All companies — large and small, biotech included — have felt the pinch of the current (or recent, depending on your point of view) recession. From huge multinational companies to virtual start-ups, all are taking a good hard look at the way they do business. And as it does every year, the 2010 BIO International Convention will offer something for every company and every situation. Business-oriented sessions range from hard-earned experience to provocative new ideas.

On the BioProcess International website this month, you'll find interviews about technology transfer, creative business models, partnering and licensing, bankruptcy, and global biotechnology business with these session organizers:

• Arthur Pappas (managing partner of Pappas Ventures)

• Christopher Merrill (director of business development at Tolerx, Inc.)

• Richard Brown (partner and head of the Tokyo office of Plexus Ventures LLC)

• Cheryl Reicin (practice leader in the technology and life sciences group at Torys, LLP)

• Wendy Pan and James Hattersley (Morgan Lewis and Bockius)

• Louise Sarup (senior business development manager of IP at Pragmatics Ltd.)

• David Anderson (deputy director and head of the business development office at Burnet Institute)

• David Charapp (special counsel for Foley and Lardner, LLP)

• Rainuka Gupta (principal engineer with Cambridge Consultants)

• Tamsen Valoir (a partner at Baker and McKenzie LLP).

FINANCE SESSIONS AT THE 2010 BIO INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION
Sponsored by Alexandria Real Estate and MedImmune

Monday, 3 May 2010
2:00–3:30 PM
A New Kind of Non-Dilutive Financing and Fundraising: Partnering with Not-for-Profits
4:00–5:30 PM
Life Science Investment Strategies for India: Translating Potential to Reality

Tuesday, 4 May 2010
8:00–9:00 AM
Establishing and Improving a Company's Investor Base
9:30–10:30 AM
The Valor of VC
2:00–3:30 PM
Business and Financing Strategies for the Next Generation of Oncology Products
4:00–5:30 PM
Novel Strategies for Survival and Building Value in Drug Development

Wednesday, 5 May 2010
8:00–9:30 AM
Bridges Over Troubled Water and M&A “á la carte”: Financing and Exiting
10:00–11:30 AM
Accessing Capital Through Risk-Sharing Models Between Early-Stage Companies and CROs
2:00–3:30 PM
A Diamond in the Rough: Trends and Strategies in the Healthcare VC Market
4:00–5:30 PM
Building Shareholder Value: Innovation in Science and Business

Thursday, 6 May 2010
8:00–9:30 AM
Goose with the Golden Egg: A Look at Biotech's Big Money Acquisitions
10:00–11:30 AM
Running on Empty: Accessing Capital from Diverse Sources

LEGAL/INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY SESSIONS AT THE CONVENTION
Sponsored by Foley Hoag LLP

Monday, 3 May 2010
4:00–5:30 PM
Patents for Personalized Medicine Products: Considerations and Pitfalls for the Unwary

Tuesday, 4 May 2010
8:00–9:00 AM
Patenting Genes: In Search of Calmer Waters
9:30–10:30 AM
How International Patent Policy Can Foster Innovation
2:00–3:30 PM
A Wolf in Sheep's Patents: Everything Biotech Companies Need to Know abut ITC Section 337 Investigations
4:00–5:30 PM
Follow-On Biologics: The Proposed Legislation and Its Impact on Your Patent Portfolio

Wednesday, 5 May 2010
8:00–9:30 AM
Preparing for a New Era of FDA Enforcement
10:00–11:30 AM
New Decade, New Challenges: The Potential for Major Changes in Promotional Regulation
2:00–3:30 AM
Living in the Fish Bowl: Disclosure, Transparency, and Compliance Issues
4:00–5:30 PM
An International Dilemma: Integrating Development and Social Policy Objectives Into Global Patent Law Standards

Thursday, 6 May 2010
8:00–9:30 AM
IP in Tough Economic Times: Pitfalls and Opportunities

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT SESSIONS AT THE CONVENTION
Sponsored by Pfizer

Monday, 3 May 2010
2:00–3:30 PM
How to Acquire New Products and Technologies: What's New/What's Not?
4:00–5:30 PM
After the Honeymoon: Making Partnerships Work

Tuesday, 4 May 2010
8:00–9:00 AM
Imposing Boundaries: Global vs. Regional Licensing Deals
9:30–10:30 AM
Business Development Success 101 (Prerequisite: “Soft Skills” 100)
2:00–3:30 PM
Outlicensing: The Scarlett “O” Is Now the Big “O”
4:00–5:30 PM
Leveraging Partnerships to Establish Independent Capabilities

Wednesday, 5 May 2010
8:00–9:30 AM
LSTNOP: Late-Stage Trials, No Partner
10:00–11:30 AM
Valuation Insights for Turbulent Times
2:00–3:30 PM
Maximizing the Financial Boom of Our Current Partner-Dependent Business Paradigm

Thursday, 6 May 2010
10:00–11:30 AM
The Biotech Sandbox: Putting Aside Competition to Advance Transformational Technologies