Visit by Katharina Hölzle, Technology Commissioner of Baden-Württemberg
The exchange on innovation ecosystems in the healthcare sector was the focus of a meeting with Katharina Hölzle, Technology Commissioner of the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Labor, and Tourism of Baden-Württemberg, and representatives of the Alliance, along with some of their partners from the Heidelberg and Mannheim region. The potential for innovation in the fields of deep tech, biotechnology, and therapy is enormous. The discussion centered on how innovations from the academic sector can be better transferred to society to strengthen the value chain from health research to a new leading industry. This included discussions on how barriers can be reduced and incentives created for researchers, so that added value for society and the economy can be achieved as quickly as possible.
The Ministry of Science, Research, and the Arts of Baden-Württemberg was represented by Susanne Ahmed. Additionally, Member of Parliament Theresia Bauer and Inga Woyke from the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Labor, and Tourism of Baden-Württemberg traveled to contribute to the constructive exchange. Representatives from start-ups in the Rhine-Neckar region also shared their experiences.
A big thank you to everyone who took the time for this important meeting of politics, business, and science: Julia Schaft (BioRN), Tilman Krauch (Freudenberg Group), Katja Patzel-Mattern (Vice-Rector for Innovation and Transfer at Heidelberg University), Katharina Fox, Gitte Neubauer (CEO of Cellzome), Ursula Weyrich (CFO of the German Cancer Research Center, DKFZ), and from the Health + Life Science Alliance, Michael Boutros, Wolfgang Wick, Andrea Leibfried, and Sabine Rehberger-Schneider.