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Spot on Biotechnology Business 2020/2021
From Mind to Market:
Biotechnology Company Directory 2020/2021
North Rhine-Westphalia
BIO.NRW
© 2020, BIO.NRW “Spot on Biotechnology Business”, www.bio.nrw.de
Design and Layout: it’s FR!TZ, Heiko Fritz, Zossen
Picture Source:
p. 6 © dmt Bildarchiv
p. 7 © Matthias Römer
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p. 27 BIO.NRW; Institute of Biochemistry, University of Cologne
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p. 32 © science photo – Fotolia.com
p. 42 BIO.NRW; Institute of Biochemistry, University of Cologne
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p. 74 © Matthias Römer
4
BIO.NRW
Content
Greeting… ……………………………………………………………………………… 7 Company Directory 2020/2021 NRW
About BIO.NRW… ………………………………………………………………… 8 Non-specific services… …………………………………………………… 32
Health and Medicine (including Animal Health) ……… 42
BIO.NRW - Business for Biotech… …………………………………… 8 Industrial Biotechnology… ……………………………………………… 56
Keeping an eye on the NRW biotechnology scene……… 8 Agrobiotechnology… ………………………………………………………… 64
Special Service: The Covid-19 Information and Bioinformatics… ………………………………………………………………… 66
Contact Platform… ……………………………………………………………… 8 Other Biotechnologically Active Companies……………… 68
Support of young professionals is our business… ……… 8
Technology transfer is our concern………………………………… 8 The BIO.NRW Team … ……………………………………………………… 74
Thematic focus area BIO.NRW.red… ……………………………… 8
Thematic focus area BIO.NRW.eco… ……………………………… 9 Glossary����������������������������� 76
Spot on Biotechnology Business… ……………………………… 10 OECD Definition… ……………………………………………………………… 76
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and
Biotech Landscape in NRW… ………………………………………… 10 Development (OECD)… …………………………………………………… 76
Stimuli for Start-Up‘s… …………………………………………………… 10 Biotechnology company… ……………………………………………… 76
Academic Biotech Landscape… …………………………………… 11 Dedicated biotechnology companies … ……………………… 76
Other biotechnologically active companies… …………… 76
Biotechnology Map of North Rhine-Westphalia
Life Science Technology Parks and Incubators�� 12 Sources, Literature, Links… …………………………………………… 76
Biotech Business Landscape… ……………………………………… 14
Situation during the Pandemic… ………………………………… 18
Beyond the pandemic ……………………………………………………… 19
NRW against COVID-19… ………………………………………………… 20
Networks and Competence Clusters in NRW…………… 23
Industrial Biotechnology – CLIB…………………………………… 23
BioRegions in NRW…………………………………………………………… 24
From Mind to Market… …………………………………………………… 27
Biotechnology Map of North Rhine-Westphalia
Dedicated and other biotechnologically active
companies ��������������������������� 28
5
BIO.NRW 6
BIO.NRW
Greeting
What have we learned? we have seen that businesses, science, technology are developed locally. Therefore,
society and politics have all contributed in NRW must be attractive for companies. This
The Corona Crisis has hit humanity hard their own way. NRW stands together against is favored by improved access to venture
around the world. Our health systems have COVID-19 and as a network BIO.NRW stands capital, the promotion of innovative pro-
been put to the test. National and regional together with NRW. jects and the provision of infrastructures
lockdowns have brought personal and eco- But something else became clear during for scaling up processes, for example. As a
nomic activities to a standstill. Researchers the crisis: biotechnology is a key technology future-orientated technology, biotechnology
and policy makers are working hard to avert in the fight against the virus. It contributes must be given sustained attention.
the effects of this crisis. significantly to the development of treat-
The Corona crisis is the big issue that ments, vaccines and diagnostic tools. Even In this sense: spotlights on for the biotech-
has occupied our society in 2020. After after the crisis, the importance of biotech- nology sector in NRW!
the weeks-long lockdown in spring and nology for society should not slip out of
subsequent relaxations over the summer, focus. As a cross-sectional technology, it Your BIO.NRW Team
case numbers are now on higher levels than offers many solutions to the pressing prob-
ever and it is hard to estimate when we will lems of our society, even beyond the health
be able to return to an unrestricted daily sector. We must ensure that this sector is
routine. But what has the crisis taught us? strengthened and that innovations in bio-
What will we take away from a time when our
society was put to the test?
The crisis has held up a mirror to all of us.
We were shown where our strengths lie and
what the economy, research, and society
are capable of achieving. In the beginning,
we did not know anything about the virus
and many things are still uncertain today.
There was a lot of discussion, e.g., what
long-term effects COVID-19 causes, when
a vaccine will be available for everyone
and which restrictive measures are neces-
sary or sufficient. The crisis has also been
polarizing. But during the lockdown it be-
came clear above all that NRW is standing
together. Many companies and scientific
institutions spontaneously started working
on a vaccine or a cure. Companies adjusted
their production lines when disinfectants
became scarce. Staff and premises were
made available to create testing capaci-
ties. Medical students have helped with
telephone hotlines, private individuals
have sewn masks and politicians have put
together aid packages. In the time of crisis,
7
BIO.NRW
About BIO.NRW
BIO.NRW - Business for Biotech and how the associated sectors are develop- NRW helps with the financing and promotion
ing here. This includes the annually updated of biotech start-ups. In addition, a forum, that
Biotechnology offers decisive approaches to key figures in this brochure. In addition, BIO. brings together institutional investors, private
solving the global challenges of our time. In NRW provides an overview of current R&D investors, business angels and developers,
order to drive the sustainable development activities in industry and academia. All this provides information on the current biotech
of biotechnology in North Rhine-Westphalia information is also available to everyone scene in NRW. In the context of workshops,
(NRW), the players involved should be as well free of charge on the BIO.NRW homepage. BIO.NRW provides information on special
connected as possible. The BIO.NRW network Information about industry-relevant news funding measures tailored to the life science
acts on behalf of the state government and and events are presented here. The BIO. sectors. Funding opportunities from the EU,
connect entrepreneurs, scientists, inves- NRW online databases list companies and the federal government and the state of NRW
tors and the public. In addition, the network scientific institutions that are active in the is presented in these workshops.
