在里斯本这座面朝大洋，向海而生的港口城市，连接与交流始终是其鲜明特质。
伊比利亚半岛第一长河塔霍河于此处入海，也为这里带来了开放的视野与流动的格局，让不同创新想法在此汇聚、连接、交融。
如今，在全球生物医药产业，这种“连接”有了新的意义。
在BIO-Europe Spring 2026期间，药明康德如约在里斯本举办“药明之夜”。近300位来自欧洲乃至全球的创业家、投资者、领军人齐聚一堂。在繁忙的日常之外，嘉宾们得以回望过往的发展历程，思考驱动行业前行的根本动力，并在交流中汲取新的启发。药明康德也借此契机，对长期以来为行业发展作出的探索与贡献的创新者表达由衷的敬意。
韧性为基，合作共筑创新
在活动现场，来自北欧、德国、法国和比利时多家投资机构的资深专家从产业韧性、合作共赢以及加速创新等多个维度，分享了对生物科技领域发展前景的乐观判断。
Eir Ventures创始合伙人Stephan Christgau博士指出，生物医药的长期韧性深植于产业根基之中：“新药研发的需求始终存在，未被满足的临床需求依然巨大，创新也在持续发生。我们在看到挑战的同时，更要看到希望。”
“这个行业的根基，是一群始终不轻言放弃的人。”TVM Capital Life Science管理合伙人Hubert Birner博士进一步强调，产业韧性的背后，协同合作始终发挥着关键作用：“行业经历过起伏，也经历过复苏，但始终不变的是创业家、投资者、服务平台与医药企业之间的合作。这种协同精神，需要被持续传承。”
V-Bio Ventures联合创始人兼管理合伙人Willem Broekaert博士则以“餐桌”来比喻合作共赢的行业生态：“几十年前，参与者还很少，而如今越来越多‘宾客’加入。参与者增加，也带来了更丰富的资源与合作机会。关键在于共享、合作，并从彼此的经验与方法中学习。”
Jeito Capital首席科学官Claudio Costa-Neto博士则回归产业本质，强调为患者加速创新：“以患者为中心，意味着加快研发节奏，让疗法能及时到达患者手中。这需要资金，也需要团队、能力，以及贯穿整个价值链的协作。”
自成立以来，药明康德协助客户更早识别挑战、更好地连接能力与技术、也更快地用“药明速度”让产业充满韧性，让创新稳步向前。
动能为势，驱动创新加速
如果说“韧性”构成了行业的底色，那么当下积累的发展动能，正引领行业迈向新的阶段。
在全球产业生态圈，欧洲以其深厚而扎实的科研基础闻名。没有人质疑这些科学的含金量，关键在于，如何将这些科研成果更快转化为创新疗法。
令人振奋的是，新一代生物科技公司正不断涌现，站在推动创新转化的前沿。
“药明之夜”本身就是最好的注脚——现场近300位嘉宾所代表的创新公司，20多家在过去半年刚刚完成融资。
比如FoRx Therapeutics在A轮融资中获得5000万美元，开发治疗癌症的PARG抑制剂；Aerska先后获得6000万美元，推进中枢神经系统RNA疗法；MRM Health则获得5500万美元助力，研发治疗炎症疾病的微生物组疗法。
尽管技术路径和疾病领域各有不同，但有一点是相通的——这些近期的融资事件，共同反映出创新管线的持续涌现，行业活力不断增强。
当科学、资本与合作形成有效连接，当产业链各环节逐步协同，行业发展的动能也随之增强。
这些，最终将转化为造福患者的疗法。
平台为桥，加速创新落地
在行业韧性与发展势头之外，如何实现高效落地，成为推动创新转化的关键。
秉承“让天下没有难做的药、难治的病”的愿景，药明康德在过去二十余年间持续打造端到端的一体化CRDMO平台。
目标始终明确：让创新走得更快，也更稳。
“我们共同见证了生物科技领域的发展。”药明康德副总裁Dave Madge博士表示，“我们很荣幸能够参与其中，支持从早期研发到商业化生产的各个阶段。”
随着越来越多欧洲企业进入临床及商业化阶段，近距离赋能创新者的重要性日益凸显。
药明康德已在欧洲深耕多年，2016年，位于德国慕尼黑的新药发现服务公司Crelux成为药明康德子公司。十年来，慕尼黑基地员工数已经从最初的几十人扩增到超过百人。
大约5年前，瑞士库威基地成为药明康德CRDMO网络的一员，为欧洲及全球客户提供高质量制剂生产服务。持续的能力规模建设，让基地的口服剂型包装产能已于2024年翻倍，喷雾干燥车间预计将于2026年第四季度投入运营。
去年，药明康德宣布将在慕尼黑设立欧洲总部，更好地支持位于欧洲的客户。
药明康德旗下Crelux公司负责人Thomas Meins博士表示：“我们在10年前加入药明康德。此后，一直在建设贴近欧洲客户的研发与供应体系。随着项目推进，本地团队能够支持研究与生产各个环节。”
当项目推进更高效，协同更顺畅，创新就能更快走向下一阶段，也离患者更进一步。
协同为力，推动创新发生
如果韧性支撑行业发展，发展动能推动行业前行，而合作则让这一切成为可能。
药明康德副总裁、“药明之夜”主席蔡辉博士表示：“几个小时前，药明康德发布了年报，2025年业绩再创历史新高，这既得益于CRDMO业务模式的独特优势，也体现了全球团队优秀的管理执行能力，更是来自全球所有合作伙伴的支持。”
她进一步强调：“更重要的是，我们所做的一切，都是在帮助创新疗法更快触达患者。”
“行业的进步不总是一帆风顺，但总是在协同合作中不断向前。”
蔡辉博士总结道：“我们已经见证了多次起伏，但有一点始终不变：保持韧性，保持乐观。”
当夜色降临塔霍河畔，这场关于科学、资本与合作的对话并未结束。
它正在以另一种方式延续，在新的合作中，在推进中的项目里，在下一次临床突破的节点上。
连接不会停留在一场活动，合作也不止于一时相聚。
当越来越多想法在这里被点亮、被带走、再落地为现实，创新便不再只是讨论的话题，而成为正在发生的进程。
而所有这些努力，终将汇聚成一个共同的方向——更快抵达患者。
