Former Evotec CEO Werner Lanthaler to Unveil Biotech Partnership Strategies at BIO 2026
BIO 2026 Convention — Anticipating Record-Breaking Partnering Meetings
The BIO International Convention 2026, held from June 22-25 at the San Diego Convention Center, is set to be the largest global bio event, with over 19,600 industry professionals and more than 1,500 exhibiting companies from 70+ countries. This year, the BIO Partnering platform has already surpassed 35,000 pre-booked 1:1 meetings, and is projected to exceed 70,000, setting a new record. With biotech M&A in the first half of 2026 reaching $106 billion (201 deals), returning to pre-pandemic levels, this year's convention is poised to be a pivotal platform for strategic deal-making.
Werner Lanthaler — Leveraging 15 Years of Partnership Expertise at Evotec
Featured on Labiotech's Beyond Biotech podcast, Dr. Werner Lanthaler served as CEO of Evotec SE (EVT, Frankfurt) for approximately 15 years, establishing strategic collaborations with global pharmaceutical giants such as Bristol Myers Squibb (BMY), Bayer (BAYN), Novo Nordisk (NVO), Eli Lilly (LLY), and Pfizer (PFE). He emphasized the importance of clear milestone setting and risk-sharing structures when early-stage biotech companies forge partnerships with large pharmaceutical companies. This aligns with the recent industry trend of decreasing upfront payments and increasing conditional milestone payments.
Evotec's Partnership-Driven Growth Model
Evotec achieved group revenues of €788.4 million in 2025 and received $25 million from BMS for neuroscience partnership milestones (October 2025) and $5 million related to protein degradation IND approval (November 2025). In December 2025, it restructured its business by selling its Toulouse biologics facility to Sandoz for over $650 million. Following Lanthaler's retirement in January 2024 due to health reasons, Dr. Christian Wojczewski assumed the role of CEO in July 2024 and is driving the 'Horizon' transformation strategy.
Lanthaler's Current Activities and Context for BIO 2026 Participation
After his retirement, Dr. Lanthaler joined FairJourney Biologics, a Portugal-based antibody discovery company, as CEO in October 2025. FairJourney Biologics possesses an integrated antibody discovery & development platform, and its global partnership expansion has accelerated since Lanthaler's arrival. At BIO 2026, he will attend from June 23-24 and also represent Myllia Biotechnology. Following his presentation at the J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference in January 2026, his continued presence at industry events underscores the ongoing relevance of his partnership strategies.
With the global biotech market estimated at approximately $1.963 trillion in 2026 and first-half M&A reaching $106 billion, the anticipated 70,000 partnering meetings at BIO 2026 signal a direct expansion of the deal pipeline. The milestone-based contract structure that Lanthaler demonstrated at Evotec generated hundreds of millions of dollars in value from transactions with BMS, Bayer, and Sandoz, and this model aligns with the current trend of large pharmaceutical companies seeking to reduce upfront risk. For early-stage biotech companies, structured 1:1 meetings through the BIO Partnering platform serve as a key entry point for securing funding and co-developing pipelines, aligning with the $5.2 billion in biopharma venture funding recorded in Q1 2026. From a researcher and industry professional perspective, it is an annual opportunity to directly access the latest data in key areas such as next-generation biotherapeutics, AI-driven drug development, cell and gene therapy, and rare diseases, through over 130 sessions.