promotes cooperation at the state level as life science sector.
well as nationally and also internationally. Technology transfer is our concern
BIO.NRW engages in location marketing, of- Special Service: The Covid-19
fers networking events and supports young Information and Contact Platform NRW is one of the most innovative regions in
companies and start-ups in a variety of ways. Germany. It is particularly important to bring
A particular strength of NRW is the many The BIO.NRW website offers all companies new technologies to market and application.
companies that are active in pharmaceuti- and scientists in NRW a platform with up- Supporting technology transfer is one of
cal biotechnology. With its focus area BIO. to-date information on the COVID-19 pan- BIO.NRW’s key tasks. BIO.NRW initiates
NRW.red, BIO.NRW provides a thematic of- demic. This includes funding programs and cooperation between the players in the
fer specifically tailored to the pharmaceu- resources from the state, federal government value chain in order to transform ideas and
tical biotechnology sector. The structural and EU as well as relevant reports from in- scientific findings more effectively into
change and climate targets are inducing dustry and science. In addition, we also offer forward-looking processes and marketable
a shift in industry towards sustainable the possibility of individual cooperation and products. In addition, BIO.NRW organizes
management and production. BIO.NRW contact enquiries. events, working platforms and meetings
addresses the topic of bioeconomy in its to promote dialogue between companies,
new focus area BIO.NRW.eco. In this way, Support of young professionals is research, investors and decision-makers to
BIO.NRW further develops the strengths our business intensify cooperation.
of North Rhine-Westphalia as a location
for research and innovation and promotes One of BIO.NRW’s special concerns is the Thematic focus area BIO.NRW.red
the growth of the biotechnology business support of young professionals in biotechnol-
landscape. ogy. BIO.NRW organizes various events where BIO.NRW.red is the thematic focus for “red”,
young professionals and founders can get in pharmaceutical biotechnology in the BIO.
Keeping an eye on the NRW touch with representatives of the industry. In NRW network. North Rhine-Westphalia has
biotechnology scene addition, BIO.NRW is represented with joint been a strong location for biotechnology and
stands at all major national and international especially for the pharmaceutical industry
The biotech sector in North Rhine-Westphalia trade fairs in the sector, thus giving SMEs and for more than a century. Internationally re-
has developed rapidly over the past ten years, start-ups the opportunity to draw attention nowned companies such as Bayer, Johnson
which is, inter alia, due to numerous advan- to their activities and make contact with & Johnson, UCB, Grünenthal, Henkel, Evonik
tageous location factors. BIO.NRW provides potential business partners. BIO.NRW also are proof of the great importance of NRW
information on the prospects, strengths and arranges individual cooperation partners on in this environment. In addition, the state is
potential of NRW as a biotechnology location request. The Business Angel Network - BIO. also home to a large number of younger and
8
BIO.NRW
start-up companies such as Qiagen, Miltenyi 319 in 2019. The biopharmaceutical pipeline collaborating to establish a sustainable
Biotec, AiCuris, Cygenia epigenetic diagnos- (including vaccines) also grew significantly economic system based on the model of
tics, or Priavoid. These are just a few exam- by 37% (from 468 to 648) and the number of the bioeconomy.
ples of the great diversity in NRW. In times employees increased by 54% (from 27,500
of the COVID-19 pandemic, highly innovative to 42,300). Biopharmaceutical sales have
North Rhine-Westphalian biotech companies almost tripled in this 10-year period2.
have drawn attention to themselves and Due to this enormous development and
the location by producing reliable and new market potential, the establishment of the
diagnostic procedures, developing potential thematic focus area BIO.NRW.red was logi-
therapeutic agents, and providing important cal and appropriate. Initiated in 2010 as a
components for vaccine development. strategic initiative of BIO.NRW, experts from
Never before have medical biotechnology the pharmaceutical industry, biomedical
companies been so much in the focus of research, health care, medicine and phar-
the public and the media as they have been maceutical biotechnology, in particular,
these days. Throughout Germany, medical were brought together for interdisciplinary
biotechnology is a key technology for inno- exchange. In the meantime, BIO.NRW.red
vations in the pharmaceutical industry. This has become a stable and lasting network in
is particularly true for the development of NRW, with significant growth potential, of
personalized medicine, stem cell research, experts from a wide range of cross-sectional
and new cell and gene therapies1. areas, i.e., medical diagnostics, develop-
The sales of biopharmaceuticals (phar- ment of medicines, regenerative medicine,
macy and hospital market) increased in and gene therapy.
