Found in Translation. Highlights from bigX 2026

Under the theme Found in Translation, we explored what it takes to bridge the gap between world-class research and world-changing companies.

The keynote took attendees to Oxford, where Pro-Vice Chancellor for Innovation Constantin Coussios shared lessons from building and scaling life science spinouts. Drawing on his experience as an entrepreneur and innovation leader, he highlighted the structures, incentives, and long-term commitment required to transform scientific excellence into successful ventures.

 

The conversation expanded to explore how to better translate research into impact. Jens Nielsen (BII), Katja Rosenkranz (V-Bio Ventures), Catherine Emond (Novartis), and Constantin Coussios (Oxford Innovation) had a clear message: value follows impact. Speakers highlighted the importance of aligning stakeholders around a shared mission, building professional technology transfer capabilities, creating transparent pathways for founders, and designing innovation around patient needs from the very beginning.

 

We then turned our attention to Vienna's rapidly growing life science ecosystem. Elly Tanaka (IMBA), Manuela Baccarini (University of Vienna), Maria Rescigno (CeMM), and Michaela Fritz (MedUni Vienna) highlighted the region's continuous growth toward becoming a global hub for life sciences innovation. The discussion focused on strengthening the entire translation chain, from research and clinical collaboration to founder support, technology transfer, industry engagement, and access to capital.

 

The spotlight was then turned on science in action. ISTA researchers Hans Danzl and Alexander Bronstein presented cutting-edge discoveries that make previously hidden biological complexity visible and actionable, followed by industry leaders from GSK and Johnson & Johnson highlighting the importance of validation, real-world use cases, and close alignment with unmet industry and patient needs to make science investable and actionable.

 

Looking ahead, Federal Minister Eva-Maria Holzleitner emphasized the vital role that scientific innovation plays in shaping society's future. The evening concluded with the introduction of Foundry, a new platform for bridging the gap between fundamental research and real-world applications.

 

Across every discussion, one message stood out: breakthrough research creates the greatest value when innovators, investors, institutions, and industry work together to translate discoveries into impact.

 A big thanX to everyone who joined us for bigX 2026 and helped make Found in Translation such an inspiring exchange of ideas, perspectives, and ambitions. We look forward to continuing the conversation.