COVID-19 vaccines upscale production matchmaking event
On the 29 and 31 March, the European Cluster Collaboration Platform successfully organised the first EU matchmaking event on COVID-19 vaccines production.
In partnership with the European Clusters Alliance (ECA) and the Council of European BioRegions (CEBR), the European Commission’s Task Force for Industrial Scale-Up of COVID-19 vaccines organised this event with the support of the European Cluster Collaboration Platform, who not only provided logistical support but also reached out health-related clusters to identify EU companies in the vaccines production and supply chain.
With over 300 participating companies from 26 Member States, the event aimed to:
- Support the acceleration and upscale of vaccine production by enhancing the participation of EU companies and ecosystems
- Speed up connections between vaccine developers and services companies, to improve planning for the current and future vaccine production in Europe.
In his opening address, Commissioner Thierry Breton, responsible for the Internal Market, said that “The ramp-up of vaccine production in Europe is unprecedented, both for our immediate and medium-term vaccination needs. We are working with industry to make better use of existing capacity and build new capability all around Europe.”
Agenda
The first day of the event was dedicated to matchmaking among manufacturing companies dealing with raw materials, manufacturing, coupling and formulation and fill and finish of vaccines.
The event's second day focused on ensuring connections with potential suppliers from across the vaccine production value chain, including companies involved in packaging, storage, shipment and distribution and production of accessories such as syringes and vials.
In order to facilitate matchmaking, the Commission issued a comfort letter providing guidance on how the matchmaking and exchanges between participating companies, including direct competitors, will take place in compliance with EU competition rules.
Find the link to the full press release here.
