CONFERENCE DAY ONE
Wednesday, December 3
Breakfast Briefing
8:00 am A Practical Understanding of AI’s Role in Sourcing, Procurement & Contracting: A Review of High-Impact Use Cases
Synopsis
- Understand how to assess vendor capabilities in a crowded AI market and select scalable tools that align with your company’s size, stage, and risk tolerance
- Discover how AI-powered tools streamline master service agreement reviews, flag key terms, and reduce legal team hours
- Learn how to communicate the data inputs, user effort, and real-world time savings required for AI adoption
- Ensuring realistic expectations and stakeholder buy-in
- Explaining AI “context drift” and discussing how to keep models aligned with current procurement scenarios, not outdated or irrelevant data
9:15 am Check-in & Morning Coffee
10:20 am Chair’s Opening Remarks
Procurement-Led Solutions for a Shifting Geopolitical and Economic Landscape
10:30 am Maximizing R&D Services Procurement ROI in a Shifting Macro Environment
Synopsis
- Explore how to build resilience into your R&D services procurement strategy amid evolving economic and policy conditions
- Understand the potential impact on R&D tax credits and how to align your sourcing model to maximize financial benefit
- Gain insights into navigating outsourcing decisions in a way that supports both innovation and compliance
11:00 am Panel Discussion: Collaborating Across the Tariff Divide to Investigate How Biopharma Can Navigate Global Trade Instability
Synopsis
- Discover approaches for distributing cost burdens across departments and projects to maintain momentum despite external pressure
- Understand how trade policy changes influence internal planning, budgeting, and risk mitigation – and how to build agile response frameworks
- Uncover risk-sharing procedures that balance cost burdens while maintaining continuity in supply and timelines
12:00 pm Actionable Strategies for Navigating Uncertain Trade Policies with Confidence
Synopsis
- Preserve margins by proactively negotiating and neutralizing import-related charges
- Strengthen resilience by integrating trade risk mitigation into sourcing and logistics planning
- Identify high-risk geographies and suppliers early to avoid reactive decision-making and costly delays
- Choosing manufacturing and backup locations that maximize stability, avoid sanctions, and future-proof your supply chain
12:30 pm Lunch Break & Networking
1:20 pm Speed Networking Session
Synopsis
- High-impact networking session designed for procurement and sourcing professionals across biotech, pharma, and CMOs
- Meet senior decision-makers of Director level and above, and discover innovative solution providers to help elevate your procurement function
- Your opportunity to make multiple meaningful connections in a short time, exchange insights, and spark collaborations that drive strategic value
Exploring Novel Procurement Opportunities to Ensure R&D Efficiency & Value
1:45 pm Building Smarter R&D Pipelines with Strategic Procurement to Accelerate Efficiency
Synopsis
- Uncover bottlenecks in your current assessment and implementation process
- Discover low-cost procurement strategies, vendor relationship hacks, and scalable evaluation frameworks that help small organisations punch above their weight
- Identify ways to future-proof implementation plans despite budget limitations
2:15 pm Roundtable Discussion: Building Smarter Partnerships by Strengthening Supplier & Cross-Functional Relationships to Accelerate Innovation
Synopsis
This roundtable discussion is designed to:
- Drive innovation through strategic supplier engagement by learning how to align with key vendors on pipeline priorities, integrate their expertise into product development, and foster long-term collaboration
- Negotiate contracts that enable growth, by identifying and re-framing fear-based clauses, pushing for fair and mutually accountable terms
- Equip teams to educate senior stakeholders on operational constraints, advocate for realistic timelines, and implement scalable sourcing models that support agility and compliance
3:15 pm Afternoon Break & Networking
Building Internal Alignment to Empower Procurement Through Collaboration & Foresight
3:45 pm Establishing Early Understanding with R&D Teams for Accurate & Efficient Sourcing
Synopsis
- Establish early engagement with the R&D team to vet raw materials, capacity, and quality preventing future supply issues
- Align sourcing timelines with fast paced project schedules to enable proper negotiation and evaluation of suppliers
- Build trust and collaboration between sourcing and technical teams by actively participating in technology discussions and identifying the right suppliers for their needs
- Leverage the opportunity of early development to partner with suppliers and secure favourable terms
4:15 pm Agile Strategic Sourcing: Aligning Cross-Functional Stakeholders for Sustainable & Scalable Procurement in R&D-Driven Biopharma
Synopsis
- Why Agile Matters in Biopharma Sourcing: Fast-paced, complex R&D environments require new sourcing models that enable innovation and speed
- Building a Cross-Functional Ecosystem: Traditional sourcing is often siloed and reactive, creating misalignment between R&D, Quality, Regulatory, and Procurement that causes delays
- From Reactive to Strategic Sourcing: Agile sourcing supports a shift toward more proactive, strategic decision-making across functions
- Driving Sustainability & Scalability: Embedding agility into sourcing helps organizations build more sustainable and scalable supply strategies