Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the BIO Asia-Taiwan International Conference and Exhibition this year will take the form of a combined onsite and virtual presentation, when it opens on July 22, the organizers said.

The 2020 pharmaceutical and biotechnology trade fair is expected to bring together industry executives and investors from Taiwan and abroad, with some 500 exhibitors at 1,100 booths, according to Taiwan Bio Industry Organization (Taiwan BIO), one of the organizers

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The onsite displays at Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center will feature products for smart healthcare and innovative medicine, while exhibitors from the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, Belgium, Switzerland, Poland and Malaysia will have special international pavilions, Taiwan BIO said.

Also, more than 2,000 one-on-one virtual meetings will take place during the five-day show, to help promote business opportunities between Taiwan and the rest of the world, said Taiwan BIO, which is holding the exhibition in collaboration with the U.S.-based Biotechnology Innovation Organization.

The show will open July 22 under the theme "Finding Cures in the Crisis" and will include online seminars and panel discussions on five major topics -- Combating the Pandemic, Advanced Therapies, Precision Medicine, Digital Health, and Investment and Collaboration, the organizers said.

Now in its second year, the BIO Asia-Taiwan International Conference and Exhibition will run until July 26.