Topping-out ceremony for BioPark III at Regensburg

No one had thought in the nineties that Regensburg and the East Bavarian Region would develop into the second largest location for biotechnology in Bavaria following Munich. Currently 42 companies with 2,500 employees are active in this field in the region, a good 6 times as many than 10 years ago. A jump start for this success was the foundation of BioPark Regensburg GmbH, an enterprise of the City of Regensburg of 11 years. This company established its first construction phase directly on the grounds of the University of Regensburg, which in 2001 with its first 6,000 m2 went into operation. Still today the companies have direct access to the university infrastructure and to the know-how of the Regensburg University, colleges and clinics. Reciprocally colleges can find   cooperation partners in the BioPark and successfully commence their start-up company. The concept was so successful, that already in 2004 with the planning of the second construction phase having commenced, in 2006 a further 6,000 m2 went into operation. But even this was rapidly booked out, so that on the 15 September 2010 the foundation stone for the third construction phase was laid, again with an expansion of 6,000 m2.

The BioPark has generated significant award-winning Bavarian lighthouse companies, which have contributed hugely to this success. For example Geneart AG listed on the stock exchange, winner of the European Biotechnica Awards in 2008 and today part of US Life Technologies Corporation with 9,000 employees and a turnover of 3.3 billion US dollars. The company is so successful that it has already outsourced space in the Industrial Park Regensburg. Or Amgen Research GmbH, which in 2004 integrated as US subsidiary of Tularik Deutschland GmbH into the Amgen Concern, today with 17,000 employees worldwide and a turnover of 14.6 billion US $. Today the company in the BioPark is the sole European research unit of the largest biotech company in the world. Also to mention is the company Antisense Pharma GmbH, winner of the German Business Founder Award in 2004 and 2009 as one of the 100 most innovative companies in small and medium-sized business. This company is one of the few German Biotech companies with novel medicines for cancer in final   clinical phase III study prior to licensing. However interdisciplinary companies in the fields of sensory technology, diagnostics, medical technology and service and administration are also located in the BioPark.

The interaction of companies and colleges and universities in evident through the research units located in the BioPark. The Fraunhofer Gesellschaft in the field of medicine and sensory technology drives two working groups in the BioPark. The Foundation HTCR (Human Tissue & Cell Research), the University Centre for Medical Biotechnology and the Institute for Functional Genomics are also located in the BioPark. In total there are currently 27 leaseholders with 500 employees active in the BioPark. The third construction phase will cost a total of 14.5 million €, two thirds of the costs are carried by the Federal Government via the current Economic Stimulus Programme II, the remainder directed in equal parts to the City of Regensburg, the State of Bavaria and the EU. In total 37.8 million. € have flowed into all three construction phases, of this over 50% alone into technical infrastructure and laboratory space. To balance this is “return of investment”. In the last 10 years 35 companies were able to be founded, 102 million € venture capital, 90 million. € of equity and 24.5 million. € in subsidies were able to be fetched, so in total 258 million € by the companies in the region.