Welcome BioCon Valley Mecklenburg-Vorpommern

Life Science in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern

BioCon Valley is the initiative for Life Science and health economy of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. As one of the German BioRegions BioCon Valley supports the commercial use of modern life sciences and bio- and medical technologies in the region.

BioCon Valley´s tasks are networking, managing life science start-up centers (bioincubators), project management and coordination, and life science specific public relation. BioCon Valley collaborates in strategic partnership to the life science initiatives at the Baltic Sea (ScanBalt), Japan and Vietnam.

ScanBalt – borderless Biotech

Scan Balt supports the development of Northern Europe to a globally competitive Meta-Bioregion by linking all existing Life Science networks at the Baltic Sea. Scan Balt currently integrates 11 countries with app. 85 million inhabitants and 63 universities with a focus on life science as well as 700 Life Science companies.

ScanBalt fmba, Copenhagen, supports the cooperation between industry, academia and hospitals in the Baltic Sea Region.
ScanBalt serves as an international network and offers contacts in all counties at the Baltic Sea, based on the membership of nearly 40 partners, most of them BioRegions.

www.scanbalt.org

Innovation forum „AQUALLIANCE - new apects of sustainable aquaculture“

Within the framework of "Entrepreneurial Regions" (German: Unternehmen Region), the programme "Innovation Forums" (German: Innovationsforen, initiated by the Federal Ministry for education and research, BMBF) has the task of boosting regional networks in their start-up phase. The development support the initiatives to enhance the exchange of information between interested stakeholders from economy and science and to build up a resilient network of cooperation.

The oceans are over-fished, the world population continue to rise. The future fish supply can only be realised with the help of aquaculture. In particular the closed-circuit technology in combination with waste heat utilisation from biogas plants represents a prospective and sustainable possibility of modern fish production. The closing ceremony of the programme will be held in Feb 4 - 5, 2009 in the OZEANEUM in Stralsund, Germany. Besides the discussion about further technological aspects main topics will be product quality and certification and the university education.

Duration: 01.09.2008 - 28.02.2009

www.aqualliance.de

Project “Biopolymers of Cereals for the Paper Industry”

The objective of this project (“Innovations Forum”; funded by the German Federal Ministry for Education and Research) is the implementation of an innovation and communication platform for projects on biopolymers made out of cereals for the paper converting industry.

Based on new and promising seed material for cereals it was possible to establish a value chain from plant breeding over the extraction of raw material, starch modification up to the paper industry.
As a result of this forum new pilot projects will be initiated.

Duration: 01.05.2006 – 31.10.2006

www.biopolymere-papier.de

Project “Lupine Seed for the Food Industry”

Experts from industry and science in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern are leading in breeding and functionalising of protein and fibre fractions out of lupines (Lupinus angustifolius). The market for protein additives is one of the fasted growing markets in the food industry.
Based on that a complete value chain from breeding, cultivation and converting of protein will be established in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.

Duration: 01.07.2006 – 31.12.2006

www.produkte-aus-lupine.de

The Agrobiotechnicum Gross Luesewitz, Rostock, is a start-up and competence center for modern agrobiotechnologies (“bioincubator”). It offers attractive laboratories and office space as well as a complete service package for start up companies to realise their business ideas.
The centre is located close to research facilities for plant breeding (potato, canola, cereals) and was opened in 2004.

Rentable area:

2.100 sqm for offices and laboratories
1.000 sqm greenhouse cabins
large capacity laboratories (pilot plant production) and storage area as well as 260 hectare agricultural area.

www.agrobiotechnikum.de

The BioTechnikum Greifswald offers attractive research areas and office space as well as complete service package for start-up companies to realise their business ideas (“bioincubator”).
The centre is close to the new campus of Greifswald University with its focus on molecular medicine, microbiology, marine biotechnology, industrial biotechnology, pharmacy and functional genomic. The BioTechnikum was opened in 1996.

Rentable area:

4800m² for offices and laboratories
storage area, training and conference hall.

www.biotechnikum.de

Biotechnology in Viet Nam – a feasibility study

Based on the traditionally grown cooperation, particularly between the University of Greifswald and institutions in Viet Nam such as Hanoi University and the Institute for Biotechnology, BioCon Valley has initiated a two year cooperation project with the Republic of Viet Nam.

The project is funded by the International Bureau of the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research and aims to investigate potentials for cooperation in the field of biotechnology between Viet Nam and Germany.

www.ibt.ac.vn/BioHanoi2007

Biokatalyse 2021

"BIOKATALYSE 2021" is the leading cluster in Germany in industrial biotechnology funded by Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF).
Partners from industry, academy and start up companies (sme) cooperate to develop innovative products and services for the chemical, medical and cosmetic industry by applying new biological and enzymatic processes.

Companies and universities from Mecklenburg-Vorpommern are partner of the cluster.

Runtime: 2008-2012

biokatalyse2021.de

Bridging Life Science Research

Bridging Life Science Research and SMEs in the Baltic Sea Region – Putting Cluster Policies into Practise for the Benefit of SME´s

Cluster development is an integrated policy tool in The Baltic Sea Region to increase impact of policies and to enhance cooperation between the public and private sectors. However there is a broad gap in transnational cooperation and cross-border efforts to support SME based entrepreneurship and innovation beyond the interests from the single regions.

Bridge-BSR will develop tools to overcome these gaps in ScanBalt BioRegion. Bridge-BSR will identify regional bottlenecks in ScanBalt BioRegion for bringing the benefits of Academic research to SME´s, develop a regional innovation agenda, promote mentoring, use of best practises and bench marks, prepare action plans to remove bottlenecks and initiate pilot activities.

Bridge BSR

Life Science marketing at the Baltic Sea - Polish-German Life Science forum

To build and to tighten bridges for the development of a conjoint market in the field of bio-technology is the aim of this German-Polish project.

Based on present experiences, the potential of German and Polish companies and research institutes in the field of Life Science is therefore collected systematically, a survey of specific cooperation interests created and the cooperation tightened.
The focus is initially set on Greifswald and Szczecin, the two university cities close to the border.
The strategic partner of BioCon Valley on this project is the West Pomeranian Center of Advanced Technologies Szczecin (ZCZT).
A Polish-German contact point “Life Sciences“ situated in Greifswald as well as an internet platform “Polish-German Life Science Network“ will be established to implement common targets. An international conference, scheduled for autumn 2009, completes the project, which is funded by the International Office of the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and is likewise part of the national campaign “Research in Germany – Land of Ideas“.

Runtime: 12-01-2008- 09-30-2009