BioTrinity 2024 (UK)

Get to know Leipzig as an ideal hub for biotechnology, cell and gene therapy and diagnostics!

During BioTrinity 2024 in London, we will present the various opportunities in Leipzig for companies from the biotechnology and life sciences sectors to locate here.

Leipzig benefits from a very broad network of research institutions and an excellent laboratory and office infrastructure. Numerous internationally renowned research institutions such as the Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology (IZI), the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology and the German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) are already based here.

Leipzig offers fertile ground for cutting-edge research and innovative companies!

Research, development and collaboration at the city's very own BioCity Campus

The BioCity Leipzig is one of the most modern centers for biotechnology and biomedicine in Germany. Since spring 2003, companies have been living, researching and working together with six biotechnologically oriented professorships and non-university institutions.

The campus is continuously growing with new building being added and facilities expanded. By 2025/26 more than 55,000 m² of new office and lab space designated for companies from the life scineces industry will be developed at the campus grounds.

Here, renowned research institutes and companies of all sizes benefit from modern infrastructure with highly specialised laboratories, clean room facilities and manufacturingcapabilities (GMP).

The state-wide networking organisation biosaxony offers support and fosters collaboration in the biotech and medtech fields. biosaxony is the association of the biotechnology/medical technology sector in the region of Saxony.

Its members represent the various companies, research institutes and lobbyists working in biotechnology and medtech and the related areas of engineering and material sciences in Saxony. It pulls the different strands of biotech and medtech together, gauges its members’ needs, and represents their interests.

Leipzig provides an ecosystem in the field of cell, immune & gene therapies

Cell and gene technology is one of the most innovative areas of modern medicine, and Leipzig is one of its central hubs. So-called ‘living drugs’ have the potential to prevent and treat life-threatening diseases. Researchers and companies from Leipzig are hard at work to bring these treatments to patients around the world.

The Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology (IZI) is largely responsible for the growing success of the sector by establishing complex manufacturing processes, R&D services for companies as well as quality testing and manufacturing authorisations.

The Leipzig site has the perfect infrastructure for this area of research. The location has an S3 safety laboratory, of which there are only 93 in Germany.

SaxoCell channels regional innovations towards the design, manufacture and application of specialized therapeutic cells. Its vision: To establish a unique cell and gene therapy value chain and industry in Saxony by bundling comprehensive cell and gene therapy research expertise with industrial expertise – and bringing it together with novel technologies including artificial intelligence, automation and Omics technologies.

The Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology IZI plays a valuable role within SaxoCell due to its expertise in the field of cell and gene therapy R&D and its specialized infrastructure (e.g. clean-room facilities). University Hospital Leipzig is a SaxoCell partner, and the city’s university offers excellent basic, applied and clinical research in areas relevant to SaxoCell’s goals.

Leipzig also has outstanding cooling and transport logistics. The worldwide DHL hub at Leipzig/Halle Airport has a Life Sciences & Health Care Competence Centre for biopharma logistics and offers over 5,000 m² of specialised cold storage space.

Leipzig is a leading international centre of new diagnostic procedures

The earlier a disease is detected, the higher the chances of successful treatment. Leipzig is making a name for itself in diagnostics with next-generation technology from disciplines such as genetics, molecular biology and data analysis. The goal: Enabling better lives for humans and animals. The research landscape in the Leipzig Region is close-knit and contributes to synergies and the transfer of knowledge and technologies.

The DIANA alliance wants to change patient outcomes for the better by establishing a competence hub for medical diagnostics, with a particular focus on the point-of-care (PoC) sector. PoC diagnostics take testing out of conventional labs by miniaturizing and automating complex laboratory procedures, for example by using innovative lab-on-chip systems. DIANA was initiated and is being coordinated by the Fraunhofer IWU, Fraunhofer IZI & SensLab GmbH, and is being supported by more than 80 partners from science, industry and politics. It is part of the WIR! initiative (Change through Innovation in the Region) of the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), from which it is receiving funding.

Talent and cooperation represent another significant locational advantage for the Leipzig Region. Leipzig benefits from a large number of highly skilled workforce in biotechnology and life sciences thanks to the University of Leipzig and renowned Leipzig research institutions. In Leipzig, 4,900 students study at the Faculty of Medicine and Life Sciences.