biosaxony annual kick-off: Life sciences cluster is based on democracy

On 24 January 2024, biosaxony invited its 142 member companies, associated research institutes, partners and sponsors to the 2024 kick-off event. Almost 100 participants gathered in the premises of the British campus of Lancaster University near St Nicholas' Church in Leipzig.

Despite the challenges of the past year 2023, such as supply chain problems, financing difficulties and high inflation rates, the company is looking to the future with confidence. The projects successfully launched last year, such as the further training programme for career changers to become GMP operators and the MEDICAL FORGE accelerator, are helping to maintain the positive momentum for life sciences in Saxony. Participation in Arab Health in Dubai, the German Biotechnology Days in Berlin, the BIO International Convention in San Diego and BIO Europe in Stockholm are now on the programme for 2024. A special highlight will be the first-ever organisation of a Finance Day, where international life science investors will come to Leipzig to discuss growth financing topics and find out about the Saxon life sciences ecosystem.

„Our work is based on a democratic, open-minded society“, emphasised André Hofmann, Managing Director of biosaxony Management GmbH. „This is in danger. We will therefore highlight the threats to our democracy and stand up for it even more strongly than before in our companies, associations, neighbourhoods and circles of friends. Because our freedom and prosperity rest on it." Dr Oliver Uecke, Chairman of the Board of biosaxony e.V. and Managing Director of Lipotype GmbH, also emphasised this: "We are very concerned about Germany and Saxony. A red line has been crossed. Supporters of a party that has been categorised as right-wing extremist in Saxony are threatening our democracy and thus also the values we stand for, such as freedom, equality and openness." Lipotype is a global company for the analysis of biological samples with headquarters in Dresden. "A victory for the far right would represent damage that could no longer be reversed." Uecke emphasised that his team is internationally positioned. His employees are considering leaving Saxony if there is a political shift to the right. "Our company's existence would then be jeopardised."

At the start of the year, 10 of the 14 new member companies introduced themselves, including Injecta GmbH, inotec FEGmbH, Katana Labs GmbH, NursIT Institute GmbH and Sino Biological Europe GmbH. The spectrum of activities of these companies ranges from the manufacture of injection needles to the production of antibodies and digital support for diagnosis and care in hospitals, thus demonstrating the diversity of the industry and the association. All biosaxony companies and members are characterised by international teams and a global reach.

Über biosaxony e.V.:
biosaxony is the national association for biotechnology, medical technology and the healthcare industry. Its members include companies, scientific institutions as well as stakeholders and suppliers in the industry. The network brings together the strengths of all member companies and represents their interests in politics and the public sphere. The tasks of the cluster include the initiation of projects between industry and science, the provision of services and expertise and the presentation of regional competences in order to support the value-adding expansion of these cross-sectional technologies and to strengthen the economic region of Saxony. In addition, the promotion of young innovative companies is one of the network's main concerns. Further information can be found at: https://www.biosaxony.com/

&About Lipotype:
Founded in Dresden in 2012, Lipotype GmbH is the leading provider of lipidomics analyses. The mass spectrometry-based technology enables the identification of over 4200 different lipids. These play a major role in the human organism, but have so far been insufficiently researched. The Dresden-based company's lipidomics technology allows scientists from different disciplines to analyse and understand lipids, their structure, their metabolism and their role in various processes. The international team of molecular biologists, biostatisticians, physicians, biochemists, mass spectrometry specialists and bioinformatics experts has set itself the task of contributing to a better understanding of life and health with the help of detailed access to lipid data. Around 30 employees currently work at the company site in Dresden. Scientists and researchers from Asia, Europe, North America and Südamerica rely on the analyses of Lipotype GmbH. Further information can be found at: https://www.lipotype.com