(Left) Peiqing Zhang, President of ISPE Singapore and Scientific Director for Asia at Cytiva
(Right) Shanshan Liu, International Board Director of ISPE, Conference Chair of ISPE Singapore; Technical Director, No deviation, Singapore
The ISPE Singapore affiliate celebrated its 25th edition on August 27-29, 2025, with its flagship annual Conference & Exhibition, uniting a diverse assembly of industry leaders at Suntec Convention & Exhibition Centre in Singapore. The event brought together a diverse group of industry leaders to discuss key themes around innovations and breakthroughs around the pharmaceutical industry. More than 2,600 attendees from 32 countries convened to explore advancements in the biopharma arena.
The official opening of the ISPE Singapore was led by Shanshan Liu, International Board Director of ISPE, Conference Chair of ISPE Singapore, and Technical Director at No deviation, Singapore. The forum kick-started with welcoming remarks by Peiqing Zhang, President of ISPE Singapore and Scientific Director for Asia at Cytiva.
In an exclusive conversation with Biospectrum Asia at the ISPE forum, Shanshan Liu and Peiqing Zhang shared their outlook around the evolution of ISPE over the years to successfully reach the 25th year milestone this year.
Peiqing Zhang: Two decades ago, the ISPE Singapore affiliate was established by a group of professionals who saw the value of driving collaboration, communication and knowledge sharing among not just the pharma manufacturers, but also solution providers and increasingly in conjunction with regulators.
International Society for Pharmaceutical Engineering (ISPE) was started as an engineering focused organization but over the years we have expanded it to become a pharmaceutical excellence covering the entire value chain from drug discovery, development, manufacturing and regulation of pharmaceuticals. Essentially, ISPE's current stance reflects the culmination of our endeavors and milestones over the last 25 years.
We have actually come a long way by bringing like-minded people together to share knowledge, connect and solve challenging problems facing the pharmaceutical industry. In order to do that we need all sectors within the pharmaceutical value chain to convene under one umbrella to discuss and explore emerging innovations. The ISPE is therefore not just for established big pharma companies, but also for comprehensive solution providers who enable them to produce their medications.
In addition, ISPE recognizes the consulting industry, which safeguards the bioscience process by ensuring compliance, quality and integrity. ISPE also regards and acknowledges regulators' role as paramount. Eventually, ISPE has evolved into a forum for diverse sectors to discuss the challenges and opportunities arising from industry trends and key drivers.
Peiqing Zhang: Reviewing the past two years, I chaired the ISPE conference in 2023 soon after the pandemic. Since then, I believe it has been crucial to generate enthusiasm for in-person interactions at industry forums. After briefly adopting the hybrid format offering concurrent onsite and online access to participants, we eventually switched to the onsite model to provide that in-person experience through immersive exhibitions and presentations. In order to achieve our goal, we actively engaged in a dialogue with participants and industry stakeholders, bringing them back to the site. As I mentioned, this also reflects ISPE's evolution from Engineering to Excellence.
Programs and agendas are designed to broaden the scope and coverage objectives of this most sought-after event. Hence, we include CMC (Chemistry, Manufacturing, and Controls), biologics manufacturing, and more sectors. Furthermore, we will continue to strengthen our speaker portfolio by optimizing expert panels and executive pitches, who contribute valuable insights during the two-day conference and by chairing thought-provoking panel discussions for the conference.
In my opinion, it takes the industry's collective efforts to overcome the most pressing challenges that the industry confronts. We involve a wide variety of industry experts in our exhibitions and speaking faculty to ensure diverse perspectives and innovative insights. This approach reflects our commitment to addressing industry concerns and fostering meaningful dialogue across the pharmaceutical value chain.
Furthermore, we have an inclusive approach towards sponsors or exhibitors so that a diverse range of innovative products and ideas can be demonstrated. ISPE is all about showcasing a wide portfolio of technologies and solutions across the industry to create real value for participants with a global outlook.
Shanshan Liu: A substantial part of our involvement extends beyond organizing conferences and international expos. We believe in enabling collaboration with regional partners, and establishing a global presence and beyond.
