John Kao, professor in the Pharmaceutical Sciences Division, associate dean of the Division of International Studies, and faculty director of the Shanghai Innovation Office, was on hand when a new international collaboration with a Taiwanese biotech non-profit is signed in late June.

The novel collaboration links pharmaceutical expertise in Wisconsin and Taiwan and is the result of a meeting between a UW-Madison delegation and the Development Center for Biotechnology (DCB), a Taiwanese biotech non-profit, in 2012.

A recognition ceremony to celebrate the bioscience partnership was one of the Wisconsin highlights of BIO 2014 held June 23-26 in San Diego. Kao and Daniel Cheng, vice president of DCB, talk about how the collaboration came about and its many benefits to both institutions.

The BIO International Convention is the largest global event for the biotechnology industry and attracts the biggest names in biotech, offers key networking and partnering opportunities, and provides insights and inspiration on the major trends affecting the industry. The event features keynotes and sessions from key policymakers, scientists, CEOs, and celebrities. Past speakers include President George W. Bush, President Bill Clinton, Former Prime Minister of Great Britain and Northern Ireland Tony Blair, Michael J. Fox, Sir Elton John, Her Majesty Queen Noor of Jordan, and General Colin Powell, among many others. The Convention also features the BIO Business Forum (One-on-One Partnering), hundreds of sessions covering biotech trends, policy issues and technological innovations, and the world’s largest biotechnology exhibition – the BIO Exhibition.