Dresden, 3 September 2026. Above the rooftops of Dresden, on 2 September around 120 guests to the summer party organised by biosaxony e.V. and leap:up GmbH. The association acts as an industry association, connecting companies, research organisations and other stakeholders in Saxony’s life sciences sector; its wholly-owned subsidiary, leap:up, implements projects focusing on knowledge transfer, start-ups, growth and market access. Both represent Saxony’s life sciences sector, comprising around 300 organisations and 15,500 employees – ranging from biotechnology and medical technology companies, through research institutions and hospitals, to service providers and industry partners.
The summer festival at the mountain inn “Wilder Mann” brought many of them together for an evening. Prior to this, the agenda for the general meeting had included the election of the committee and a review of the association’s work. Afterwards, everyone celebrated together – both the achievements and the people behind them. There was time for new encounters and conversations, from which the next ideas may emerge.
From Leipzig via Dresden to Dubai
The German Biotechnology Days (DBT) provided a good reason to raise a glass, which took place on 21 and 22 April in Leipzig. Ten years after its last appearance in the city, biosaxony once again served as the regional host for the nationwide industry gathering: around 900 participants gathered at the Congress Hall at the Leipzig Zoo, and around 700 attended the evening event at the MoritzbasteiLeipzig. To round off the event, an Innovation Tour took the participants across the BioCity Leipzig Campus – from the Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology IZI to the medical technology company BellaSeno and the biotechnology company Pacifico Biolabs right through to the Innovation Centre Computer Assisted Surgery (ICCAS) at the University of Leipzig.
Through the DBT, biosaxony brought the German biotechnology sector to Saxony; at the same time, leap:up supported companies in entering international markets. At the World Health Expo in Dubai, four Saxon start-ups were present with solutions in medical technology, diagnostics and digital health: Sealantium Medical, MedicubeX, Healyan and Kallisio. The World Health Expo brought over 4,000 exhibitors from more than 190 countries to Dubai. Saxony was represented there for the 20th time with a joint stand. For the four start-ups accompanied by leap:up the focus for the four start-ups was on finding new customers and partners, as well as gaining access to international markets.
In parallel with its growing international reach, the network has also become denser at a local level. Since January, leap:up has been represented with its own office in Chemnitz. Together with the City of Chemnitz, the Technische Universität Chemnitz, the Chemnitz University Hospital, the Volksbank Chemnitz and fabrik Chemnitz brings leap:up research, healthcare and business closer together there. At the same time, the network itself is expanding: at the New Year’s reception in January, biosaxony 19 new members from business, academia and healthcare. Further new members will be introduced on 20 January 2027, when the network gathers for the next New Year’s reception in Dresden meets.
Continuity for future projects
Ahead of the summer party, the members elected a new Executive Board for biosaxony e. V. as scheduled. Dr Oliver Uecke (Lipotype Inc.) was re-elected as Chair of the Executive Board, with André Hofmann (leap:up GmbH) re-elected as his Deputy. Newly elected to the Executive Board were Eva-Maria Stegemann (organisational development and start-up consultant), Hendrik Liebers (Chairman of Origenis GmbH) and Tim Kersken (Co-Managing Director of inotec Forschungs- und Entwicklungsgesellschaft mbH). All other candidates were re-elected.
For Dr Oliver Uecke , the election also represents continuity during a phase in which the network continues to grow: “25 years after the launch of the Saxon Biotech Initiative, biosaxony is entering a new phase of growth – with everything that entails. Last year, we increased our membership by around five per cent whilst improving our annual results by more than seven per cent. Building on this solid foundation, we can now tackle the next stages of our development.”
One of these has already been secured: For the third phase of the leap:up co-ordinated innovation cluster ‘Smart Medical Devices and Therapies” (ICSMDT) has received the grant notification. With the approval of the third funding phase, the innovation cluster will be systematically developed from 2026 to 2028 and firmly established within Saxony’s life sciences ecosystem. In particular, the cluster supports small and medium-sized enterprises in bringing new medical technologies into clinical use and onto the market. “The aim is to consolidate the collaboration between businesses, research, the healthcare sector and start-ups, which has grown in recent years, and to further expand the cluster as an effective network for medical technology and digital innovations”, says André Hofmann.
Celebrationand commitment
At the summer party, the focus is not just funding phases and participant numbers take centre stage, but the people behind them. The evening provided an opportunity to celebrate our joint achievements, thank our partners, get to know new members and develop ideas further. After all, not every new project begins with an application or a business plan, but with the right conversation at the right table. At the same time, biosaxony sees itself as a network that takes on responsibility beyond mere professional collaboration.
Just how concrete this commitment is was demonstrated at the summer party by the joint initiative between biosaxony and DKMS Life Science Lab gGmbH: UUnder the slogan ‘Become a lifesaver:in!”, guests were invited guests invited to register as potential stem cell donors . The Dresden-based DKMS Life Science Lab is a member of biosaxony and one of the world’s largest HLA-genotyping laboratories.
Oliver Uecke had already made it clear in his speech at the general meeting that responsibility for biosaxony extends beyond the network’s specialist work. He called on members to make the most of their opportunities and to champion democracy, diversity and cosmopolitanism within companies, academic institutions and their private lives. These values are also of economic significance, particularly for an internationally networked sector: “Our customers and partners are global. Democracy, diversity and cosmopolitanism are non-negotiable for our sector and our companies.”
A look at the coming weeks also illustrates just how internationally the network now operates.
On from Dresden to Riyadh
The next round of talks has already been scheduled: the Riyadh Global Medical Biotechnology Summit (RGMBS) 2026 will take place from 14 to 16 September. The organisation and implementation of the German Pavilion is the responsibility of leap:up.
With Katana Labs, a Dresden-based AI company that develops software for analysing complex tissue data, is also represented by biosaxony . At the joint stand, further different areas of expertise: YUMAB develops therapeutic antibodies, enmodes/LifeShield Medical cardiopulmonary support systems, anvajo develops point-of-care diagnostics and Healyan technologies in the field of cognitive health. In addition, there are two players from the finance sector: the investment banking firm First Berlin and the venture capital investor specialising in life sciences GOLDTRACK Ventures.
As early as 1 September, a German Pavilionwebinar facilitated dialogue with the Saudi-Arab life sciences ecosystem. The summit in Riyadh will focus on collaborations, investments, research and commercialisation.
Numerous supporters made the summer party possible
