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European Lifestars Awards
Life Science Executive Awards
Monday 16 November 2026City Central at the HAC, London, UK

Deal of the Year (<€500m)

This award recognises the teams and organisations who have executed a truly transformational and high value creating deal for both the company and the wider industry. The deal could be a licensing agreement, co-development or a creative alliance or partnership that unlocks significant value.

Criteria & Judging

Qualifying criteria:

  • Total deal size (not milestone payments) must be less than €500m
  • The lead company must be a European Life Science company
  • Open to private or public companies WITH pharma, commercial leaders or big tech
  • Deal can be either a licensing deal involving a particular drug, project or group of drugs/projects
  • A license, partnership or alliance between companies NOT M&A
  • Deal to have completed in the period between 1 September 2025 and 1 August 2026

Judges will be paying particular attention to:

  • Uniqueness or novelty of deal strategy / terms and structure
  • Level of value creation / size of deal
  • Strength of partner / partnership and deal teams
  • Potential game / industry changing implications within next 12-months
  • Post-deal performance