Berlin-Brandenburg - Germany's Capital of Biotech

Berlin-Brandenburg is a unique region. Berlin itself has grown over the last decade. Not only is it once again the capital of Germany, but it is also a vibrant European metropolis and a focal point for commerce. Ten years after the fall of the Wall, Berlin is the hub of political and economic decision-making within Germany and Europe, as well as the continent's communication centre. The government and parliament have moved to Berlin and with them have come embassies, agencies of all the German states, party headquarters, and over 200 foundations and professional associations. National and international corporations have also shifted their German headquarters to Berlin.

The surrounding region of Brandenburg has emerged as an attractive place for leisure pursuits with its unspoiled woodlands scattered with many lakes and beautifully restored castles and parks. Its industry is enjoying a period of renewal and this is transforming the region into a high-tech centre with state-of -the-art facilities.

Berlin is Germany's largest city with 3.4 million inhabitants, 450,000 of whom are foreign nationals. The city boasts a variety of cultures, an abundance of institutions, plus cultural activities and entertainment. Brandenburg's capital, Potsdam, represents the many attractions of this German state. Its thinly populated surroundings abound in rivers, lakes, forests, and pastures thus making a delightful contrast with Berlin's urban bustle. Berlin is also the place where East meets West. The imminent enlargement of the EU will shift Berlin from a marginal to a central position within a booming Europe. Investors wanting to expand into new and growing markets would do well to tap into Berlin's reservoir of technical and cultural expertise.

A location for Life Sciences

With its six universities, 21 further campuses, 300+ research institutes, six biotechnology parks, and numerous new small and medium-sized firms at the cutting edge of technology, plus 200 trade fairs and conferences the region is one of the most inspiring places for investment in future industries.

In 1990 there were only 15 biotech companies in the region. Today, there are more than 100 with numbers increasing every month so that this is currently the premier German BioRegion.

Berlin-Brandenburg offers numerous opportunities for business co-operation and intellectual networking in its biotech parks and at its numerous scientific institutes. Among them are well-known centres such as the Max-Delbrück-Center for Molecular Medicine, German Heart Institute, German Rheumatism Research Centre and the Synchrotron Radiation Facility BESSY 2.

Berlin was also selected as the location for the Resource Centre of the German Human Genome Project. Many experts from various disciplines such as molecular biology, biochemistry, biotechnology, materials sciences, microsystems engineering, and informatics, provide a high degree of cross-sector co-operation and innovation have established themselves here.

However, the crucial task now is to capitalise on all this and to advance biotechnology as an important commercial factor for the region. The local governments of the two regions decided to pursue this goal back in 1995. They therefore established the initiative BioTOP in partnership with the Association of the Chemical Industry (VCI). BioTOP Berlin-Brandenburg is both a scientific and a business initiative. It boosts the establishment of research networks and forcefully promotes the foundation of new enterprises. Within the region it offers support to all existing biotech companies and to those who are thinking about setting up business here.

The strategic goal today is to continue to support the foundation of promising companies and to strengthen the existing ones. More importantly, they want to become more focused and so the local governments will offer highly innovative companies in selected areas even greater opportunities. The plan is to become a major player in the field of biotechnology in the next decade - during which time Europe will catch up with the USA.

Recently the region has made a name for itself in numerous areas such as genomics / proteomics, RNA-technologies and tissue engineering. Budding new topics are glycobiotechnology and bioelectronics / biochips.

Major scientific and entrepreneurial networks

As mentioned previously, Berlin-Brandenburg is the center of German genome research. The headquarters and resource centre of the German Human Genome Project (DHGP) are in Berlin. Wide-ranging, effective networks are in place for both human and plant genomics as well as for microbial genome research.

Leading research facilities are the three Max Planck Institutes, molecular genetics, molecular plant physiology, and infection biology, as well as the Max Delbrück Centre for Molecular Medicine.

As centres of excellence, these institutes are complemented by a wide range of research facilities in fields such as nanotechnology, mathematics, informatics, microsystems engineering and others. Together they form a dynamically expanding network for applied genomics.

Today there are around 20 companies active in the field, among them GenProfile AG, the biggest spin off from the German Human Genome Project, Mologen AG, the first start-up IPO company in Germany, and Epigenomics GmbH, which is pioneering the massive collection of epigenetic information for a description of cells and individuals by digital phenotypes.

