Biotechnology

Biotechnology in Baden-Wuerttemberg

Offering a multitude of application fields, the Biotechnology is a cross-sectional technology which cannot be limited to one single sector. Thus, biotechnology also plays an important role in in physics, chemistry, process technology, material and computer sciences.

Including institutes such as the Fraunhofer Society, the Max Planck Institutes, the German Cancer Research Center, the Innovation Alliance BW or the Research Center Karlsruhe, but also numerous universities and universities of applied sciences, Baden-Wuerttemberg is offering a diverse research landscape. Due to its cross-sectional character, the biotechnology sector thus profits from various networking possibilities.

Compared to the other sectors in Baden-Wuerttemberg, biotechnology represents a rather small market with regard to its number of employees. With a share of 16 % of the German biotech-companies behind Baveria (18 %), Baden-Wuertemberg is however the leading employer in this branch of technology. In addition, the biotechnology sector is an important driver for innovation for industries like the pharmaceutical sector or the medical technology industry.

In light of the expanding health care sector, especially the red biotechnology will become increasingly important. But also the white biotechnology is s seen as having great development potential due to a stronger integration of applied biotechnological processes in the classical industries supporting the companies' efforts towards innovation.

In 2002, BIOPRO was founded in order to promote the local and international commercialization of biotechnology products. It is the central contact point for economic and scientific stakeholders and coordinates the networking activities between major competence sectors of Baden-Wuerttemberg in the field of biotechnology.