Joint Event of the BeNeLux Chamber of Commerce and the QazBioPharm Holding

On 20 February 2024, Astana hosted a seminar on "Attracting Investment and Localising Production" by QazBioPharm National Holding JSC for trade and economic counsellors of EU member state embassies and representatives of European pharmaceutical companies. The seminar was the first event held under the memorandum of understanding and cooperation between the BeNeLux Chamber of Commerce and QazBioPharm Holding, signed in January 2024. The event was organised with the support of the EU Delegation to Kazakhstan.

The meeting was attended by the leadership of QazBioPharm National Holding JSC and the BeNeLux Chamber of Commerce, representatives of the diplomatic missions of Belgium, the Netherlands, Bulgaria, Latvia, Croatia and the EU, as well as representatives of Nazarbayev University and the pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca.

QazBioPharm National Holding JSC presented the 8 organisations within its structure (the Research Institute for Biological Safety Problems, the OtarBioPharm Plant, the National Centre for Biotechnology, the M. Aikimbayev National Scientific Centre for Especially Dangerous Infections, the Kazakh Scientific Research Veterinary Institute, the Scientific Centre for Anti-Infective Drugs, the National Collection of Microorganisms, and the BioMedPreparat Scientific and Analytical Centre) and outlined the specifics of their work. The central topic of the meeting was attracting European investment and localising innovative pharmaceutical production in Kazakhstan.
Representatives of the European diplomatic missions expressed interest in cooperation in pharmaceutical manufacturing, joint drug development and workforce training.

The meeting concluded with a tour of several of QazBioPharm Holding's laboratories for participants.

Background:
QazBioPharm is a national holding engaged in research and development in biotechnology. It was founded in July 2022.

THE HOLDING'S MISSION:
The effective management of legal entities whose state-owned equity stakes are transferred to the Holding for management, with the aim of ensuring biological safety, sustainable development and improvement of the biopharmaceutical market infrastructure, stimulating the development of biopharmaceutical science and industry, and meeting the needs of the state and society for biopharmaceutical products.