More than a thousand international investors and leading experts in biotechnology are heading to Prague. From May 4 to 6, the city will host the prestigious international BioEquity Europe conference, which will be held in Central and Eastern Europe for the first time in its 26-year history. The event will showcase innovative projects with the potential to advance the treatment of cancer and rare diseases, connecting them with investors. In doing so, it will help accelerate their development and market entry.
“BioEquity is of key importance not only for the European but also the global biotechnology community. It connects innovators and scientists with global investors and the largest pharmaceutical companies, helping them achieve commercial breakthroughs and ultimately benefit patients worldwide. This year, for the first time, the conference is heading east of the German border—to Prague. This is a clear signal that the Czech biotech scene has gained international recognition and become an equal partner,” says Petra Kinzlová, Director of the biotechnology association Prague.bio, which is the regional host of the event together with IOCB Tech, SOTIO Biotech, i&i Biotech Fund, and RSJ Investments. The conference is also supported by the City of Prague and held under the auspices of President Petr Pavel.
Among the keynote speakers at BioEquity Europe will be, for example, the globally recognized Czech biochemist and virologist Tomáš Cihlář. Based in the United States, he serves as Vice President at Gilead Sciences. He has successfully contributed to the development of HIV treatments as well as the antiviral drug Remdesivir, which is used to treat viral infections by inhibiting the virus in the human body. Last year, the prestigious American magazine Time included Cihlář among the 100 most influential people in the world.
The BioEquity Europe program will also feature other leading figures from Czech and international biotech business and research. In a panel presenting biotech company leaders, speakers will include Radek Špíšek from SOTIO Biotech, a company focused on developing more modern and effective cancer treatments. A discussion on radiopharmaceuticals will feature Martina Benešová Schäfer from the German Cancer Research Center in Heidelberg—who contributed to the development of the prostate cancer drug Pluvicto—and Miloslav Polášek, author of an innovative method for producing lutetium-177. This radioisotope is used in Pluvicto and enables precise targeting of cancer cells, destroying them from within without damaging surrounding tissue.
Among the startups, emerging Czech companies such as Deep MedChem, which uses artificial intelligence in drug development, and Adalid Sciences, active in gene and cell therapies, will also present. The investor perspective will be represented by Tomáš Maršálek from the i&i Biotech Fund.
More information about the event: https://conferences.biocentury.com/bioequity-europe
Regional hosting of BioEquity Europe 2026 is sponsored by IOCB Tech, SOTIO Biotech and the City of Prague.