The constant in our approach is the consistency of our team's involvement, and this ensures familiarity with our established patterns, learning from past lessons, and the vision for future events. In addition, we maintain a comprehensive database of speakers and activators. It enables us to connect with speakers, regulators, and industry experts while staying tuned to global trends. We will then take these insights into our approach to refine and enhance the process, striving to maintain our distinct identity while continually upgrading.
The focus is not solely on evolving modalities but also on leveraging the extensive knowledge and experience gained from traditional modalities. Speakers at ISPE are curated to foster a deeper and more diverse viewpoint on regulatory, manufacturing, quality and engineering. We strive to constantly evolve towards our commitment towards the industry in a comprehensive and interdisciplinary framework.
Peiqing Zhang: We are thrilled with the overwhelming response this year, surpassing 2,000 in-person attendees on just the first day—a significant increase over last year. Exhibitors are delighted with the increased footfall, which translates into enhanced exposure for their businesses. One of our speakers also shared that the ISPE conference in Singapore provided an excellent platform to connect with people he wouldn’t have met otherwise. It's incredibly fulfilling to create such an atmosphere for opportunities, bringing together diverse participants to address common challenges in the healthcare and pharmaceuticals industry.
Shanshan Liu: ISPE's next major event is its Annual Meeting & Expo, held in the U.S. each year. This flagship event is large in scale, with approximately 2,000 to 3,000 participants. It features a diverse range of international speakers, engaging activities, and an extensive agenda. The upcoming ISPE annual meeting will feature several key tracks, including manufacturing operations, ATMP (Advanced Therapy & Medicinal Products), sustainability, and a strong focus on AI / digitalization. In addition to workshops and career development sessions, such as Women in Pharma, a major highlight will be a Regulatory Townhall. This highly anticipated session will bring together regulators and industry leaders to discuss cutting-edge strategies, including the use of AI and digitalization in regulatory assessments, particularly for evaluating novel products.
Peiqing Zhang: For the upcoming ISPE conference and exhibition our primary focus will continue to be on the pharmaceutical industry, with an emphasis on maintaining a balance between technological development, collaboration, and networking. While ISPE draws substantial participation, we pay attention to balanced footfall to not be overcrowded and avoid disconnection among attendees in a wide exhibition area. We strive to create interactive and engaging networking opportunities among stakeholders for prospectus connectivity. The aim is to foster connections and facilitate meaningful interactions. Additionally, there is a strong focus on inclusivity and expanding the lineup of speakers to enhance the overall experience.
Peiqing Zhang: The ongoing trade tariff war and related uncertainties may pose challenges, but the pharmaceutical industry must remain focused on its core mission: delivering high-quality, safe, and effective medicines to patients. Patients cannot wait, so our priority is to continue innovating and streamlining manufacturing processes to ensure timely access to essential drugs. Singapore, as a major pharmaceutical hub, needs to address potential disruptions by rethinking manufacturing strategies and exploring effective business models. This includes evaluating supply chain security, whether through centralized or regional manufacturing. It also ensures a robust regulatory framework that encourages innovation while safeguarding patient safety. Drug shortages are a critical concern, and they are closely monitored by the health authorities and industry associations. While there is no one-size-fits-all solution, ISPE is committed to fostering a collaborative environment for science- and risk-based discussions to help the industry navigate these challenges and focus on doing what is right for patients.
This would not have been possible without the dedication and diligent work of our ISPE Singapore affiliate members, who have played a pivotal role in organizing the conference program, inviting esteemed speakers, and ensuring the event runs smoothly. We are also deeply grateful to our exhibitors and sponsors, whose support has been instrumental in making this event a success.
This event could not have been possible without the unwavering support of our speakers, many of whom traveled thousands of miles to Singapore to share their expertise. We deeply appreciate their contributions. Additionally, we extend our heartfelt thanks to all attendees who took the time to join us in person. We hope they find the experience valuable and their time with us is well invested.
At ISPE, we focus on providing valuable networking opportunities, ensuring participants can connect and engage meaningfully. Ultimately, this makes the experience worthwhile for everyone involved.
ISPE is unique for its industry-focused approach. Unlike many other events this conference is centered entirely on science, making it a distinctive and valuable platform for industry.
