First Meeting of BIO Deutschland’s Working Group on Technology Transfer

On 5 October, experts from BIO Deutschland’s member companies and organisations met during Biotechnica 2010 for the constitutive meeting of the new Working Group on Technology Transfer.

Several topic-specific presentations served as the basis for discussion. At the beginning of the meeting, the results of the two technology transfer conferences co-organised by BIO Deutschland in Heidelberg and Leipzig last year were presented. There were also presentations on aspects of spin-offs and licensing, as well as on fields of action from the perspective of the companies.

In general, the participants shared the view that the path from a scientific discovery to a commercial product could be made shorter and easier if entrepreneurial thinking were regarded as desirable and worth promoting in universities and research institutes. The working group aims to contact the German Rectors’ Conference (the voluntary association of state and state-recognised universities and other higher education institutions in Germany) on this matter. The meeting participants also discussed producing a study on the topic of technology transfer and integrating this subject field into the conference programme of the next Biotechnology Days, which will take place in Munich on 25 and 26 May 2011.

The next meeting of the working group is scheduled for 15 December in Berlin. BIO Deutschland members are welcome to request a copy of the minutes from the association’s office.