CPHI Milan 2024: everything you need to know

CPHI Milan, the premier international pharmaceutical event, will be held from 8 to 10 October 2024 at Fiera Milano, Italy. Continuing its tradition of excellence, this year’s event aims to bring together suppliers, innovators, and professionals in pharmaceuticals within a unique environment that merges in-person and digital experiences. CPHI fosters connections and encourages partnerships within the global pharmaceutical community.

The event is a key platform for global supply chain connections, offering unmatched opportunities to form partnerships, secure contracts, and stay competitive. Whether you are looking to connect with industry leaders or innovators, this event covers it all.

Conference agenda highlights

CPHI Milan will present a comprehensive conference agenda on topics such as sustainability and pharma, next generation mRNA vaccines, European regulation, biomanufacturing, and more. These sessions aim to offer valuable insights and influence the industry’s future.

Day 1 – Tuesday 8 October

The first day starts with the opening ceremony, followed by a keynote by Giulia Del Brenna of the European Commission on the launch of the EU Biotech and Biomanufacturing Initiative to enhance competitiveness and industrial modernisation. These initiatives aim to promote innovation, attract investment and establish the EU as a top centre for biotechnology and biomanufacturing.

In parallel to this, Georg Roessling, Consultant and former Senior Vice President at PDA Europe, will give a keynote on “Navigating the Shift Toward Ready-To-Use Technology”.

The strong European and compliance themes continue with sessions on securing Europe’s pharmaceutical independence, navigating the regulatory environment on ensuring quality and compliance in ingredients, and more. Sustainability is a key theme, with talks on how to make it a focus. There is also an interactive session assessing the industry’s sustainability priorities, and comparing the state of sustainability integration in the pharma industry with other industries.

Day 2 – Wednesday 9 October

Wednesday starts with a workshop on materiality assessment, a topic often considered complex and shrouded in uncertainty and myths.
Participate in this workshop to apply the principles of double materiality in a live experiment. Attendees will learn about cross-industry prioritisation of sustainability issues through hands-on learning, working in groups that represent various segments of the pharmaceutical value chain. Participants will methodically proceed from a comprehensive list of topics defined by regulations through the new CSRD frameworks, culminating in initial assessment results.

Later, Michael Schorpp, Head of Knowledge Management & AI Development at Boehringer Ingelheim, will present on “Leveraging AI for Knowledge Management in Pharmaceutical Development”. The theme of how technology is transforming the business will continue with a panel on “Driving Next-Gen Biomanufacturing with Digital Transformation”, focusing on exploring the power of digital technologies for real-time monitoring and quality enhancement in manufacturing, AI’s expanding role in manufacturing and predictive maintenance, and addressing challenges in upskilling and regulation to help maintain high standards across manufacturing.

Day 3 – Thursday 10 October

Day three begins with two wellbeing sessions. While the pharmaceutical industry focuses on improving others’ wellbeing, it doesn’t often focus on that of its own workforce. These sessions offer insights into personal and professional development and teach stress management techniques for a better life.

For academia, there is a session on getting your research published in medicine and health journals by Priti Nagda, Publications Development Manager at Taylor & Francis Group, who will be guiding through the do’s and don’ts of getting your research into publications.

Also demonstrating the links between pharma and academia is a session on “Bringing Academia’s Technological Insights to Biomanufacturing”.
The session will explore the latest academic innovations and how they can benefit the biologics industry.

Academia undeniably connects to the industry’s future, and the session titled “Building the Future Pharma Workforce” will showcase CPHI’s Future Leader Award nominees. They will provide insights into the industry’s trajectory and discuss methods to nurture the next generation of leaders. This session aims to help attendees grasp how these emerging visionaries are influencing change and creating a more dynamic and sustainable future for the industry.

The future is also about innovation, and so the session on “Pharma’s Innovation Catalyst: How Partnerships, Investments, and Acquisitions Are Shaping Healthcare’s Future” connects directly to the topic. Pharma is often considered innovation-limited beyond core R&D. However, the venture capital branches of leading pharmaceutical firms are proving to be innovation engines, vital in fostering advances and addressing key healthcare issues.

Thursday marks the announcement of the Pharma Awards winners in the categories of accelerating innovation, sustainability, drug delivery and device, supply chain excellence, and manufacturing excellence.

The best in start-ups

Milan will be the second year when CPHI has welcomed start-ups in its Start-Up Market. The Start-Up Market is the place to see innovations and network with leading-edge pharma companies. Qualified start-ups in pharma, biopharma, digital, or medical device sectors can participate.
The market space provides advantages like show feature promotion, access to start-up mentors, and a dedicated networking lounge for start-ups. It will be a great space to discover new businesses and exciting developments in the pharma industry.

Sustainability and social responsibility

Sustainability is a key topic for both CPHI and the industry as a whole, so it is not surprising that it forms a central part of the event.

CPHI Milan is committed to organising an environmentally and socially responsible event. As well as being powered by 100 percent renewable energy, the organisers are running a “better stands programme” which aims to reduce the number of single-use stands and encourage reuse at other events. In line with previous years, there is a focus on continuously reducing the amount of single-use plastic across the whole event.

The show’s organisers are committed to social responsibility by collaborating with companies and communities near the pharma industry. They encourage attendees and exhibitors to use sustainable transport and have partnered with local organisations to support the local economy.
CPHI seeks to collaborate with pharma industry leaders in Milan to promote a more sustainable future. The Innovation Gallery and Start-Up Hub will highlight upcoming trends and innovations, while the Sustainability Award will recognise notable achievements from across the industry.

Click here to register and find out more information about CPHI Milan 2024.