Biotechnology in Germany- Clusters (Part 3 of 3)

Germany’s Biotechnology Clusters

A major success factor behind exponentially growing and flourishing German biotechnology industry is the close cooperation between biotech companies, research institutes, technology parks, political players in the form of biotechnology clusters. In 2019, total number of dedicated biotechnology companies in Germany increased over to 660 which is very high amongst other industries worldwide. Every year companies participate in thousands of research projects with other partners from industry and research institutes, emphasizing Germany’s reputation as one of best environments for biotechnology R&D worldwide. This lead to the formation of BioRegions (BioRegionen) in Germany. The BioRegions of Germany are regional initiatives set up for the advancement of modern biotechnology in Germany. It ranges from local hotspots like technology parks to state level organisations making Europe’s leading R&D hub in last three decades. Each region specializes in particular areas and facilitates collaboration between universities, R&D institutions and companies. Around 30 BioRegions are active members of the AK BioRegio (“Council of German BioRegions”), whose goal is to advance the German biotechnology sector by coordinating and promoting local activities. AK BioRegio advances the exchange between regional initiatives and relays its expertise to political decision makers. Dedicated cluster managements provide services such as obtaining funding for joint R&D projects, matching partners and providing educational training programs. Figure 4 explains the work strategy of clusters and Figure 5&6 illustrate the location of the clusters and the geographical areas they cover.

? Figure 4: Cluster management

Figure 5: Biotechnology Clusters?

The 30 BIoRegions in Germany have their presence in multiple fields of biotechnology indicating their diversity of research and excellence in different scientific fields under biotechnology domain. Following table gives details of all BioRegions :???

Figure 5: BIoRegions Germany

?Conclusion

The purpose of this series of articles was to make young researchers aware of Germany as “Land of innovation” and some best practices that we Indians can take up from their research landscape. There are three pillars of German innovation system which are unique and remarkable. First is the excellent funding and expenditure on research & development. Second is phenomenal growth and outcome of expenditure in the form of innovations, IPR, NBE (new biological entity), and third pillar is collaboration amongst Industry, university and research organisations. India is among the top 12 destinations for biotechnology in the world, with approximately 3% share in the global Biotechnology industry. Education, awareness and technological advancement are getting grip at an incremental rate in India. Department of Biotechnology (DBT) and Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC) have taken progressive efforts for Biotechnology research in India. Recently, mission COVID Suraksha an initiative by Indian government to accelerate the development and production of COVID vaccines was successful and India stood as the biggest manufacturer of Covishield, and her indigenous vaccine Covaxin. As a country with highest number of youth population, the government initiatives and opportunities in research & development are relatively less. Indian government and private sector have shown faith in the development of this industry but as compared to the developed nations which have less youth population and more research funding, it will take at least 5-10 years more to facilitate and flourish research in India. This means that young research aspirants have better research opportunities abroad after fulfilling all the criteria. But to expedite the growth in Indian Biotechnology research, there should be collaborative efforts taken by government and private sector. It is the rule of nature where all living organisms stay in symbiotic relationship for the survival and growth. Similarly, there should be strong collaboration between industry, universities and research institutes and also tie ups, synergy with foreign universities for innovation and research. This would definitely deliver the best outcome for the betterment of mankind.

This series of article is written together with a passionate biotechnologist?Saurabh Patwardhan . We had written an?introduction to biotechnology ?a few weeks ago.

If interested, please refer to?Part 1 of 3 ? and Part 2 of 3 of this series of articles on Biotechnology in Germany.

(Sources:?GTAI ,?DAAD , German Federal Government agencies,?Fraunhofer , Munich Biotech, HAW Hamburg, BIRAC)

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