2019 by 13 % compared to the previous
year and is thus 12.7 billion euros. Its share Thematic focus area BIO.NRW.eco
of sales in the total pharmaceutical market
(EUR 44.1 billion) is 28.7 %, an increase The bioeconomy refers to the knowledge-
of 13 % compared to 2018 (total market based production and use of renewable re-
growth 6.9 %). sources to provide products, processes, and
In 2019, 33 drugs with a new active ingre- services in all economic sectors within the
dient, a biosimilar active ingredient, or a new framework of a sustainable economic sys-
combination of known active ingredients tem. To achieve this, the bioeconomy often,
were approved in the EU. 15 of these new but not exclusively, uses biotechnological
approvals were biopharmaceuticals alone. methods and processes. To ensure the use
Furthermore, the pipeline for new, innova- of biotechnological methods and processes
tive biopharmaceutical drug candidates is in the sense of a bioeconomy, a wide variety
well filled. 640 clinical development can- of actors from different value-chains and
didates (clinical phases I to III) have been often also from different industries and eco-
documented by the end of 20192. nomic sectors must work together. However,
A 10-year comparison for the years 2009 in most cases, cooperation is not enough to
and 2019 (published in June 2020 in the bio- create a legal framework supported by the
tech report “Medizinische Biotechnologie in politics and to create acceptance within the
Deutschland 2020”) shows the growing im- society for innovative processes, products,
portance of biopharmaceuticals for patients and services. To ensure successful network-
and for Germany as a pharmaceutical loca- ing, BIO.NRW with its new thematic focus
tion. The number of approved biopharma- area BIO.NRW.eco supports actors from
ceutical products rose from 188 in 2009 to science, industry, politics, and society in
9
BIO.NRW
Spot on Biotechnology Business
Biotech Landscape in NRW and major brands have their headquarters NRW. This entrepreneurial excellence is
here, including Bayer, Evonik, Henkel, Grünen- supported by Europe’s densest network
North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) lies at the thal, Johnson & Johnson and UCB. Building of excellent academic institutions. It is
heart of Europe. This becomes particularly on this, NRW has now developed into one of therefore not surprising that many of to-
clear when you realize that 160 million people the top locations for the life science industry. day’s successful biotechnology companies
live within a day’s journey of the state capital In the last 25 years, about 500 life science started out as university spin-offs. There
Düsseldorf3. With almost 18 million inhabit- companies have settled in NRW6, 106 of which is also a rich and robust funding environ-
ants, NRW is Germany’s most populated are biotechnology companies (Figure 2). NRW ment to support and promote the industry,
federal state4. Already 10 million people live has thereby also developed as a hotspot including venture capitalists and business
in the Rhine-Ruhr region, which is Germany’s for the biotechnology industry. Innovative development organizations.
largest and densest metropolitan area5. The technologies are applied to major industry Many start-ups also benefit from technol-
density is also reflected in the infrastructure: branches serving health/medicine, chemis- ogy or incubator centers, of which there are
NRW has six international airports, Germa- try, food and environment biotechnology and about 60 in NRW6. Incubators act as a cata-
ny’s densest rail network and, with the Port ensure that the biotechnology sector is grow- lyst for economic development and promote
of Duisburg, the world’s largest inland port. ing rapidly. Major business areas covered are technology transfer all the way from mind
So it comes with no surprise that NRW is an industrial, nano- and pharmaceutical bio- to market. They promote business start-ups
attractive location for businesses. This is also technology, and there is a focus on enabling and subsequently support the start-ups to
illustrated by numbers: almost one-fifth of technologies and supporting services as well. ensure their survival and growth. Specific
Germany’s gross domestic product is gener- Biotechnology in NRW now represents an ac- services provided by the centers include
ated in NRW and one-fifth of foreign compa- tive, multicentric network, which is setting the renting affordable laboratory and office
nies are based in NRW (Figure 1)3. This puts pace for the powerful pulse of the state’s life space, arranging business contacts, advis-
NRW at the top of the German federal states. science business. ing on financing options and advising on
If classified as an independent exporting na- starting or relocating a business.
tion, NRW would rank between Netherlands Stimuli for Start-Up‘s At the editorial deadline of this brochure,
and Saudi Arabia (Table 1). 150 biotechnology and life science com-
Traditionally, NRW is Germany’s most Numerous successful start-ups and spin-off panies were incubated by 22 technology
important location for the chemical and phar- companies flourish alongside the strong centers (page 13).
maceutical industry. Many large companies chemical and pharmaceutical industry in The technology park BioCampus Cologne
deserves special mention as it is one of the
• 17.9 million inhabitants7 largest of its kind in Germany. On a total
• NRW generates 20.7 % (711 billion Euro) of the German GDP7 area of more than 25 hectares, it houses
• NRW generates 4.5 % of the European GDP (EU-28)7 more than 23,000 square meters of office
• 20,000 international companies are located in NRW8 and laboratory space, including state-of-
the-art S1 and S2 laboratories as well as
• 427 foreign new settlements and expansion projects in 20199
industrial production facilities.
• 23 % of foreign direct investment flowig into Germany ends up in NRW9
And the success of the favorable con-
• 438,943 million Euro trading volume in 2019 (summing in- and exports)10
ditions for start-ups can be proven with
• 6 international airports11
figures: 20 % of all German start-ups are
• 6,000 km rail network11
based in NRW, which is the highest rate in
• The Duisburg inland port handles 128 million tonnes of goods annually11
Germany13.
One of the startups that is currently
Fig. 1: NRW at a glance writing success stories in NRW is NUMA-
10BIO.NRW
Table 1: NRW’s GDP in international comparison (billion euros) 12 The RWTH Aachen University and the Uni-
versity of Bonn were awarded the rare “Elite
University” label as part of the Excellence
Russia 1.518 Saudi-Arabia 708
Strategy in 2019. This means that two of
Rep. Of Korea 1.467 Turkey 674 the eleven German elite universities are
Spain 1.245 Switzerland 628 located in NRW. In addition, 14 of 57 Clus-
ters of Excellence in Germany are funded in
Australia 1,244 Poland 529 North Rhine-Westphalia16. Among them are
Mexiko 1.124 Thailand 486 five that deal with topics in the bioeconomy
Indonesia 1.000 Sweden 474 or life sciences. North Rhine-Westphalia is
thus the federal state in Germany in which
Netherlands 812 Belgium 473 the most Clusters of Excellence were funded
North Rhine-Westphalia 711 Argentina 40 in 2019. In addition to the highest density
of universities in Germany, the four major
German research organizations, namely the
FERM. Founded in 2017, NUMAFERM has students in Germany are enrolled at a higher Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, the Helmholtz Asso-
won several awards for the development education institution in NRW. In the aca- ciation, the Leibniz Association and the Max
of a platform technology for the biotech- demic year 2017/18, almost 40 % of these Planck Society, operate several facilities with
nological production of peptides of any students studied one of the STEM subjects life science activities in the state.
