Biotechnology Days 2011: National Biotechnology Congress in Munich
The second national forum of the entire German biotechnology industry,
which was co-organised by the Working Group of the German BioRegions and BIO
Deutschland and took place in Munich, was a great success. The Munich-based
biotech cluster, coordinated by BioM GmbH, was the host in the Bavarian capital.
Over 670 participants from all areas of biotechnology exchanged views and experiences on current topics in the sector on 25 and 26 May in Munich. In a total of 13 symposia and plenary sessions, trends and solutions to the current challenges, as well as insights from ongoing projects in this innovative industrial sector, were among the topics discussed. In addition, the Biotechnology Days provided the occasion for awarding the BioRegions’ Innovation Prize and the GO-Bio funding, following a call for bids by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research with the aim of encouraging the foundation of new biotech companies. Georg Schütte, State Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Education and Research, said that the Federal Government had a lot of faith in biotechnology, which he described as an initiator and prerequisite for the bio-economy and hence a safeguard for Germany’s sustainability. An exhibition with around 40 stands served as the central meeting place for personal contacts.
The forum was used intensively to exchange views on the national level. The topics covered ranged from new discoveries in personalized medicine and their potential for application to the use of modern molecular biological methods in the chemical industry and plant cultivation, the role of biotechnological processes in nutrition and new therapeutic approaches. Furthermore, the topics discussed in the symposia and panels focused on internationalisation trends in the sector – particularly towards emerging markets – and on alternative funding methods for research and development projects and regulatory challenges facing the launch of new medications.
Horst Domdey, Managing Director of BioM, stated: “The Biotechnology Days are the sector meeting with an increasingly personal character. Munich’s atmosphere made it easy for all of the participants to feel at home.”
Viola Bronsema, Managing Director of BIO Deutschland, added: “The great popularity of the event among the participants confirms our programme design. The constant supply of innovations in the sector makes it necessary to hold a regular forum, which provides us with a chance to meet all of the relevant actors from politics, the public authorities, and the financial and patent institutions.”
Next year’s Biotechnology Days will take place – once again with the support of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research – on 9 and 10 May in Frankfurt/Main.
It is planned that a documentation of the event will be completed in the summer and sent to all participants and those interested. You will find details of the programme and speakers, as well as those presentations that have been cleared for publication on our website, at http://www.biotechnologietage-2011.de/programm.html. (These will be uploaded step-by-step in the coming weeks.)