Development of the Health Industry in Regensburg
With increasing life expectancy, the increase in the average age in the population and progress in medical engineering, health care is becoming more and more important. The industry’s turnover in Germany was € 86.5 billion with an average growth rate of 5.37% per year. The largest share of sales is generated in inpatient and outpatient care for the elderly (42%), followed by hospitals (39%), natural medicine (11%), pharmacies (3%), resident medical (3%) and dental fields (2%). On behalf of the BioPark, the management and technology consultancy Detecon International GmbH carried out a study of the number of employees and sales in the City and District of Regensburg in the pharmaceutical and health sector. For this purpose, so-called WZ codes (classification and systematics of economic sectors) from the health sector were evaluated. In 2020, a total of 21,600 employees with social security were working in the health sector in the Regensburg region. That is a good 33.8% more than in the 2011 census (see figure 1). At 55%, the largest proportion is employed in hospitals. 80% of the employees work in the urban area and 20% in the rural district.
There are currently 831 companies in the health sector in the Regensburg area, 60% of them in the city and 40% in the district. These generated sales of € 2.7 billion in 2019, which is almost twice as much as in 2011 with a rate of increase of 92.9% and corresponds to an annual growth rate of 7.6% (see figure 2).
"The figures really show the economic importance and development of the health industry for the region," commented the Mayor of the City of Regensburg, Gertrud Maltz-Schwarzfischer, on the results of the studies. "Almost every 6th job in the city comes from this branch. In Regensburg, too, the health industry is an important job engine with strong economic power". The Chairwoman of the Advisory Board of BioPark Regensburg GmbH thanks Detecon International GmbH and the BioPark team, which promote development with the Healthcare Regensburg Initiative and contribute to securing the future of the location.
Prof. Dr. Georg Stephan Barfuß, Councilor for Economy, Financial and Research Affairs of the City of Regensburg underlines the importance of the health industry for the economy at the location. "After North Rhine-Westphalia, most of the companies in the health sector are based in Bavaria. With its clinics and facilities for inpatient and outpatient care as well as the resident doctors, Regensburg has become a real "hot spot" within the state. This is not only relevant from an economic point of view, but also and especially against a background of demographic change, which will not pass the young student city of Regensburg by either, "says Barfuß.
The project team around BioPark Managing Director Dr. Thomas Diefenthal and Project Manager Dr. Ilja Hagen sees a lot of potential in the "Healthcare Regensburg - managed by BioPark" brand. "The encounter of the increasing shortage of skilled workers, the increase in regional research projects and the increasing number of start-up ideas in the health sector will sustainably strengthen Regensburg as a technology location," says Diefenthal. "With BioPark-Jump we have launched an accelerator program in the health industry in cooperation with regional companies, universities, clinics and care facilities," adds Hagen. This is intended to promote startups and project ideas in the health sector. As a company of the City of Regensburg, BioPark Regensburg GmbH makes a decisive contribution to securing the innovative strength of the location in this area too.