length. The process is cheaper and more (natural sciences, technology, engineering, NRW has an exceptional position in the
environmentally friendly than comparable mathematics)15. In the field of biotechnology, research fields of health and sustainability,
chemical syntheses. Another example of a students have the opportunity to specialize both of which are future-oriented topics in
successful start-up from NRW is Acus Lab- in cell biology, (bio)medicine, biochemistry, view of a growing and ageing world popula-
oratories. Using a unique forward genetic genomics, proteomics, metabolomics, mo- tion and climate change. In stem cell re-
screening technology, Acus Laboratories lecular biology, systems and synthetic biol- search, NRW has been the leading region in
can validate and predict drug targets as ogy, analytics/microsystems, bioinformatics Germany for over a decade, with Münster,
well as drug resistance. Founded in 2018, and process engineering. Bonn and Cologne as hotspots. Cologne
the company has since expanded its busi- has also developed into a globally unique
ness to China. The depletion of resources center of excellence for ageing research
and climate change call for more sustain- with the Cluster of Excellence Cellular
able production processes. The start-up Stress Responses in Aging-Associated Dis-
106
b.fab, founded in 2018, has dedicated itself dedicated
eases (CECAD), the Max Planck Institute for
to this goal by using CO2 as a raw material biotechnology Biology of Ageing, the Centre for Integrated
and converting it into higher-value products companies Oncolog y and the German Centre for
using a combination of biotechnology and Neurodegenerative Diseases. Germany’s
electrochemistry. These are just a few 18 other first health campus is located in Bochum,
biotechnologically
examples representing NRW’s versatile active companies
where the Centre for Protein Diagnostics
start-up scene. (ProDi) opened in June 2019. The science
building links the Ruhr University Bochum,
Academic Biotech Landscape ~380 other life science
the university hospitals and the healthcare
related companies industry.
North Rhine-Westphalia offers the most The Clusters of Excellence CEPLAS,
extensive network of academic institutions PhenoRob, and Fuel Science Center as well
in Germany. Six of the ten largest German as the Competence Centre Bioeconomy
universities (by number of students) are Fig. 2: Life Science Company Landscape in Science Center (BioSC), which supports re-
located in NRW 14. Almost one third of all North Rhine-Westphalia search projects in the field of bioeconomy,
11BIO.NRW
Biotechnology Map of North Rhine-Westphalia
Life Science Technology Parks and Incubators
The Netherlands
Q Gronau Weser
4
Q Bielefeld
1
15 Q Münster
Q Ascheberg Em Q Rheda-Wiedenbrueck
1 s
Rh
ine
Lippe
Q Bönen
Dortmund 10
2 1
Q
Bochum
Q Q
1 32
Essen 1
Q Ruhr
Q Nettetal Witten Q Witten
1
Q Wuppertal
Düsseldorf Q
12 Q Hilden
Monheim
QQ
Langenfeld
11
2
Q Bergisch-Gladbach
4 10 Q14
BaesweilerQ 1 Cologne
Herzogenrath 4 Q Jülich
Q
Q Troisdorf
Rh
1Q
in
12
e
Aachen Q
Bonn
Rheinbach Q 6
Belgium
Germany
12BIO.NRW
Name City Companies* Homepage
1 ZBMT - Zentrum für Bio-Medizintechnik Aachen 12 www.agit.de
2 TZA -Technologiezentrum am Europaplatz Aachen Aachen not specified www.tza-aachen.de
3 INCA Technologiezentrum GmbH Ascheberg 1 www.inca-technologiezentrum.de
4 its-Internationales Technologie- und Service-Center Baesweiler Baesweiler 4 www.its-center.de
Bergisch-
5 Technologiepark Bergisch-Gladbach 2 www.tbg.de
Gladbach
6 Technologiezentrum Bielefeld Bielefeld 1 www.technologiezentrum-bielefeld.de
7 BMZ - BioMedizinZentrum Bochum Bochum 2 www.bmz-bochum.de
8 TZR - Technologiezentrum Ruhr Bochum 1 www.chip-tzr.de
9 Bio-Security Bönen 10 www.bio-security.de
10 BMZ - BioMedizinZentrum Dortmund Dortmund 32 www.bmz-do.de
11 Zentrum für Mikro- und Nanotechnologie Dortmund 1 www.mst-factory.de
12 LSC - Life Science Center Düsseldorf Düsseldorf 14 www.lsc-dus.de
13 TPH - Technologie Park Herzogenrath Herzogenrath 4 www.tph.de
14 TZJ - Technologiezentrum Jülich Jülich 1 www.tz-juelich.de
15 BioCampus Cologne Grundbesitz GmbH & Co. KG Cologne 14 www.biocampuscologne.de
RTZ - Rechtsrheinisches Technologie- und Gründerzentrum
16 Cologne 10 www.rtz.de
Köln GmbH
17 Creative Campus Monheim Monheim 11 www.cc-monheim.de
www.technologiefoerderung-
18 Technologieförderung Münster GmbH Münster 15
muenster.de
19 CeNTech - Center for Nanotechnology Münster 4 www.centech.de
20 Gründer- und Technologiezentrum Rheinbach Rheinbach 6 www.wfeg-rheinbach.de
21 Forschungs- und Entwicklungs-Zentrum Witten GmbH Witten 1 www.fez.de
22 Technologiezentrum Wuppertal W-tec GmbH Wuppertal 4 www.w-tec.de
Total: 22 150
* Life Science Companies
13BIO.NRW
Table 2: Number of dedicated biotech companies as well as several research clusters. This
innovative technology campus is Aachen’s
NRW dedicated biotech Germany largest urban development project in the
Business Year
companies (active companies) coming years17.
2008 61 501 BIO.NRW provides detailed information
2009 68 531 and further developments of the academic
life science landscape in NRW in its com-
2010 71 538
pendium Spot on Biotechnology Science.
2011 77 552 The brochure presents a total of 227 profiles
2012 84 565 of research institutes, centers, and facilities
2013 87 570 in NRW.
