Considering the numerous deals and long-term partnerships between Bavarian biotech companies and Japanese pharmaceutical companies, it is clear that Japan is almost as relevant for the regional sector as the pharmaceutical industry in the US. Building upon this mutual interest, the Munich-Osaka Partnership Agreement combines Osaka’s large accumulation of pharmaceutical companies and renowned scientific expertise with the innovative biopharma technologies from start-ups and SMEs in Bavaria. The Agreement contains concrete actions with the aim of accelerating business in both regions, informing about the newest developments in technology, industry and academia, and of supporting business matchmaking and trade missions between Osaka and Munich.
The long-standing relationship between the two world-class biopharma regions was first formalized in a Partnership Agreement in 2011. BioM has since taken eight trade missions to Japan, with 93 SME participations. As a major result of the cooperation, the concept for the EU-Japan Biotech & Pharma Partnering Conference was developed in a joint effort to accelerate global biopharmaceutical developments. The Conference, where the Partnership was renewed today, is now established as an important partnering event, organized by the Osaka Prefectural Government, the EU-Japan Centre for Industrial Cooperation, and the Enterprise Europe Network.
The 3rd renewal of the Partnership agreement has been signed by Prof. Dr. Horst Domdey, CEO of BioM Biotech Cluster Development GmbH, and Dr. Shizuko Akira, President of Osaka Bio Headquarters. Horst Domdey stated: “We are delighted to continue our good partnership with Osaka as a central player of the Kansai area, which gives both regions easier access to business and research collaborations.” Shizuko Akira emphasized the importance of a long-term relationship in international business and added: “It is a great pleasure to maintain a strategic partnership since 2011 with BioM”.
In the cover picture are the cluster representatives Dr. Hiroyuki Akatsuka, Associate Director, Life Sciences Industry Division, Osaka Prefectural Government (left) and Project & Cluster Manager Dr. Max Pöhlmann, BioM (right) at the renewal of their long-standing transnational biotech & life sciences cooperation agreement. © Osaka Prefectural Government
Published: April 2023