Biotechnology

Biotechnology uses targeted interventions at a microscopic level to achieve significant effects. It makes our society fit for the future – through better medicine, more resilient agriculture, and a resource-efficient and more competitive economy. Germany’s research in this field is already leading globally. We take targeted measures to ensure that your findings are put into practice.

Life-giver through medicine, industry, and agriculture

Biotechnologies are based on the research and manipulation of organic matter. Precise adjustments to substances at the cellular level can achieve a wide range of effects: in medicine, biotechnology is the key to early detection of diseases, effective medicines, personalised diagnostics, and therapy. As for the economy, it enables bio-based value-creation in the industrial production of materials and chemicals. We want to leverage the new, disruptive approaches that are emerging here, particularly at the interface between AI and the engineering sciences. In agriculture, biotechnology can be used to protect plants more effectively against insects and diseases, as well as making them more drought-resistant. It therefore makes a decisive contribution to securing our food supply in the long term. Overall, biotechnology offers great potential for sustainable value-creation and competitiveness in the German economy.

Our objectives

The High-Tech Agenda Germany therefore pursues the following four objectives for biotechnology:

1. Through biotechnology, we are strengthening Germany’s sovereignty in the development of tomorrow’s medicine, thereby making Germany a leading location for health research.

2. We are developing Germany into the world’s most innovative location for biotechnology, thereby creating a resource-efficient, competitive industry and increasing Germany’s value-creation.

3. We are using biotechnology to develop resilient, crisis-proof agricultural and food systems for the future.

4. We are advancing innovative medical technology for the increasingly predictive and preventive medicine of tomorrow.

Germany already has an excellent scientific and research landscape in biotechnology. This field is home to many strong players, especially in the chemical and pharmaceutical industries and in specialised supply. Until now, strict regulations and a lack of capital have prevented research findings from being translated into economic value-creation. The High-Tech Agenda Germany therefore envisages the dismantling of regulations whilst also making huge investments in order to link both areas and bring the benefits of biotechnology to the people.

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Our measures

The High-Tech Agenda Germany provides for a series of measures in medicine, the economy, and agriculture. By establishing a translation centre for gene and cell therapy, we are promoting the development of novel therapies that are expected to cure previously incurable diseases in the future. We are promoting interdisciplinary projects that use AI to efficiently produce effective medicines. We are also supporting the expansion of genome sequencing capacities in order to improve personalised diagnostics and therapy.

Through public-private partnerships, we are increasing the bio-based value-creation of the industrial production of materials and chemicals. And by expanding support programmes such as ‘GO-Bio next’, we are enabling scientific findings to be put into practice.

In agriculture, we are strengthening projects aimed at improving plant protection and providing targeted support to companies so that the knowledge gained can be put into practice more quickly. In order to strengthen cooperation between research and industry, we are also getting companies involved in projects on modern breeding technologies and new prevention and treatment strategies for farm animals. We also want to exploit the potential for producing healthy and sustainable food, including alternative protein sources.

Outlook

Biotechnology can make Germany fit for the future through effective medicine, secure food supplies, and a resource-saving, circular economy. Research has already laid much of the groundwork for this – now is the time to put this knowledge into practice. The High-Tech Agenda Germany brings science and industry together in the field of biotechnology so that we can all benefit from it in the future.