Life sciences SMEs benefit from European cooperation

Highly successful Boost4Health development project comes to an end

Life sciences SMEs benefit from European cooperation

Participants at the final meeting of Boost4Health in Stuttgart, Germany (Source: Schweickhardt/BioRegio STERN Management GmbH)

(Stuttgart) – The European Interreg project Boost4Health is finishing after four years. BioRegio STERN Management GmbH met the project partners in Stuttgart to review the results and effects of the collaboration. The representatives of business and technological development organisations and universities from various regions covered by the Interreg North-West Europe Programme rounded off proceedings by presenting selected small and medium-sized enterprises from the life sciences sector that the project has helped achieve international networking success.

Over 400 small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have used Boost4Health to support their international growth strategies. In addition to the voucher system that enabled them to obtain services from specialists, they above all profited from the matchmaking events, where the numerous participants made long-term international contacts. No fewer than 80 per cent of the companies questioned rated the project as very helpful for internationalising their business strategy and would like the contacts to continue.

„Over the past four years, the project partners have built up an effective international network. In direct contact with the companies, Boost4Health has provided a financial injection of around one million euros in 167 development projects,“ says the delighted project manager Dr. Margot Jehle. It was in the Netherlands, for instance, that a medtech company from the Stuttgart region found the know-how it required to further develop its product. „Our excellent partnership made it possible to create a highly effective LifeTec hub in Europe. Boost4Health is a great example of how European cooperation in the life sciences can work,“ explains Dr. Jehle.

To ensure these successes can continue, it was suggested at the closing event in Stuttgart that the partners join the Council of European BioRegions (CEBR) platform to maintain and expand their existing contacts. The CEBR is a European network of life sciences clusters and bioregions that aims to enhance knowledge transfer and collaboration.

The Interreg North-West Europe Programme has provided funding totalling 4.3 million euros to promote transnational cooperation in this part of Europe. The European Interreg project Boost4Health was designed to make internationalisation easier for small and medium-sized enterprises from the life sciences sector, including medtech, biotech and pharmaceutical companies and the food industry. The project team is made up of eleven regions from seven countries:

– Brabantse Ontwikkelings Maatschappij (BOM) in North Brabant

– GM Business Support Ltd and Kent County Council in the UK

– Ontwikkelingsmaatschappij Oost Nederland NV in the Netherlands

– Biocat, la Fundació BioRegió de Catalunya in Spain

– University of Liège in Belgium

– ID2Santé, Eurasanté and Atlanpole Biotherapies in France

– Biopeople at the University of Copenhagen in Denmark

– BioRegio STERN Management GmbH in Germany

Bildquelle: Schweickhardt/BioRegio STERN Management GmbH

About BioRegio STERN Management GmbH:

BioRegio STERN Management GmbH promotes economic development in the life sciences industry, helping to strengthen the region as a business location by supporting innovations and start-up companies in the public interest. It is the main point of contact for company founders and entrepreneurs in the Stuttgart and Neckar-Alb regions, including the cities of Tübingen and Reutlingen.

The STERN BioRegion is one of the largest and most successful bioregions in Germany. Its unique selling points include a mix of biotech and medtech companies that is outstanding in Germany and regional clusters in the fields of automation technology and mechanical engineering.

Firmenkontakt
BioRegio STERN Management GmbH
Dr. Klaus Eichenberg
Friedrichstrasse 10
70174 Stuttgart
+49 (0)711-870354-0
info@bioregio-stern.de
http://www.bioregio-stern.de/en

Pressekontakt
Zeeb Kommunikation GmbH
Anja Pätzold
Alexanderstraße 81
70182 Stuttgart
+49 (0)711-6070719
info@zeeb.info
http://www.zeeb-kommunikation.de