25 May 2009: As a premium sponsor of NZBIO, Simpson Grierson is proud to announce that it will host the NZBIO Bioeconomy Industry Summit at the firm's Auckland office on Wednesday 3 June and Friday 3 July. The Summit will bring together a group of industry leaders, including members of the NZBIO National Advisory Council, to define a vision of what a broad-based bioeconomy will involve for New Zealand's future economic prosperity.

The aim of the NZ Bioeconomy Industry Summit is to:

• Comment on the development of the broader bioeconomy since the original Biotechnology Taskforce was convened in 2002
• Define a vision of what a sustainable and prosperous bioeconomy in New Zealand would look like in 2015
• Identify areas of competitive advantage and significant economic gain for New Zealand
• Develop recommendations, which will enable New Zealand to achieve the identified vision, including immediate recommendations to support the industry through the current recession, medium and long-term recommendations.

Following the summit, a report will be produced  outlining the vision and recommendations developed by the industry leaders.  This report will be used to inform the Government of the needs of the industry and the potential gains for national economic prosperity from supporting the life science sector.