2014 89 579 Biotech Business Landscape
2015 95 590
2016 109 623 In North Rhine-Westphalia, the biotech-
nolog y sector is a dynamic branch of
2017 108 647
the economy that has seen rapid de-
2018 102 679 velopment over the last 10 years. The
2007 - 2014 and 2018 based on survey by BIOCOM AG; 2015 - 2017 based on survey by BioDeutschland number of biotechnology companies has
almost doubled during this time (Table 2).
are dedicated to the topic of sustainability. these, the new Max Planck Institute for NRW’s advantages as an industrial loca-
The bioeconomy in particular plays an im- Cyber Security and Privacy was founded tion favor the establishment of companies.
portant role in the structural change of the in Bochum in May 2019. The institute is Six companies were newly established in
Rhenish mining area. In the field of plant expected to comprise six departments and NRW in 2019: Aachen Proteineers GmbH,
genetics, the Max Planck Institute for Plant 12 research groups by the time it is finally Abalos Therapeutics GmbH, Emergence
Breeding Research in Cologne deserves completed. Therapeutics AG, Proteona GmbH, Seren-
to be called Germany’s “cradle of plant In Aachen one of the biggest research gen GmbH, Vaxxinova Research & Develop-
biotechnology” as the first plant transfor- landscapes in Europe is taking shape. After ment GmbH.
mation technologies were developed here. the realization of the new Campus Melaten Biotechnology has developed into a
The digital transformation is an impor- on 473,000 m2, the second expansion stage cross-sectional technology that is linked
tant topic in many scientific disciplines. of the RWTH Aachen, the Campus West, is to various other industries, such as the
However, the rapid technical development currently being built on 325,000 m2. Together, chemical industry (Figure 3), and therefore
also poses new challenges for the secu- the new campuses will house apartments, also has a share in the economic success of
rity in information technology. To address shops, restaurants and cultural offerings other industries. For example, a recent re-
port explained that the total turnover of the
Table 3: Temporal Development Key Figures for the Biotechnology Industry of European bioeconomy industry in 2017 was
North Rhine-Westphalia more than €2.4 trillion (!) and more than 18.5
million people were employed in bio-based
2016 2017 2018 2019
industries18. The bioeconomy routinely uses
Number of biotechnological processes to generate
4,963 5,573 4,930 5,210
employees products from (renewable) raw materials.
Turnover EUR 1.819 bn EUR 2.073 bn EUR 1.808 bn EUR 1.932 bn This example underlines the importance of
biotechnology for the overall economy. In
R&D
EUR 394 m EUR 366 m EUR 277 m EUR 290 m addition, other technologies are also applied
expenditure
within biotechnology, for example nanotech-
Numbers based on company surveys by BIO Deutschland e.V., BIOCOM AG and BIO.NRW
nology and engineering technology. All this
14BIO.NRW
makes biotechnology a complex industry
that cannot be easily separated from other, IDEA MARKET
more “static” industries, and value chains
cannot always be clearly assigned to one Branch Product/Service
sector. To focus only on dedicated biotech
companies leads to an underestimation Energy Raw Materials / Fuels
Nanotechnology
of the biotech industry’s influence on the
economy as a whole. In order to follow the (functionalized) Foods / Fertilizer / Crops /
Agriculture
industry’s development, however, it is still Plant Protection
BIOTECHNOLOGY
important to have a uniform definition of Proteins / Peptides / Chemicals through Biotech
dedicated biotech companies. BIO.NRW Chemical Industry
Processes (Enzymes, MO) / Molecular Electronics
therefore bases its classification of com-
Basic / fundamental / Pre-requisite for applied
panies on the OECD definition of dedicated Basic Research
reserach and development
biotech companies (page 76).
In order to describe the biotechnology Drug Delivery / (Companion) Diagnostics /
Healthcare / Pharma
Medical Devices / Therapeutics
Engineering
sector in NRW, BIO.NRW conducted a survey
among local biotech companies. Together
Facilities / Infrastructure Transport ⁄ Laboratory supply / Materials
with the professional evaluation from BIO-
COM AG, this provides a differentiated view
Laboratory Information Systems / Digital
of the biotechnology landscape in NRW. (Biomedical) - IT
Healthcare / Biological Computing / Databases
According to the evaluation, there were 124
companies in NRW in 2019 that were active
in biotechnology. Of these, 106 companies Fig. 3: Biotechnology is a strongly linked industry
were dedicated biotech companies, i.e.,
biotechnology is the core business of these determined separately and are therefore not to 2018, turnover and employment have in-
companies19. The 18 other companies were included in the biotech key figures for NRW. creased somewhat, by almost 7 % and 6 %,
active in a wide variety of areas, so that Nevertheless, it should not be neglected that respectively. Overall, the sector has been
biotechnology represents only part of their due to these companies and their biotechno- stable for several years. On average, 15 %
activities. Most of these are global players logical activities, the economic importance
from the pharmaceutical, chemical or seed of biotechnology in NRW is higher than the 4.7 % 2.8 %
production sectors. The biotechnological key figures suggest. Examples include Bayer
key figures of these companies cannot be AG and Evonik Industries AG, whose turnover
in 2019 alone was 43.5 billion20 and 13.1 bil- 18.9 %
Table 4: Key figures of the NRW biotech lion euros21, respectively. Even if only part of 42.5 %
scene at a glance the turnover can be attributed to NRW loca-
tions and not all products are manufactured
Number of using biotechnological processes, these two 31.1 %
106
companies examples clearly illustrate the significance
Number of of biotechnologically active companies for
5,210 the economy in NRW.
employees
The key figures of the dedicated biotech- Health and med. Non-specific services
Turnover EUR 1.900 bn
nology companies (Table 3) primarily reflect Bioinformatics Agrobiotechnology
R&D expenditure EUR 290 m the persistence of the industry. In 2019, the Industrial biotechnology
New companies 6 106 dedicated biotechnology companies
generated a turnover of 1.9 billion euros and Fig. 4: Areas of activity (for definitions see
Financing 32,3
employed 5,210 people (Table 4). Compared page 76)
15BIO.NRW
Indication Number of Products drug pipeline of a total of 73 products and
product candidates (Figure 5). In recent
Neoplasms / cancer / oncology 27 years, however, this number has been de-
Infectious and parasitic diseases 18 clining. Since 2018, the number of product
Diseases of the nervous system 13 candidates has fallen by almost 28 %. The
Other 3 classification of the candidates according
Skin and subcutaneous tissue 2 to indications shows that a large proportion
Musculoskeletal system and connective tissue 2 of the candidates are being developed in
Respiratory 2 the categories “Oncology”, “Infectiology
Digestive system 2 / Parasitology” and “Neurology”. Overall,
Symptoms, signs abnormal clinical and laboratory findings, not elsewhere classified 1 almost 80 % of the product candidates fall
Mental and behavioural disorders 1 into these three categories. The “Oncology”
Endocrine, nutritional and metabolic diseases 1 category has been the focus of product de-
Diseases of the blood and blood-forming organs; immune disorders 1 velopment for candidates for several years.
