Lt. Gov, BioM Munich, & Local Companies Discuss Massachusetts-Germany Biotech Collaborations

Last Tuesday, MassBio and Germany Trade & Invest hosted approximately 10 companies representing BioM Munich, Germany’s top cluster, and 40 Massachusetts companies for a breakfast program called Global Gateway: Accessing the German Biotech Market.

The program began with welcome remarks from Lieutenant Governor Tim Murry. Lt. Governor Murray highlighted the strong ties between Massachustts and Germany and announced his upcoming economic and cultural trade mission to Germany beginning last weekend. The trip will include visits to Dresden, Leipzig, and Berlin with opportunities to meet with businesses and German officials to discuss opportunities for them to grow here in Massachusetts.

The Lt. Governor also shared that in 2011, Germany was Massachusetts’ 3rd largest export partner, with Massachusetts exporting approximately $2 billion worth of goods and services to Germany and that Germany was Massachusetts’ 4th largest import partner, with Massachusetts importing approximately $1.8 billion worth of goods and services from Germany.

The program continued with an overview of BioM’s therapeutic companies, extensive research funding programs, best-in-class bio manufacturing programs, and opportunities for collaboration with Massachusetts organizations that are currently available.

Then Stephanie Shepherd, Director Business Development & Key Account Management at Boehringer Ingelheim shared their success story on bio manufacturing in Germany.

The program concluded with a panel discussion, “German and U.S. markets – Where is the industry going?” which addressed economic concerns such as “Do uncertainties in the EU and US actually affect the dynamic life science industries of Germany and Massachusetts” and “Can collaborative efforts between the two clusters allow each to succeed amidst broader economic doubts?”

Presenters included:

• Peter Abair, Director of Economic & Global Affairs, MassBio
• Dr. Horst Domdey, Managing Director, BioM Biotech Cluster
• Jim Paul, Director, U.S. Commercial Service, Boston Office

Panelists included:

• Johannes Fruehauf, MD, PhD, Founder & President, Cambridge Biolabs
• Jean-Philippe Laine, Manager Business Development North America, Metanomics Health
• Edgar Fenzl, PhD, Managing Director, FGK Clinical Research GmbH
• Markus Warmuth, MD, President & CEO, H3 Biomedicine

See the full program here.

Thanks for joining us here at MassBio, BioM Munich & Lt. Governor Murray!