WuXi Night in Lisbon: A Spirit of Connection Shapes Biotech’s Next Chapter
For centuries, Lisbon stood as a point of departure. Against the backdrop of the Tagus River, ships and ideas traveled outward across the ocean, connecting distant parts of the world.
This week, that same spirit of connection felt just as relevant across the global life sciences ecosystem. Alongside BIO-Europe Spring 2026, WuXi AppTec hosted WuXi Night in Lisbon, bringing together biotech entrepreneurs, investors, and pharmaceutical leaders from across Europe and beyond.
The gathering continues a tradition: creating a space to look beyond day-to-day operations, offering a moment to reflect on why we are here and what drives our work, and drawing inspiration from one another. At its core, it reflects a shared purpose across the industry: Advancing Breakthroughs For Patients.
An Industry That Endures
At WuXi Night in Lisbon, four experienced investors reinforced an optimistic outlook for biotech.
Dr. Stephan Christgau, Founding Partner of Eir Ventures, highlighted the resilience embedded in the sector. “There is still a fundamental need to develop new drugs. There’s a lot of unmet medical need, and innovation continues,” he said. “It’s easy to focus on the dark clouds, but we should also look at the silver lining.”
“This community is defined by people who don’t give up,” said Dr. Hubert Birner, Managing Partner of TVM Capital Life Science, echoing a message of resilience. “Over the years, we’ve seen downturns and recoveries. What stands out is the collaboration between entrepreneurs, investors, service providers, and pharma. That spirit is what we need to keep alive.”
Dr. Willem Broekaert, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of V-Bio Ventures, offered a metaphor capturing the essence of global collaboration. “Think of our industry as a dinner table,” he said. “Decades ago, there were only a few guests. Today, many more have joined.” While some may worry about a smaller share of the “meal,” he offered a different perspective: “More guests also bring more food. The opportunity is to share, to collaborate, and to learn from each other’s ‘cuisine.’”
Dr. Claudio Costa-Neto, Chief Scientific Officer of Jeito Capital, brought the discussion back to patients. “Being patient-driven means accelerating development so therapies reach people in time,” he said. “That requires capital, but also the right catalysts—teams, expertise, and collaboration across the value chain.”
