Fostering business leads

N etworking can be tough even in normal times, and today’s increasingly remote world of operating adds a whole new set of challenges. Businesses are adapting to the new reality of remote work brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, including the social behaviours that enable them to stay in touch and forge new relationships with partners, customers, and potential clients. It must be said however that, ironically, virtual networking can foster strong ties even more quickly than face-to-face interactions!

As Malta’s Enterprise Europe Network we continue to strive to facilitate this very important aspect of doing business and this we do through the various [often virtual] brokerage events we organise for you.

A particular networking event we currently bring to you is the “Meet in Italy for Life Sciences 2021” (MIT4LS2021) targeting start-ups, SMEs, research and healthcare organisations, investors, life sciences stakeholders from the following sectors: pharmaceutical/nutraceutical, medical devices, biology/biotechnology, IT applications for health, medicine, human health and well-being, and other related value chain activities.

MIT4LS2021 is the 7th edition of this event, with free registration, and it’s a hybrid of both virtual and physical meeting sessions, as follows.

“Waiting for MIT4LS2021”: this is a virtual meeting session open from mid-September 2020 to few months before the physical brokerage event in May 2021. Participants can request and set virtual meetings anytime from the matchmaking platform, using the platform own video call conference system.

“Face-to-face sessions, 12-14th May 2021”: this, on the other hand, includes face-to-face, 1-to-1 sessions carried out during MIT4LS2021 in Genoa, Italy on the 12-14th May 2021.

Besides the meetings sessions (ongoing virtual and the usual faceto-face, physical meeting session on the 12-14th May 2021), by registering to MIT4LS2021 brokerage event, you can benefit from other initiatives that will take place in May 2021 during the days of Meet in Italy for Life Sciences 2021.

An international conference will take place where renowned experts will provide insights on the impact of biomedical technologies throughout a lifetime. The last edition saw 400 registered organizations (30% not Italian, over 100 startups) engaged in about 1600 meetings (44% transnational), for a total of 31 countries involved and over 97,000 visits of the meeting platform. The international conference topic for this edition will be: Technological and Therapeutic Innovation for Our Life.

Additional to the conference, participants can enrol in thematic workshops & keynotes, providing light on specific topics in life sciences. Supporting the workshops, there will be an Opportunities Presentations where participating organisations briefly present the possible collaborations, opportunities, results, products, and services. An on-site Exhibition allows participants to have a closer look to the products and services at the stands of exhibiting organisations.

Participants will cover all the value chain of life sciences, from research to business & development, manufacturing, distribution, supply chain, regulatory issues, professional and consulting services, investment. If you’re linked to any of these areas, it is highly recommended you register for this brokerage event and connect with like-minded professionals. As always, maximum benefit from such events will be gained by keeping in mind the basic principles of networking.

The first principle of networking – whether virtually or in person – is to understand that networking is not synonymous with selling. The second is to ask what you bring to the relationship and think about why someone would want to connect with you. These principles have always held true but this pandemic has reshaped behaviours and expectations and, now more than ever, it is what you are bringing to a business relationship, rather than what you are taking.

There are currently 86 participants and counting, from different companies and organisations around the world. You may express your interest and register until the 3rd of May 2021. For more information and to register, please go to this link: https://genova2021. mit4ls.b2match.io/