Bavarian Biotech Report 2011/2012 (7MB) - Bio M

The Bavarian Biotechnology ClusterStrong partners make for a strong networklocations of Nuremberg-Erlangen, Wurzburg and Bayreuth.In the last few years, each of these locations hasdeveloped its own unique profile with specific on-sitecore competences, with specific infrastructural measuresand a competent local management team.PROF. DR.HORST DOMDEYSpeaker of the “BavarianBiotechnology Cluster”“Success through synergies” is the guiding principlebehind the Bavarian Cluster Initiative, where companiesbelonging to one segment of an industry regard themselvesnot as competitors, but as mutual beneficiaries, forexample through trustful cooperation (open innovation),through a shared market or through a pool of highlyqualified personnel. Most of these effects are favouredby spatial proximity, so, as a rule, a “single cluster”is delimited in terms of its location, for example, to onecity. Combining various clusters into a network can beespecially successful, as demonstrated by the Bavarianbiotechnology industry, which received special supportfrom the Bavarian Ministry of Economic Affairs betweenthe years 2006 and 2011 as part of the “Bavarian BiotechnologyCluster” (www.cluster-bayern.de).One of the initial successes of the “Bavarian BiotechnologyCluster” was its function as a “catalyst” for white, i.e.industrial, biotechnology. Bavaria’s strategically completelynew white biotechnology initiative was able to raisefunding in the order of millions from the federal andstate governments and strong commitment of chemicalcompany giants like Wacker AG and Süd-Chemie AG(now part of Clariant, Switzerland). This led to the foundationof a specific network of companies and researchinstitutes with their own network coordination (see page28). At various locations, and especially in Straubing,there are deliberate efforts to promote a large variety ofprojects devoted to industrial applications, for example,in the field of renewable raw materials.Munich has concentrated on drug development for manydecades and in 2010 sharpened its profile in the field of“personalized medicine” even further by winning anaward in the “Leading-Edge Cluster Competition“ heldby the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research.Under the title “m 4 – Personalized Medicine”, thismajor investment project attracts funding to a total ofalmost € 100 million from the Federal Government, theFree State of Bavaria and industry, which is channelledinto separate cooperative research projects, as well asinto infrastructural measures, for example, the newconsortium of tissue banks, the Munich-Biobank-Alliance.Equally successful in the Leading-Edge Cluster Competitionwas Nuremberg-Erlangen, a Centre of Excellencefor Medical Technology that is able to use to its advantagea tight network linking science, business, hospitals andcare facilities along with the innovative strength of theSMEs. The so called “Medical Valley” combines worldleading big and smaller enterprises like Siemens or Wave.Wurzburg has successfully established itself as a Centreof Excellence for biomedical research and Bayreuth isstrong in the field of materials research, as well as scoringhighly with interesting discoveries in the biology ofphotosynthesis and its technical exploitation.With the injection of funds from the Bavarian Ministry ofEconomic Affairs, a great deal has been achieved and alot of wheels have been set in motion. To make sure theycontinue rolling, the “Bavarian Biotechnology Cluster”will go on being promoted as a network in future. Eachlocation contributes its own individual strengths to thisnetwork and can profit from its combined efforts, withBio M GmbH serving as a central point of exchange andcontact. I am convinced that the success of each separatelocal player impacts positively on the entire network andthat we are well positioned to continue down the road tosuccess that we have taken together – to further increasethe attractiveness of Bavarian Biotechnology!Red pharmaceutical biotechnology is still networkedwithin the “Bavarian Biotechnology Cluster” and Bio MBiotech Cluster Development GmbH coordinates the welldeveloped Bavarian Biotech locations of Munich-Martinsriedand Regensburg as well as the up-and-comingProf. Dr. Horst DomdeySpeaker of the „Bavarian Biotechnology Cluster“7