from getting to the top of the competitiveness race.” 

Then, reflecting on innovation policy, she shared the need to reframe spending on innovation as an investment rather than a cost: 

“For too long in the European Union we have seen spending on innovation as a cost rather than a long-term investment that can have a positive impact on our society. This trend needs to be reversed because it is very short-sighted. There is clear evidence of the negative economic impact when we fail to invest in innovation at an early stage.” 

About Aneta Tyszkiewicz 

Aneta is Director, Science and Regulatory at the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA), representing the R&D-based pharmaceutical industry in Europe. She leads EFPIA’s policy and advocacy on data, real-world evidence and emerging technologies, including biotechnologies. 

Her work focuses on advancing the digital transformation of healthcare in Europe to enable the development of innovative, trusted solutions that deliver tangible benefits for patients. 

Aneta previously held roles at the Council of European Dentists, the International Diabetes Federation and in consulting. 

You can read her abstract here.