A group of leading South Australian medical research and biotechnology companies are in the United States this week to pitch homegrown health innovations at the largest industry event in the world.
The trade mission, supported by Invest SA through the Department of State Development, aims to build on more than $105 million worth of deals that were struck by South Australian companies at BIO International Conventions in the last few years.
This year, 16 local companies will attend BIO International 2026 in San Diego, USA from 22-25 June to showcase South Australia’s position as a leading location for clinical research, clinical trials and pharmaceutical manufacturing and take part in targeted business and investment meetings.
The South Australian companies include specialists in clinical trials and drug development to frontier research companies and academia, such as Avance Clinical - a global full-service clinical research organisation headquartered in Adelaide.
Avance Clinical’s Senior Vice President & Head of Early Phase Center of Excellence Liahna Toy said BIO International was where the world's most innovative biotechs decide where to take their pipeline - and that South Australia is increasingly part of that conversation.
“The ability to activate a trial in approximately five to six weeks, backed by world-class facilities and deep regulatory framework and capability, is a compelling offer in any funding environment,” she said.
“… what sponsors consistently find here is speed, quality, and an ecosystem built for drug development.”
Avance Clinical specialises in First-in-Human and early-phase studies across more than 250 indications, with a specific focus on Oncology, Renal/Metabolic, and Central Nervous System trials. Avance Clinical has partnered with more than 700 emerging biotech companies to accelerate their programs to critical development milestones.
The company, which was awarded the International Health Export Award at the South Australian Premier’s Business and Export Awards in both 2023 and 2024, has more than 30 years of experience leading early phase clinical trials – from first in human studies through to Phase II – serving biotech sponsors across North America, Europe and Asia Pacific.
Touted as the most important convention for drug development in the world, BIO International 2026 will attract more than 20,000 industry leaders.
South Australia is home to deep clinical research, manufacturing and an end-to-end value chain supported by world-class infrastructure and digital capabilities. The state also houses Australia’s most comprehensive, connected and supportive clinical trial ecosystem, enabling trials here to start in just five to six weeks.
This provides an exceptionally collaborative and connected ecosystem for drug development, advanced manufacturing and data-driven health innovation.
The US was identified as a priority market for health and medical industries in South Australia’s Trade and Investment Strategy to 2030, which was released last year.
