Heidelberg 10.07.2018
BioRN as cross-cutting representative of the life science community supported Boehringer Ingelheim in the organisation, promotion and execution of this successful event.
Partnerships with early-stage companies often spark some of the most innovative research and development collaborations in the healthcare industry. Boehringer Ingelheim, as part of their external collaboration strategy, ‘exported’ for the first time in Germany the ‘Grass Roots’ program.
As first venue in Germany, Boehringer Ingelheim chose Heidelberg, for its renowned excellence in the life science and biotechnology field.
BioRN as cross-cutting representative of the life science community supported Boehringer Ingelheim in the organisation, promotion and execution of this successful event.
The event took place at the EMBL (European Molecular Biology Laboratory), and attracted around 140 researchers from start-ups, health companies, technology transfers and academic institutions. After several company presentations and an open panel discussion, the participants used the networking time to approach the company representatives and receive information about partnering possibilities at Boehringer Ingelheim.
“During the event, we presented our innovation strategy to the participants in terms of research and collaboration and we hold several one-to-one interviews, the so-called ‘Office Hours’ ”, says Bernd Nosse, Global Head of Business Development and Licensing Technologies at Boehringer Ingelheim. “This event allowed us to seed potential future research collaborations in Heidelberg, Germany and beyond.”
BioRN contributed to the preparation of the ‘Office Hours’ in the frame work of the ‘Health Axis Europe Partnering’, a project funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research and including the Ci3 Cluster, M2OLIE (Mannheim Molecular Intervention Environment), Mannheim University of Applied Sciences and Health Axis Europe partners. For the ‘Office Hours’, Boehringer Ingelheim short listed 12 startups from the selection provided by BioRN and the HAEP Partners, based on the company research profile. Senior professionals within the Boehringer Ingelheim worked with entrepreneurs in a consultative ‘roundtable’ setting, to increase their knowledge of how to progress their science along the value chain. Participating startups exchanged some non-confidential background information about their technology, and they were able to ask questions regarding company programs, so the session could be tailored to meet the individual needs of each business.
Initially seeded in the Boston life-science ‘super-cluster’, the Grass Roots activities are established in New York City and San Diego in the USA. Recently the program has also expanded to include the life-science communities in the UK (London and Cambridge) and Austria (Vienna), bringing this initiative to innovators around the world.
The ‘Office Hours’ and the ‘Summer Networking Reception’ in Heidelberg last week has been a successful kick-off of the initiative in Germany.
Photo: Open panel discussion during the Summer Networking Reception. © BioRN
Click here for the original press release.
