Heidelberg, 01.02.2019
In its visionary mission, BioRN aims to develop the region into a world-leading life science cluster, by nurturing the regional startup ecosystem, attract global investments and talents. Within its new strategy, BioRN propose as potential instrument to enable this process the conception of an incubator in Heidelberg. A working group with a specific focus on this project has been established with members from the BioRN executive and strategic boards.
Within this scope, Johannes Frühauf was invited to give a talk on the LabCentral successful model. LabCentral is a 70,000 square-foot facility in the heart of Cambridge, biotech innovation hub. LabCentral is a first-of-its-kind shared laboratory space designed as a launchpad for high-potential life-sciences and biotech startups, offering fully permitted laboratory and office space for as many as 60 startups and approximately 200 scientists and entrepreneurs. LabCentral is just one of several incubators within the Biolabs networks, focusing on empowering biotechs.
This unique opportunity to discover LabCentral secrets to its success, attracted a large audience, including representatives from global healthcare companies, Technology Transfer offices and research institutions in our network.
Within this co-working space, young biotechs can count on high-tech facilities, lab amenities and equipments, but especially on a community. Indeed LabCentral attracts more than 300 events per year, exposing residents constantly to peers, global industry and capital representatives.
The participants agreed on the undisputed benefits for the regional startups ecosystem but also for the industries sponsoring the incubator. The model will be very well suited to nurturing the existing ecosystem and to attract more investments and talents to Heidelberg and Germany in general.
Decrease attritions and enable collusions!
About BioRN
BioRN is a life science research and industry cluster dedicated to the development of cell-specific, molecular and personalised innovative treatments. The BioRN Cluster stands for the development, networking, representation and promotion of the life science region into one of the leading life science clusters in Europe.
The cluster-members include renowned academic research institutions such as the Universities of Heidelberg, the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) and the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) and big pharmaceutical companies such as AbbVie, Boehringer Ingelheim, Johnson & Johnson, Merck, Roche, und Sanofi-Aventis, and about 80 small and medium-sized biotech enterprises. Beyond the members registered in the cluster, BioRN gives access to a wider network via partnerships and collaborations.
In terms of the use of clusters for the internationalization of companies, BioRN has founded, together with Leuven (Belgium), Maastricht (Netherlands) and Copenhagen (Denmark), an alliance for the enforcement of biomedical innovation in Europe, called the Health Axis Europe.