Life Sciences in Bavaria
by Invest-in-Bavaria

Medical technology: an integral part of the health care sector and a market of growing importance—in Germany and world wide. Bavaria provides an optimum location for a MedTech base:

Of the world leaders in medical technology and pharmaceutical sales, several maintain a base in Bavaria. They include such global players as Siemens Medical Solutions, Baxter, GlaxoSmithKline, Novartis Pharma and Roche, not to mention General Electric with its European research center in Garching. With over 250 predominantly medium-sized companies, Bavaria combines the corporate expertise in medical technology above and beyond most other regions in Europe.

Bavaria employs a highly qualified workforce of some 47,000 in the medical technology sector. Their achievements attest to their skill insofar as Bavaria accounts for over 60 % of the electro-medical equipment production and 30 % of the entire medical equipment output in Germany. The export quota of the medical technology industry in Bavaria is approximately 70 % (primarily medical instruments and orthopedic devices), with over 60 % in medical and control technology collectively.

Combined Knowledge
Bavaria maintains several centers for the advancement of innovation. Not only does Europe’s “Silicon Valley” lie in Bavaria, but also the “Medical Valley” has found settlement here.

  • Comprehensive: internationally renowned expertise in the fields of imaging technology, plus virus and pharmaceutical research—Erlangen/ Nuremberg. www.erlangen.de, www.wirtschaft.nuernberg.de
  • Clustered: Clinics and institutes connected to the Munich universities, Max-Planck Institutes, GSF (National Research Center for Environment and Health conducting research in the area of life science), and the DLR German Aerospace Center (minimally invasive, computer aided processes, materials and process systems, telemedicine)—Munich www.wirtschaft.muenchen.de
  • Connected: A telemedical network linking hospitals to university clinics; Center for Applied Biomedicine—Regensburg www.regensburg.de/wirtschaft
  • Combined: Centers specializing in biomaterials, implants and MRI; joint research projects between the universities of Erlangen and Bayreuth—Wuerzburg www.wuerzburg.de/wirtschaft

IP with IQ
Bavaria is home to the German Patent & Trademark Office, the European Patent Office (EPO), the Fraunhofer Patent Center for German Research PST, the Max-Planck Institute for foreign and international patents, copyright and competition laws and the headquarters of Fraunhofer and the Max-Planck-Societies, among others. Bavaria’s centers for innovation offer new businesses the potential to combine creativity with state-of-the-art technology and existing know-how, tailored specifically for the needs of MedTech companies:

Networks that work
With the “Forum Medizintechnik und Pharma,” Bavaria offers all players in the health care sector:

  • a universal information platform within an interdisciplinary network
  • comprehensive cooperation arrangements within technological and industrial sectors
  • a current overview and transparency for R&D and services in Bavaria

Telemedicine, generation research, biological materials and minimally invasive technologies take priority. www.forum-medtech-pharma.de
The forum’s information network of over 460 members facilitates the use of synergies beyond Bavaria’s borders. Innovative ideas are analyzed by experts (developers, manufacturers, users, physicians and sponsors), brought together and immediately applied to new projects.

BioMedTec Franken, the Franconian network of cooperation among the Universities of Bayreuth, Erlangen-Nürnberg and Würzburg

  • combines the resources of this internationally ranked region for biomedical and medical technologies
  • supports the formation and settlement of innovative firms
  • provides valuable contacts to academic and industry partners of the pharmaceutical, biotech and medical technology sectors. www.biomedtec-franken.de

Combined research
Bavaria’s research associations represent unique networks of scientists from the most diverse fields of high technology research, working together with the industry to further innovation for current needs.
These are among the topics within the health care market:

  • FORPRION—Bavarian Research Association for Prions
  • FORTEPRO—Bavarian Research Association for Tissue Engineering and Rapid Prototyping
  • FORIMMUN—Bavarian Research Association for New Strategies of Immunotherapy
  • FORNANO—Bavarian Research Association for Nanotechnology www.abayfor.de

Enticing incentives
MedTech ventures can be funded by the State’s technology support programs and the Bavarian Research Foundation. Investment projects are eligible to receive subsidies in certain regions. The LfA Development Bank of Bavaria provides low-cost financing with favorable interest rates. Bayern Kapital GmbH is instrumental in providing capital for the medical technology sector. Its contribution, plus that of tbg’s (German acronym for Technology Participation Company) and other private investors, can triple the amount of investment assistance—up to 3 million euros. www.forschungsstiftung.de, www.lfa.de,www.bayernkapital.de

Premium Health Care
Health care in Bavaria maintains a unique combination of hard and soft factors: a high level of patient care, high quality products and services of the medical technology and life sciences sectors; attractive offers for health care patients and tourists; ambiance and quality of life in one of the most delightful regions in the world:

  • a leading biotech cluster in Europe—several innovative drug candidates in clinical development
  • 400 hospitals of acute care—some 48,000 doctors and nearly 10,000 dentists —extensive inpatient and outpatient care (priority given to cancer, radiation, severe burns and high-risknewborns).
  • 341 preventive medicine and rehabilitation centers—highly specialized and comprehensive with unique competitive advantages.
  • 53 distinct health spas and resorts—every third German seeking wellness comes to Bavaria making us the market leader.

