At BIO-Europe, Europe's largest partnering conference for the global biotechnology industry, a Partnership Agreement was signed to extend and intensify the collaboration between the Life Science Clusters in Munich (Germany) and Osaka (Japan).
The agreement includes a regular update between the two cluster management organizations BioM and Osaka Bio Headquarters about the latest developments in technology, industry and academia in the regions. There will also be an exchange of best practices in technology transfer and in supporting the internationalization of biotech SMEs. Aim is to facilitate industry-industry and academia-industry collaborations, with BioM and Osaka Bio Headquarters offering a gateway for companies into the foreign markets.
The regions of Munich and Osaka are both internationally recognized as biopharmaceutical hot spots. Munich focuses on accelerating biomedical innovation in the field of personalized medicine and the Osaka/Kansai region has a lot to offer, e.g. in neuroscience, cancer treatment and regenerative medicine, building on the legacy of Osaka's long pharma history. Dr. Tadamitsu Kishimoto, President of Osaka Bio Headquarters (Senri Life Sciences Foundation): "There is a large business potential in our partner regions for the companies. Due to the good partnership with BioM, we already succeeded in increasing the visibility of this potential. This knowledge transfer is very important, however, international collaborations are crucial for the success of our regions. We thus welcome the new agreement, by which potential business partners will be brought even closer together."
"Considering the complex Japanese business culture, building up and maintaining personal contacts is crucial", says Prof. Dr. Horst Domdey, CEO of BioM Biotech Cluster Development GmbH. "We are delighted that by renewing our Partnership Agreement with Osaka, our Bavarian SMEs and research groups obtain easier access to promising markets and research collaborations."
The Partnership Agreement was officially countersigned by Prof. Horst Domdey, BioM, in the presence of Franz Josef Pschierer, State Secretary of the Bavarian Ministry of Economic Affairs, Mayuko Nagano, Osaka Prefectural Government and Tamio Sugawara, Osaka Bio Headquarters, on November, 2, 2015, at BIO-Europe, which took place in Munich this year.
Contact:
Dr. Stephanie Wehnelt
Head of International Affairs & Training
BioM Biotech Cluster Development GmbH
Am Klopferspitz 19 a
82152 Martinsried/Munich, Germany
E-Mail: wehnelt@bio-m.org
Tel.: +49-89-89 96 79-0
Web: www.bio-m.org