From Abu Dhabi to Brazil, every region is vying for the ‘new emerging economy’ of biotech

Biotech From Abu Dhabi to Brazil, every region is vying for the ‘new emerging economy’ of biotech By Will Maddox Jul 31, 2026 8:00am South Korea Abu Dhabi Brazil Samsung BioLogics Whether it's looming tariff threats or the rise of China as a innovation powerhouse, you need a truly global view to navigate today's biopharma industry. With this in mind, Fierce spent the Biotechnology Innovation Organization conference in San Diego last month on a mission to speak with biotech leaders from some of the world's emerging life sciences hubs to find out how they are planning for the future. Among the espresso machine stands and portable jumbotrons populating the San Diego Convention Center exhibit hall, those conversations shed light on the challenges and opportunities biotech leaders face, regardless of where their companies are based.

Fierce's first stop was the busy Abu Dhabi pavilion, prominently positioned near the entrance and packed with government officials in conversation with all manner of visitors. The capital of the United Arab Emirates and its largest emirate by population and land area, Abu Dhabi has just over 4 million people and is one of the richest places in the world because of its Persian Gulf oil resources. But Abu Dhabi is aware that its oil resources will eventually run dry and, like its fellow emirate Dubai, is diversifying its economy.

Today, more than half of Abu Dhabi's GDP comes from non-oil sources, according to the Abu Dhabi Statistics Centre. When Fierce spoke with Mohamed Al Ameri, Ph.D., division director of genome and biobank at the Abu Dhabi Department of Health, about what makes the emirate unique, he pointed to Abu Dhabi's extensive patient biobank, which opened in April. It has the capacity to store 100,000 cord blood samples and up to 5 million biological specimens.

Al Ameri said data capacity and a well-connected healthcare system give Abu Dhabi the ability to link genomic and clinical data in order to support advanced gene therapies. “Think of Abu Dhabi as a living lab,” he told Fierce. “We have the infrastructure and ecosystem where any company, even a startup, can come in, look into the data, discover novel drugs that are specific to the population or the whole region, and go from basic research all the way to having a product on the market.” Last year, Abu Dhabi launched the Health, Endurance, Longevity, and Medicine (HELM) cluster, which Al Ameri described as the emirate's version of a biotech Silicon Valley.

HELM, which sounds like the word for “dream” in Arabic, is meant to bring together regulators, academia, startups and Big Pharma into a self-sufficient ecosystem that can build up the country's biotech industry. The Abu Dhabi Investment Office is offering incentive packages for companies to relocate, with support ranging from visas to accommodations. The effort is backed by a Department of Health that Al Ameri described as “agile” and one that “doesn't shy away from novel treatments.” Because it can be difficult to recruit diverse clinical trial populations, the emirate's developed healthcare system can help biopharma companies build a broader trial patient base by accessing an ethnic group that might not be well represented in Western trials.

Al Ameri noted one more aspect of Abu Dhabi that could help attract clinical trials and drug development: Because of its relatively small population and a history of familial intermarriage, Abu Dhabi has a higher rate of rare genetic diseases caused by consanguinity. “We have a lot of rare diseases that are not rare in the region, even though globally they are rare,” Al Ameri said. “We can lead in that field and explore those N-of-1 gene therapies globally.” Abu Dhabi isn't the only region leveraging its diversity to create a comparative advantage in biotech.

Brazil's massive and diverse population is also a boon for attracting clinical trial activity, according to Gabriel Bottos, CEO of VC biotech builder Vesper Biotechnologies, who was camped out in the Brazil pavilion at BIO. Brazil is home to the world's largest universal healthcare system, providing primary care and many surgeries to the nation's 213 million people. Bottos noted that Brazil's mix of European, African and Indigenous ancestry is also an advantage for patient diversity.

With large, diverse populations whose medical histories are logged in electronic health records, the country has significant potential to become a clinical trial powerhouse. Brazil is also home to South America's largest biobank, located at a São Paulo startup called Gen-t, which is working toward the ambitious goal of collecting genomic data from 200,000 people across the country to guide and accelerate precision medicine, even if it hasn't happened just yet. “We still don't find these unicorns exporting innovations all over the world in biotech,” Bottos said.

“I believe Brazil is waking up, and we see a lot of opportunities.” In 2024, Brazil passed a new clinical research law that streamlines the review process, creates more predictable timelines and clarifies the rules governing post-trial access to treatment. According to a report from Interfarma and IQVIA, Brazil moved from 18th in the world in 2024 to 12th in 2026 when it comes to the number of initiated clinical trials. Vesper is taking advantage of Brazil's lower cost of doing business, offering investors an opportunity to support drug development more efficiently, Bottos explained.

The company already has four biotech companies in its portfolio working on everything from vaccines to RNA therapeutics designed to slow cancer growth. The firm plans to open an office in the U.S. to help bridge the gap between American investors and Brazilian biotech innovation.

“We develop the companies at a fraction of the cost you would have here in the U.S., while still maintaining the governance and transparency investors want to see,” Bottos said. “We have found that there are very innovative platform technologies that were overlooked by international investors that we believe are as good as the best you can find.” With rising geopolitical tensions centered on China's biotech industry, Bottos pitched Brazil as a biotech partner that can be trusted by investors and trial sponsors alike. The reliability argument was also made by James Choi, chief marketing officer at South Korea-based Samsung Biologics.

Choi told Fierce at the June conference that South Korea's existing trade agreement with the U.S.—a 15% tariff compared with 100% for non-Most Favored Nation countries—offered a cost advantage for doing business with and in the country. “Formalized trade agreements offer predictability, enabling clients to manufacture with greater certainty, compliance and continuity,” he said. As a contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO), Samsung has manufacturing sites in the U.S.

and South Korea, “ensuring enhanced resilience and insulation against potential cross-border regulatory deadlock,” Choi noted. South Korea's biotech industry is decades ahead of both Brazil and Abu Dhabi, and the country's strength lies in manufacturing, Choi said. The government is also using policy tools to build up the industry.

Passed last year and set to take effect in December, the Special Act on Regulatory Support for Biopharmaceutical CDMOs aims to reduce the administrative burden for CDMOs looking to operate and export products abroad. It is also designed to streamline customs clearance for raw drugs and materials and provide technical support for building CDMO facilities. Samsung opened sales offices in the U.S.

in 2023 and Japan in 2025, with plans to open an Amsterdam office later this year. The company also recently launched its C-Labs Outside innovation center in Songdo, South Korea, which involves a collaboration with Lilly Gateway Labs and aims to foster 30 innovative startups beginning next year. “South Korea stands out as a reliable and fully compliant alternative that offers operational continuity without regulatory friction,” Choi said.

While Fierce was able to touch base with leaders from a few underreported regions, the BIO exhibit hall's hundreds of elaborate pavilions were a reminder of how nearly every country, region, city and state is looking to attract biopharma talent. “Healthcare and biotech has become the new emerging economy,” Abu Dhabi Department of Health's Al Ameri told Fierce. “When the Emirates set their mind to being the best at something or having the best of something, that usually happens.” South Korea Abu Dhabi Brazil Samsung BioLogics Biotech