Biotechnology is a key driver of innovation for many industries. From medicine and food to energy and agriculture, bio-based innovations are in great demand and they are providing new solutions to the challenges faced by industrial societies in the 21st century.
As the global need for sustainable solutions has increased, the German biotech sector has responded. A recent survey by Germany's federal biotechnology platform, biotechnologie.de, reported a turnover of 2.4 billion euros, record financing of 700 million euros, and an increase in the number of employees in the commercial biotech sector to around 32,500 in 2010. The total number of German biotechnology companies rose to 538. According to the survey, the majority of the biotech firms founded in 2010 focus on medical biotechnology, with half of the newcomers located in the Munich area. Based on the number of biotech companies by state, Bavaria, Baden-Württemberg and Berlin-Brandenburg have been the traditional leaders, followed by North-Rhine Westphalia, Hesse, Rhineland-Palatine, and Saxony. To learn more about Germany's biotechnology landscape, visit www.biotechnologie.de. Follow us on Twitter @GCRI_NY for biotech news and innovations made in Germany, including the plant-based lupin ice cream and plastics made from peas.
