IA-BIOTECH in the BioPark
With the introduction of IA-BIOTECH, BioPark Regensburg is expanding its successful portfolio for the promotion of biotechnology in Regensburg and the Region of East Bavaria centred on the concept of “interdisciplinary applications” and thereby achieving a high level of development as a management entity of a biotechnology cluster in comparison with other biore-gions in Germany. “The diverse application opportunities in biotechnology and the strong interest from other fields have demonstrated that interdisciplinary cooperation is an essential lever to forge the way ahead for the development of innovative products and services”, states Dr. Thomas Diefenthal, Managing Director of BioPark Regensburg GmbH.
The concept of interdisciplinary applications means the linking of technologies from originally different branches of the industry and represents a significant leap in innovation. For example biotechnological processes are already implemented in the chemical industry, as these very frequently are superior to the usual chemical processes with regard to energy and protecting resources, being environmentally-friendly and speed. On the other hand biotechnology companies are often reliant on the know-how of other branches of the industry to realise the full potential of their ideas and products. The development of new medicines is only one of the many areas in which such interdisciplinary applications can create crucial value.
One of the studies contracted by the BioPark GmbH and funded by the State of Bavaria and the City of Regensburg was given to the consultancy firm Capgemini Deutschland GmbH in 2006, based on its many years of experience and high level of competence in this area. The issue here is to investigate the interdisciplinary potential to link up biotechnology in Regensburg and the Region of East Bavaria. As a first step Capgemini investigated the branches of the industry which were particularly well-suited to forming links with biotechnology. These include, for example, the automobile, chemistry, electronic, glass, ceramic, plastics, medical biotechnology, engineering, optical, photonics, textile and environment industries. Having created one’s own data bank provides access to companies, institutions and areas of compe-tence in the region. As a second step, a total of 50 interviews were conducted with institutions and companies both in the Life Sciences and in other areas to identify suitable interdisciplinary themes and to call upon potential for cooperation. In two workshops following this at the end of 2006, the topics “Biofunctional Surfaces” and “Molecular Diagnostics/Biochip Technology” were worked on intensively with the goal of developing together innovative products and ideas for application and to start up concrete cooperation initiatives.
Participating in these workshops were companies from various branches of the industry in Regensburg and the Region of East Bavaria and professors from the University and Technical Institute of Regensburg:
- Amareg GmbH, Regensburg
- Biocam GmbH, Regensburg
- Davids Biotechnologie GmbH, Regensburg
- Geneart AG, Regensburg
- Prof. Göpferich, Chair in Pharmaceutical Technology, University of Regensburg
- Prof. Hammer, Engineering, Technical Institute of Regensburg
- Prof. Wagner, Institute of Medical Microbiology and Hygiene, University of Regensburg
- Prof. Wolfbeis, Chair in Analytical Chemistry, Chemo- and Biosensors, University of Regensburg
- Profos AG, Regensburg
- Reinhausen Plasma GmbH, Regensburg
- RKT GmbH, Roding
- Zwiesel Kristallglas AG, Zwiesel
The extent of this project is overwhelming: through interviews and workshops, a total 28 potential cooperation initiatives were able to be started up, including three concrete product ideas, which have already today been formed as bilateral cooperation initiatives or are in pro-totype development. The participants of the workshops have excelled to a high degree through their openness, creativity and pragmatism. “In no other comparable project conducted in other states, have so many and concrete interdisciplinary product ideas and cooperation initiatives been started up as in Regensburg”, emphasized Marc Reinhardt, Vice President at Capgemini responsible for biotechnology.
BioPark Regensburg has decided to promote this creative innovation potential and is transferring this successful concept of interdisciplinary cooperation initiatives to IA-BIOTECH. This agency will hold further interdisciplinary workshops with the support of Capgemini in 2007. Furthermore IA-BIOTECH is to become a fixed start-up point for the promotion of innovation and economic growth for biotechnology companies, academic institutions and companies of other established branches of the industry. One of its tasks is the identification and address-ing of new topics, which reflect the needs of the participants, and mediating contacts on the basis of the competence data bank.
Further information on IA-BIOTECH and the contact forms can be called up on the internet site for the BioPark (www.bioregio-regensburg.de). The Managing Director of the BioPark Regensburg GmbH, Dr. Thomas Diefenthal, looks forward to lots of new interdisciplinary contacts and expressly encourages companies and institutions to use the chance to cooperate with biotechnology- the branch of the future. Last but not least, this form of cooperation pro-motes the regional economy and creates jobs.
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