The achievement: Bavarian health care is highly reputed from Middle and Eastern Europe, to the Middle East and Arabic regions, to Russia and China. The international airports of Munich and Nuremberg provide numerous direct flights to all these regions making business trips and patient visits more convenient.

Bavaria’s Life Sciences—We have it all

Driving Force for over a Decade
Due to its decisive and targeted support and promotion of the life sciences, Bavariais Germany’s leading biotech state and is among Europe’s top life sciences clusters. Bavaria continues to be significantly ahead of all the other German States in terms of number and stage of maturity of companies in the core field of biotechnology (Ernst&Young, 2004). The presence of leading international pharmaceutical companies such as Amgen, Aventis, Baxter, Biogen-Idec, BMS, Fujisawa, GSK, Novartis, Roche, Sankyo, along with numerous service providers makes Bavaria’s business environment for the life sciences industry dynamic and rich in customer, product and partnering opportunities.

First Rate Setting for Lab Space
Innovation and incubation centers tailored to the needs of biotech companies in Munich-Martinsried, Freising-Weihenstephan, Regensburg, Erlangen and Würzburg jump-start companies and foster rapid growth within the Bavarian biotech regions. In addition, attractive premises and facilities designed for R&D, marketing or production are available in close proximity to the innovation centers.
Headquarters of the Max-Planck Society, the Fraunhofer Society, the German and European Patent Offices are in Munich and provides easy access for academia and industry.

Bavaria: Where Skills Come Together
Bavaria’s scientists and technical assistants enjoy an exemplary level of training.
Scientific and business opportunities, combined with Bavaria’s renowned quality of life, attract researchers from all over Germany and beyond—a key advantage in recruitment. There is even a state initiated web-site to help companies in finding skilled technical staff. www.ta-na-klar.de


Innovative Science in Bavaria’s Bio-Clusters

  • Munich/Martinsried:
    Bavaria’s capital provides a superb cluster of leading R&D centers such as Max-Planck-Institutes, the GSF-National Research Center for Environment and Health, and the Gene Center. Munich’s top universities LMU and TUM along with its hospitals are additional key components of the area’s scientific expertise. Munich’s center for nano-sciences, CeNS, puts a focus on nano-biotechnology. Freising-Weihenstephan, with its wealth of universities and State institutes offers a prime setting for agricultural and food biotechnology. www.bio-m.de
  • Regensburg:
    The capital of the Upper Palatinate is Bavaria’s center for fluorescent bio-analytics, sensory and applied biomedicine and provides an attractive setting in the BioPark linked with the city’s University and University of Applied Sciences.www.bioregio-regensburg.de
  • Franconia is Germany’s biomedical engineering capital: Erlangen-Nuremberg, with its outstanding expertise in medical technology, virology, and pharmaceutical research, Würzburg with a forum for inter-disciplinary research and Bayreuth, with emphasis on applied biochemistry and materials research.

Strong Networks—Expert Partners
To help establish or expand your company, Bavaria has expert life science consulting organizations and networks for the regions of Munich (BioM AG), Franconia (BioMedTec Franken e.V.) and Regensburg (BioPark Regensburg GmbH) to offer personalized support and to connect newcomers to their extensive networks. ‘Network Life Science’ is Bavaria’s comprehensive platform for up-to-date information and partnering opportunities for life science companies. Profiles of the biotech clusters, their companies, a calendar of events and a news ticker are all accessible online. www.lifescience-bavaria.de

Financial support for Investments
Munich is Germany’s number one financial center with roughly 50 VC and Private Equity funds. Additional momentum is generated by the State fund “Bayern Kapital“ as co-investor in innovative ventures. Lead investors can receive matching funds through Bayern-Kapital. www.fpmi.de, www.bayernkapital.de

Financial support for Growth R&D Grants and Subsidies
Substantial aid for R&D projects can be provided by State and Federal technology support programs and the Bavarian Research Foundation. Investments can also be eligible to receive subsidies or low interest loans in certain areas of Bavaria. www.forschungsstiftung.de, www.lfa.de

Access anytime anywhere
Munich’s international airport offers direct connections in over 60 countries to some 200 destinations including Boston, San Francisco, New York, Washington D.C., Toronto, Montréal, Tel Aviv, Tokyo, Hong Kong and Shanghai. All major European business centers are less than four hours away by plane, rail or road. Companies in Northern Bavaria have convenient access to airports in Nuremberg and Frankfurt as well.