EMCC case studies - Biomedical healthcare sector: Berlin-Brandenburg cluster, Germany

The biotechnology cluster in the Berlin-Brandenburg region was established on the basis of a federal initiative in 1996. That year the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) announced a competition for regions across Germany to show what scientific, economic and political resources they could offer to start catching up with the US in the field of biotechnology. On this basis, the state governments of Berlin and Brandenburg launched the BioTOP initiative, leading to the establishment of a biotechnology infrastructure in Berlin-Brandenburg and the creation of an organisation (BioTOP) dedicated to promoting and facilitating the development of the biotechnology industry in the region.