Biotechnology consultant Thines: "We need to rattle more"

Economy - Biotechnology consultant Thines: "We need to rattle more"

According to the state coordinator Eckhard Thines, the biotechnology location Rhineland-Palatinate must emphasize its strengths even more and promote itself. "We need to rattle more," Thines told the German Press Agency in Mainz. There are very renowned research institutions in this country and very well-known companies such as BASF, Boehringer Ingelheim, Abbvie and soon Eli Lilly. "BASF is a global market leader in white and green biotechnology and nobody in the federal state knows it," said Thines. This would not happen in Hesse and Bavaria, for example.

In order to make the biotechnology location Rhineland-Palatinate even better known in the face of tough international competition, image films are needed, such as those currently being produced for Mainz by the location company biomindz. The Rhineland-Palatinate Biotechnology Academy in Bingen has set up a website that lists everything the state has to offer in the biotechnology segment. "There is nothing like this yet," said Thines.

Regardless of this, the scientist, who has been Rhineland-Palatinate's state coordinator for biotechnology since June 2023, sees huge opportunities for the location. "We haven't had the investment rounds like Munich or Heidelberg," he said. "But we can turn a lot of small cogs." The aim must be to create an "all-round feel-good package" for large companies, but also for start-ups. A common spirit must be created in which experts cross-fertilize each other, such as in Boston or at Stanford University in the USA, where companies are also helped with issues such as occupational health and safety, patent protection or infrastructure. "We don't just need space, we need to have a complete offering."

In addition to the state coordinator and the Biotechnology Academy, Rhineland-Palatinate also has an advisory board for biotechnology, made up of representatives from politics, industry and science, which advises the state government. The latter also commissioned a study on the location from management consultants Roland Berger, the results of which were presented last July.

The study identified strengths in Rhineland-Palatinate in fields such as immunotherapy, ageing research and mRNA technology, but also a gap in start-ups. One piece of advice was that the path from research to commercial success should be promoted and that young teams should be put in a position to implement their ideas. It was also recommended that artificial intelligence (AI), which is well established in Kaiserslautern, should be more closely interlinked with medical biotechnology in Mainz.

Mainz is a key factor with Biontech, other companies, Johannes Gutenberg University and other research institutions and the biotech campus that is currently being established, Thines continued. He also sees the AI expertise in Kaiserslautern, where an AI center initiated by the federal government is to be established at the German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence (DFKI), as another major asset. Kaiserslautern also offers a lot of bioprocess engineering, explained Thines.

With regard to the study's recommendation to push ahead with the expansion of infrastructure from laboratory space to production capacities, the coordinator said that biotechnological production, for example of drugs or therapeutic antibodies, involves highly technical, certified processes in specially built facilities. This requires money and knowledge. This is exactly what a location needs to offer. "Biotechnology is not app programming," said Thines. "It needs technology and costs, and no start-up can pull that off the cuff."

The Rhineland-Palatinate location must have a broad base, he said, and cannot afford to concentrate on red, white or green biotechnology. "We can't predict what the next lighthouse will be," said Thines. Red biotechnology is for applications in medicine and health, white biotechnology is for industrial production and green biotechnology is for agriculture. "I think we are absolutely competitive," emphasized Thines. Nevertheless, it will always happen that start-ups opt for other locations. "You have to take a sporting view of that."

Eckhard Thines appointed state coordinator at the JGU state government

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1. Thines mentioned that BASF, a globally renowned company in white and green biotechnology, is not well-known in Rhineland-Palatinate like it is in Hesse or Bavaria.
2. To improve the visibility of Rhineland-Palatinate as a biotechnology location, Thines suggested creating image films, such as those produced for Mainz by biomindz.
3. The Rhineland-Palatinate Biotechnology Academy in Bingen has established a website to showcase the state's offerings in the biotechnology sector.
4. In order to attract large companies and start-ups, Thines suggested creating an "all-round feel-good package" in Rhineland-Palatinate, similar to that found in Boston or at Stanford University in the USA.
5. The study commissioned by the Rhineland-Palatinate state government, conducted by management consultants Roland Berger, identified strengths in Rhineland-Palatinate in fields such as immunotherapy, ageing research, and mRNA technology, but also a gap in start-ups.
6. Mainz is a key factor in Rhineland-Palatinate's biotechnology scene, with companies like Biontech, research institutions, and the upcoming biotech campus.
7. Thines sees the AI expertise in Kaiserslautern, where an AI center is being established by the German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence (DFKI), as another major asset for the Rhineland-Palatinate biotechnology location.

Source: www.stern.de