Through the ability to anticipate challenges, integrate capabilities, and accelerate the path from idea to execution, WuXi AppTec helps build resilience with “WuXi Speed”, even in the most demanding environments.
A Convergence of Momentum
If the first theme of the evening was resilience, the second was momentum.
Europe has excellent science. The challenge is to match that with execution and investment, so the industry can translate it into medicines as quickly as possible.
Grounded in Europe’s scientific strength and increasingly supported by renewed capital, industry leaders pointed to a new generation of companies advancing under tighter conditions, where discipline and creativity are becoming defining traits.
That shift was visible in the room. Among nearly 300 guests attending WuXi Night in Lisbon, many represented companies at the forefront of innovation that had secured financing in the past six months. FoRx Therapeutics raised $50 million to develop PARG inhibitors for cancer; Aerska secured $60 million to advance RNA medicines for CNS diseases; MRM Health raised $55 million to progress microbiome-based therapeutics for inflammatory conditions…
These companies span diverse modalities and disease areas, reflecting a gradual return of investor confidence and a growing pipeline of innovation. It also captured a broader dynamic echoed throughout the evening: when science, capital, and partnership converge, when different segments connect, and when established players shake hands, momentum follows.
Enabling Through Integrated Platform
If resilience defines the industry and momentum signals its direction, the next question becomes execution: how to translate science and capital into medicines at speed.
Guided by its vision that “every drug can be made, and every disease can be treated,” WuXi AppTec has spent more than two decades building an end-to-end platform to support that transition: evolving from a single laboratory into a global network spanning Asia, Europe, and North America, and from early chemistry services into an integrated CRDMO platform that connects Research, Development, and Manufacturing. The company’s growth reflects a single focus: enabling innovation to move forward, with speed, scale, and greater certainty.
“We’ve all seen the growth of biotech,” said Dr. Dave Madge, VP of WuXi AppTec. “From early academic discoveries to venture-backed startups and established pharma, all of those strategies are represented here. And we’re very grateful to work with you across the whole landscape—from early discovery through to commercial manufacturing.”
As more European companies advance into development, the need for local capabilities has become increasingly clear.
WuXi AppTec has invested in Europe for many years. In 2016, Crelux, a drug discovery services company based in Munich, Germany, became a subsidiary of WuXi AppTec. Over the past decade, the Munich site has grown from just a few dozen employees to more than one hundred.
Approximately five years ago, the Couvet site in Switzerland became part of WuXi AppTec’s CRDMO network, providing high-quality drug product manufacturing services to customers in Europe and around the world. Through continued capacity expansion, the site’s oral dosage form packaging capacity doubled in 2024, and a new spray drying facility is expected to become operational in the fourth quarter of 2026.
Last year, WuXi AppTec announced that Munich will serve as the company’s European headquarters to better support hundreds of customers in Europe.
Dr. Thomas Meins, Managing Director at Crelux, a WuXi AppTec company in Munich, pointed to the company’s long-term commitment to Europe. “We joined WuXi AppTec 10 years ago. Since then, we have been building a research and supply chain that is close to European companies,” he said. “As programs progress, you will find qualified teams in Europe to support studies and manufacturing locally.”
This approach reflects WuXi AppTec’s role in the ecosystem: integrating global platforms with localized delivery, enabling companies to scale efficiently and without fragmentation.
Progress, Together
If one message carried through the evening in Lisbon, it was this: resilience sustains the industry, momentum moves it forward, and collaboration makes progress possible.
For Dr. Hui Cai, VP of WuXi AppTec and host of WuXi Night, that progress is best understood through partnership. “Just this morning, we reported record financial results. In 2025, WuXi AppTec achieved record performance with strong growth, demonstrating the strength of our unique CRDMO business model and the exceptional execution of our global team.” she said. “We’re deeply grateful for everyone’s support—that’s what made us where we are today.”
More importantly, she added, “every service we provide, every success we achieve means we are helping to bring medicines closer to patients. That reflects not only the strength of our platform, but the trust and collaboration from all of you.”
“Progress is never a straight line. It can only be made collectively.” Hui concluded, “We have seen the industry go through many ups and downs, but one thing always holds true: stay persistent, and stay optimistic.”
That sense of shared achievement and shared responsibility echoed across the room. In a year shaped by both challenges and recovery, the industry continues to adapt, to persevere, and to move forward—together.