The Berlin-based “Interessengemeinschaft Tissue Engineering” is, within its field, the most important network in Germany. In Berlin-Brandenburg research groups are mainly active at the Charité University Medical Centre, the Max Delbrück Centre (MDC) and the German Rheumatism Research Centre Over 10 companies are concentrating their activities on the following areas of skin tissue, cartilage, bone marrow tissue, hybrid liver support systems and test systems for medicinal products as well as endothelialisation of vascular prostheses and artificial heart valves.

The “InnoRegio Biohybrid Technologies” was founded in 1999. It comprises around 20 companies and seven research institutes, among them Potsdam University and Fraunhofer Institute for Biomedical Engineering. Its interdisciplinary approach combines biochemistry, microelectronics, and Microsystems technologies.

R&D activities focus on the following fields of DNA chips, protein chips and biosensorics. Planned activities include biohybrid organs, biomimetics and finally biocomputers.

The RNA Network is a joint venture by the Institute of Biochemistry at the Free University of Berlin and RiNA GmbH, a professional association which aims to co-ordinate RNA-based projects in the Berlin area.

Funded by grants from the German Ministry for Research and Technology (BMBF) and the Senate of the city of Berlin, the Network promotes industrial production of and trade in RNA technologies developed at the Free University and at other local academic institutions.

At the same time, the Network provides training and resources for local companies and academic organisation so as to help them build their expertise in the field of RNA technology. The first spin-off company from the RNA-Network was NOXXON Pharma AG, which became famous for developing the Spiegelmer technology.

Prompted by an initiative from the Free University of Berlin and BioTOP, scientists and entrepreneurs have begun to build a regional network on “Glycobiotechnology”. It is meant to be an open information and communication platform bringing together all persons and parties interested and active in the field.

A number of research teams in Berlin-Brandenburg participate, most of them based either at the Free University of Berlin, the Max Delbrück Centre or the Research Institute of Molecular Pharmacology

A network of Investors

The financing of high tech ventures has become astonishingly easy in Germany. There is a wide range of programmes providing financial support to both German and foreign companies interested in investing in Berlin-Brandenburg. The programmes are primarily designed to help innovative small and medium-sized companies and pioneers of new technologies - the emphasis is on investment projects and R&D. Companies can qualify for government grants of up to 50 per cent of their investment into production facilities. In addition there are low-interest loans warranted by the government plus special grants for R&D projects. With these subsidies and the fact that venture capital is easily accessible in Germany, building a financial base for your biotech business is not at all difficult. To make things even easier, BioTOP together with all major banks and venture capital firms in the region have recently started an initiative called BioFINANZ Berlin-Brandenburg. BioFINANZ is a network of over 20 German banks and venture capital firms. It was established in order to offer comprehensive financial solutions to newly founded and expanding biotech companies in a fast and efficient way.

Berlin-Brandenburg is home to Germany's most important scientific institutes:

  • - Humboldt University Berlin

  • - Free University of Berlin

  • - Technical University Berlin

  • - Potsdam University

  • - Cottbus University

  • - Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics

  • - Max Planck Institute for Molecular Plant Physiology

  • - Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology

  • - Max Delbrück Centre for Molecular Medicine (MDC) BerlinBuch

  • - Research Institute for Molecular Pharmacology (FMP)

  • - German Heart Institute

  • - German Rheumatism Research Centre

  • - German Institute of Human Nutrition (DIfE)

  • - Robert Koch Institute

  • - Synchrotron Radiation Facility BESSY 2

  • - Resource Centre of the German

  • - Human Genome Project

On the BioTOP homepage you will find a comprehensive overview of Berlin-Brandenburg's biotech scene. The searchable database BioInfo offers detailed profiles of 108 biotech companies and of over 115 teams of scientists. Whatever your research interests, look out for potential partners in the Berlin-Brandenburg region!

Search the database at www.biotop.de

For more information please contact:

  • BioTOP Berlin-Brandenburg

  • Dr. Gudrun Tiedemann Fasanenstr,

  • 3 10623 Berlin

  • Tel: + 49-30-3186-220

  • Fax: + 49-30-3186.2222

  • biotop@biotop.de

  • www.biotop.de