Working Group on Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Jobs Meets in Frankfurt/Main

The aim of the seventh meeting of the Working Group on Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Jobs was to discuss the key elements of the subject area and to decide on concrete action points. Kartsten Henco (HS Life Sciences), who chairs the working group and is also a patron of the topic of research promotion and technology transfer, a role he shares with Horst Domdey (BioM Biotech Cluster Development), gave a presentation on hypotheses concerning this field and the concrete need for action. Dirk Honold (BRAIN) , who along with Jan Schmidt-Brand (Heidelberg Pharma) is responsible for the topic of the investment climate and taxation, gave an overview of the position of the Working Group on Finance and Taxation and discussed possible measures with the group. Bernward Garthoff (BIO NRW) and Helga Rübsamen-Schaeff (Aicuris) presented the first key statements on the subject of legislation and ethics. There proved to be a great need for further discussion, which will be met in a follow-up meeting of a smaller group of those interested in this particular topic to be held in August.

Holger Zinke (BRAIN), who deals with the topic of companies, innovation culture and PR in cooperation with Christine Lang (Organobalance), gave a presentation on the hypotheses on this topic, which are to be used as a content basis and motivation for activities at a later stage. Jörn Aldag (Molecular Partners) and Alexander Olek (Phorms) drafted and presented joint suggestions for steps in the field of entrepreneurship and biotechnology in schools and training. The implementation of these ideas is due to begin this year.

There will be a workshop on ethics in Leverkusen on 19 August 2009. The next regular meeting will take place on 6 October 2009 in Hanover.