South Dakota Biotech held its 2026 Summit & Annual Meeting on Tuesday, October 27, 2026, in downtown Sioux Falls. The day marked the organization's 20th anniversary under the theme "Innovation Pathways: 20 Years Forward," bringing together researchers, entrepreneurs, healthcare and industry leaders, policymakers, investors, educators and students.
- Date: Tuesday, October 27, 2026
- Time: 7:30 AM to 5:30 PM Central
- Venue: The Catlin Hotel (formerly Hilton Garden Inn), 201 E. 8th St., Sioux Falls, SD 57103
- Organizer: South Dakota Biotech (Joni Ekstrum, executive director)
- Tickets: Sold through Eventbrite; sales have ended
Program highlights
- Opening: "Twenty Years of Progress: Building South Dakota's Biotech Ecosystem" with Joni Ekstrum
- Anniversary keynote fireside chat with U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds and Jodi Schwan of SiouxFalls.Business: "From Research to Results: South Dakota's Role in America's Innovation Future"
- Risk, resilience and a national security perspective for biotech leaders
- AI at work: practical integration strategies for biotech operations
- The next 20 years: workforce, infrastructure, research capacity, capital and partnerships
- 20th Anniversary Awards & Recognition Luncheon
- Built Here: candid CEO stories from South Dakota's biotech journey
- Founder readiness: the IP, finance and partnership decisions that make or break a company
- 20th Anniversary Reception, 4:15 to 5:30 PM
Learn more on the South Dakota Biotech Summit page.