The differentiation of drug candidates by
Total 73 phase shows that approximately 23 % of
the candidates are in preclinical studies
Fig. 5: Drug Development Pipeline by Indication and 15 % are in clinical study phases 1 to
322 (Figure 6).
of the turnover was reinvested in research with “non-specific business activities” also The companies listed in this brochure
and development. In 2019, this amounted to include, among others, service providers form the innovative core of biotechnologi-
290 million euros19. This underlines that the and suppliers for the biotechnological sec- cal research and development. However,
investments of the biotech companies in NRW tor. However, the majority of NRW biotech capital is needed to drive developments
are proactive and will drive the future market companies (42.5 %) are active in the field forward. Start-ups and SMEs in particular
position of NRW biotechnology. of health and medicine, including veterinary are innovative drivers of the industry that
The classification of NRW biotech compa- medicine19. At the editorial deadline for this need support through funding and invest-
nies by area of activity shows that 31 % of brochure, according to information in the ment. In 2019, there was funding totaling
biotech companies are active in several sec- Biotechgate database, companies in the 32.3 million euros, which went to Abalos
tors19 (Figure 4). These biotech companies health and medicine sector had built up a Therapeutics GmbH, InfanDx AG and PAION
AG19. Of course, the total amount of non-
On the Market public investment in biotech companies in
7 NRW was significantly higher than these
n/a figures show. In addition to the large com-
24 munity of business angels based in NRW,
numerous (institutional) investors have
settled on the Rhine in recent years. These
investors strongly support young biotech
Preclinical companies. Investment activities in life
17
science companies are also supported by
the state, e.g., through the “BIO.NRW Busi-
Phase I ness Angel Zirkel” and the annual “Business
Discovery 4 Angel Congress”.
10 Phase II
Lead Optimization Phase III 5
4 2
Fig. 6: Drug Development Pipeline by Phase
16BIO.NRW
17BIO.NRW Situation during the Pandemic North Rhine-Westphalia is looking back of the first companies to launch a SARS- trial on 60,000 adults was started at the on an exceptional situation this year. The CoV-2 rapid test. The diagnostics business end of September. most populous federal state was one of has grown enormously since the beginning But it is not only industry that is engaged the regions in Germany most affected by of the Corona crisis due to the extensive in the fight against the virus; NRW’s sci- COVID-19. Many companies had and still testing activities and continues to grow. ence community has also joined the fight. have to struggle with the economic effects As a result, the value of the stock has risen While biotechnology and pharmaceutical of the Corona crisis. Start-ups and small considerably. Qiagen was founded in 1984 companies mainly focus on the develop- businesses in particular have been hit hard as a spin-off of the Heinrich Heine Uni- ment of vaccines and therapies, science by the economic consequences. versity in Düsseldorf, where it pioneered is also interested in understanding the However, the current crisis also shows innovative methods for the purification infection process and the background of how important the biotechnology sec- of nucleic acids. Today, Qiagen is a global the progression of the disease. This is also tor is and that it plays a decisive role in player and one of the leading companies in the case with the COVIMMUNE consor- combating the virus. Most biotechnology the German biotechnology industry. tium, which is investigating the connec- companies are SMEs, which are charac- The company AiCuris has also demon- tion between the immune response and terized by a high degree of flexibility. This strated the flexibility of SMEs in this crisis. the clinical course of COVID-19. Possible has also been demonstrated in the current In spring, the Wuppertal-based company long-term consequences are also being crisis. The industry has reacted quickly and spontaneously started screening its own considered. Experts from the fields of virol- many companies have adapted their activi- substance libraries to identif y a drug ogy, medicine, immunology, bioinformatics ties to the new challenges. This includes, candidate against COVID-19. In addition, and systems biology from the University for example, the spontaneous adjustment AiCuris was committed to supporting local and the University Hospital in Bonn are and initiation of R&D activities to contain hospitals in the diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 involved in the consortium. COVID-19. Throughout NRW, numerous and cooperating with the NRW Ministry of In order to investigate the mutability of companies already became active at Health in this regard. AiCuris is also part the virus’ genetic information, genome the beginning of the crisis to help with a of the CARE (Corona Accelerated R&D in researchers throughout Germany have wide variety of means. This shows that in Europe) initiative, Europe’s largest con- joined forces to form the German COVID-19 difficult times society and business are sortium to accelerate the development of Omics Initiative (DeCOI). Sequencing is moving closer together. On pages 20 and a treatment for COVID-19. used to characterize changes in the virus 21 you will find an overview of some of the Another supporter of the CARE initiative genome and relationship structures of companies in North Rhine-Westphalia that is Bayer. The Leverkusen-based company individual viruses. Through this analysis, are involved in the fight against the virus. is actively involved in NRW, but also world- the origin and variations of the virus in the As a key technology, biotechnology con- wide, in the fight against the virus and its population can be inferred. Metagenome tributes like no other technology to provid- effects, among other things by donating analyses in patients should also provide ing detection methods and test systems protective equipment, disinfectants and information on which infections occur in for SARS-CoV-2, finding a therapy against medicines, as well as financial resources. connection with SARS-CoV-2. In NRW, COVID-19 and developing a vaccine. It is In addition to identifying a treatment for DeCOI is supported by scientists from therefore very important to ensure that COVID-19, the development of a vaccine is the university hospitals in Düsseldorf and biotechnological innovations are devel- crucial to contain the pandemic. Janssen- Bonn and the universities in Aachen, Co- oped in Germany and Europe. In this con- Cilag, a Johnson & Johnson company, had logne and Bonn. text, the planned takeover of the Hilden- already identified a promising vaccine The project that is probably best known based biotechnology company Qiagen by candidate in March 2020. After convincing to the German public is the so-called the US company Thermo Fisher Scientific results of the preclinical and phase 1/2a Heinsberg Study by Prof. Dr. Hendrik has attracted attention. Qiagen was one clinical studies, an international phase 3 Streeck and Prof. Dr. Gunther Hartmann 18
BIO.NRW
from the University of Bonn. This rep- Beyond the pandemic ute to discovering therapies for diseases
resentative study examines the spread other than COVID-19, which is particularly
of the virus within the population of the In order to keep North Rhine-Westphalia an important for our ageing society. It is often
Heinsberg district, which was particularly attractive location for innovative biotech- mentioned that the economy should start
hard hit by the pandemic in spring 2020. In nology companies in the future, it is impor- more sustainably after the Corona crisis.
