Entrepreneurs Day on July 9 in Berlin

From left: Oliver Schacht (Chairman of the board of BIO Deutschland), Silke Launert (Member of the German Bundestag, State Secretary at the Federal Ministry of Finance), Jens Klein (Co-Head of the Finance and Tax Working Group) and Gitta Connemann (Member of the German Bundestag, State Secretary at the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy) © S. Z. Kurz/ BIO Deutschland

On the occasion of Entrepreneurs Day, which took place on July 9 in Berlin, BIO Deutschland presented recommendations for action on financing the sector to Parliamentary State Secretaries Gitta Connemann (Federal Ministry of Economics) and Silke Launert (Federal Ministry of Research). The recommendations are summarized in a new position paper published by the association. The paper relates its demands directly to projects in the current coalition agreement and evaluates the measures for the various business models in the industry.

In her speech to entrepreneurs in Berlin, State Secretary Gitta Connemann, Member of the German Bundestag (MdB), emphasized that biotechnology is a key technology of the future with very high innovation potential to improve our lives. She highlighted that the majority of the industry is characterized by small and medium-sized enterprises as research-intensive growth engines. In order to secure Germany's competitiveness, the coalition government had already launched the Innovation Booster in a short period of time and would also increase its support for the biotechnology industry.

State Secretary Silke Launert (MdB) emphasized in her keynote speech that biotechnology is an industry of the future, both for medicine and for food security and resource conservation. She suggested promoting the “positive spirit” throughout society. Her ministry sees itself as a ministry for the future. The planned high-tech agenda will focus on six key technologies, one of which is biotechnology. As part of this agenda, the popular and successful biotech start-up program GO-Bio will also be strengthened. Her ministry wants to see cutting-edge research “made in Germany” again.

In three panel discussions, entrepreneurs and financial experts spoke on the topics of start-ups, financing, and regulation. The various business models in the industry were taken into account, whether VC-financed or cash flow positive.