this way, conclusions can be drawn about tant that the industry receives the neces- Biotechnology can help make this sustain-
the further course of infection. sary support. This includes the consistent able reboot a reality. Biotechnological pro-
Scientists at the University of Münster promotion of R&D activities and, above all, cesses are often more sustainable because
and the University Hospital Münster are support for the subsequent transfer of tech- they require less energy/resources than e.g.,
investigating the origin of new types of nologies into marketable products. In order chemical processes. Moreover, they also
viruses. Within the framework of the Na- to drive developments faster, the sector offer the possibility to process bio-based
tional Research Platform for Zoonoses, must be supported at an even higher level resources and waste streams, which enables
diseases that are transmissible between than before. This particularly concerns bet- the replacement of fossil-based resources.
humans and animals are being investi- ter access to capital (public, VC, corporate, In this way, biotechnology also makes an
gated. The research platform links scien- business angels, private, etc.). important contribution to mitigating climate
tists from different disciplines and aims Biotechnology plays a crucial role in finding change.
to improve the prevention, diagnosis and solutions to the major challenges of our time.
therapy of zoonoses. Biotechnological innovations also contrib-
19BIO.NRW
NRW against COVID-19
Weser
The Netherlands
Q Münster
• Biocheck
Em
s
Rh
ine
Lippe
Q Dortmund
• Lead Discovery
Ruhr
NUMAFERM •
Düsseldorf Q Wuppertal
Q
• Janssen-Cilag • attyloid • AiCuris Anti-infective Cures
• Qiagen
Cube Biotech • • ARTES Biotechnology
•• Bayer
CEVEC Pharmaceuricals •
Taconic Biosciences •Cologne Q • Miltenyi Biotec
AYOXXA Biosystems •
• Proteona
• Syntab Therapeutics
Q Aachen
Rh
ine
Germany
Belgium
20BIO.NRW
DRUG DEVELOPMENT
Examination of proprietary substances for effectiveness against COVID-19 and
AiCuris Anti-infective Cures Wuppertal
providing support in diagnostics
Development of novel vaccination methods against SARS-CoV-2 and identifica-
Lead Discovery Center Dortmund
tion of inhibitors and therapeutics
Miltenyi Biotec Bergisch Gladbach Antibody-based therapy development
Development of antibody therapy against COVID-19 using proteogenomic single
Proteona Antibody Protection Cologne
cell sequencing
Syntab Therapeutics Würselen Development of an antiviral agent
SUPPORTING ACTIONS
attyloid Düsseldorf Platform technology for SARS-CoV-2 analysis
AYOXXA Biosystems Cologne LUNARIS™ Platform for cytokinin monitoring of severe COVID-19 cases
Global commitment to fight the pandemic including donation of protective
Bayer Leverkusen
equipment, disinfectants and medicines as well as support of research projects
Biocheck Münster Development of a SARS-CoV-2 antibody test
CEVEC Pharmaceuticals Cologne Adenoviral vectors for vaccine production
Cube Biotech Monheim Recombinant production of the trimeric SARS-CoV-2 spike protein
Production of a SARS-CoV-2 inhibitor as part of a global collaboration for the
NUMAFERM Düsseldorf development of a single-domain antibody against SARS-CoV-2 lead by the
Austral University of Chile
Qiagen Hilden Test kits and reagents for the detection of SARS-CoV-2
Taconic Biosciences Cologne Mouse models for research on SARS-CoV-2
VACCINE DEVELOPMENT
Development of SARS-CoV-2 vaccine candidates based on virus-like particle
ARTES Biotechnology Langenfeld
based platform technologies
Janssen-Cilag Neuss Vector vaccine development
21BIO.NRW 22
BIO.NRW networks and competence clusters
Networks and Competence Clusters in NRW
Industrial Biotechnology – CLIB for its members, forum events, topic-specific version. In CROSSBEE, a cross-border bioec-
workshops, dedicated small partnering meet- onomy education will be established. All three
CLIB (Cluster Industrial Biotechnology) is an ings and visits to partners, sites, or meetings projects are funded by the German Federal
international open innovation cluster of large in Germany and abroad. Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF).
companies, SMEs, academic institutes, and An NRW-based project is dedicated to Furthermore, CLIB is active in several Horizon
universities, as well as other stakeholders ac- improving identification and production of 2020 projects, as well as in the INTERREG
tive in biotechnology, and the circular bioecon- high performance ingredients (HiPerIn2.0) Deutschland-Nederland programme.
omy as a whole. The cluster comprises about for markets like adhesives, personal care,
100 members with a share of about 25 % textiles, or food and feed. This action is
international members. The overall goal of funded by the Ministry of Economic Affairs,
CLIB is to network stakeholders along and Innovation, Digitalization and Energy of the
across value chains and to identify new State of North Rhine-Westphalia. Together
opportunities for innovation, projects, and with partners in Germany, Flanders, and the
business. Through this, the cluster develops Netherlands, CLIB established the BioInno-
cross-sectoral biotechnological solutions vation Growth mega-Cluster (BIG-Cluster),
for sustainable processes and products. which aims at developing novel cross-border
Pertinent project areas are identified by the value chains based lignocellulose or C1 gases,
CLIB team in conjunction with members in an and develops a cross-border education initia-
iterative process. CLIB is a non-profit associa- tive. Within BIG-Cluster, CLIB is coordinat-
tion, with its members shaping the cluster’s ing three ongoing projects: In ALIGN, the
interests and activities. CLIB organizes a consortium aims at producing new low- and
number of events throughout the year: the high-value aromatics based on lignocellulose.
annual CLIB international conference (CIC), In BioCOnversion, the partners will develop a
the CLIB Networking Day (CND) exclusively biotechnological process for CO/CO2 gas con-
23BioRegions in NRW BIO.NRW
BioRegions in NRW
The biotechnology landscape in North Rhine-Westphalia is diverse and dense. Regional networks and initiatives have developed
to support the industry. The various BioRegions that have emerged in this way are committed to business start-ups and technol-
ogy transfer in biotechnology, network the sector and initiate cooperation between industry and science. The focus is on regional
priorities and competencies. As the state organization, BIO.NRW acts as the umbrella organization for the BioRegions in NRW and
through supra-regional cooperation the interests of the state are supported statewide. The BioRegions and networks with their dif-
ferent focuses and priorities are presented below and on the following pages.
the aim of generating product and process
Name BioIndustry e.V.
innovations through interdisciplinary
transfer work. Accordingly, the actors of
the association are biotechnological com-
BioIndustry e.V. is a regional life science panies, universities, colleges, technology
cluster that has been committed to strong centers, service providers and municipal
Address Otto-Hahn-Str. 15 interdisciplinary networking between sci- business development agencies.
Postal Code/City 44227 Dortmund ence and companies, especially in the Ruhr
area, but also in eastern Westphalia, since
Fon +49 238 3919 224 2000. This region offers a unique density
of economic and scientific competence.
E-Mail info@bioindustry.de The focus of BioIndustry’s activities is the
Internet www.bioindustry.de promotion of biotechnology in all its facets
in science, research and application with
than 30 companies in the region. On this
Name Gesellschaft für Bioanalytik
Münster e.V. basis and the long lasting experience of
connecting partners from different life
science technology fields as well as the
expertise to develop regional innovation
Address Mendelstraße 17 The region Münster has, due to its long tra- strategies for new technologies in the
Postal Code/City 48149 Münster dition in excellent analytic and bio-medical health care sector, Bioanalytic Münster
research, an international reputation in in- increasingly focusses, as a local network of
Fon +49 251 384 503 30 novative nanoanalytics. The region’s focus the region, on the topic “New technologies
Fax +49 251 384 503 31 on nano-bioanalytics is a consequence for the health care sector”.
of the international top research in the
E-Mail info@bioanalytik-muenster.de field of nanoanalytic and life science of
Internet www.bioanalytik-muenster.de the University of Münster, the Münster
University of Applied Sciences and more
24BIO.NRW BioRegions in NRW
ideas, knowledge, and technologies from
Name BioCologne
the life-science field into practice. Thereby c/o RTZ Köln GmbH
they promote start-ups in close collabora-
tion with RTZ Köln GmbH.
BioCologne is national and international Address Gottfried-Hagen-Str. 60-62
interlaced and offers synergies and inter- Postal Code/City 51105 Cologne
national cooperation. BioCologne works
BioCologne is the network to support for fairs, congresses, working groups, and Contact Person André van Hall
bioengineering and bioscience in the questions regarding business routines
region of Cologne. Companies, research close together with BioRiver Life Science Fon +49 221 839 110
institutions, investors, banks, consultan- im Rheinland e.V.
cies, and technology parks are engaged E-Mail contact@biocologne.de
to promote the region as a science loca- Internet www.biocologne.de
tion. BioCologne facilitates the transfer of
Member groups, networking events and
Name BioRiver – Life Science im
seminars support the direct and equal Rheinland e.V.
exchange between experts of all levels.
The startup competition BioRiver Boost! Address Merowingerplatz 1
is our platform for young entrepreneurs Postal Code/City 40225 Düsseldorf
BioRiver is the regional industry associa- for their companies’ development. We are
tion for life sciences and biotechnology in happy to be a requested contact for the Contact Person Dr. Frauke Hangen
the metropolitan area Rhineland. Our state ministries.
Chairman Boris Stoffel, CEO of Miltenyi Our member firms are active in the follow- Fon +49 211 316 0610
Biotec, together with representatives of ing fields: innovative products, technologies Fax +49 211 160 1953
other leading corporates as Bayer and Qia- and services for research, development and
gen, innovative firms of all sizes, excellent production in biotechnology, life sciences E-Mail bioriver@bioriver.de
academia and stakeholders of the industry and pharma. Internet www.bioriver.de
drive BioRiver’s business.
life sciences. In the BioRegion, innovations
Name MedLife e.V
and competencies in the fields of biology
and biotechnology are not only contribut-
ed by the research institutes of the RWTH
Aachen University and the FH-Aachen, but
are also enriched by the diverse expertise Address Aachener - und -
MedLife e.V. is the competence network of the research centers DWI, Fraunhofer Münchener - Allee 9
of life sciences in the technology region Institutes and the FZ-Jülich. Postal Code/City 52074 Aachen
Aachen. The aim is to strengthen our Our industrial players produce innova-
region as an innovation location for the tive products for biochemistry, chemistry Fon +49 241 47 583 486
healthcare industry, medical technology and medicine and act as suppliers for
and biotechnology. MedLife promotes the biotechnological and pharmaceutical E-Mail info@medlife-ev.de
dialogue between science, industry and fa- production. Internet www.medlife-ev.de
cilitates interdisciplinary networking in the
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