The objective of the state strategy

The state government has set itself the goal of developing Rhineland-Palatinate into one of the world's leading biotechnology locations. To this end, various priority areas are being addressed:

Basic research - as the foundation of future innovations - is to be further strengthened and expanded. The networking of science is to be improved and the potential for transfer to commercial applications is to be increased. For this purpose, the infrastructural basis is to be further expanded. At the same time, the conditions for spin-offs and start-ups are to be improved by means of good infrastructures, so that more start-ups and spin-offs can be created.

As an appealing location, Rhineland-Palatinate wants to attract even more biotechnology companies. Good framework conditions and the necessary enabling structures are to be created for this aim. The goal is to create even more qualified jobs - to this end, the training of highly qualified specialists is also being considered. The appeal of the location is to be emphasized by the spatial proximity of the companies to each other and sufficient living space for new employees.

The current momentum will be used to build on the successful investments in research and industry and to continue the strong support. To achieve this, the state government will invest at least €100 million in biotechnology, life sciences and aging research over the next ten years. This funding is to be doubled by federal and private funding. In the current legislative period, additional stimulus funds of up to 10 million euros are already being used to set the first strong accents in science.

With the coalition agreement "Zukunftsvertrag Rheinland-Pfalz - 2021 bis 2026" and the Regional Innovation Strategy (RIS), the state government has already identified relevant innovation and science policy fields of action. For further strategic planning of the biotechnology initiative and the development of a roadmap, a study was prepared by Roland Berger GmbH.

In June 2022, the Biotechnology Academy RLP was launched under the leadership of the Technical University of Bingen, which operates across universities. The aim is to bring together the different biotechnology expertise of the universities in Rhineland-Palatinate and to network them even better with regional companies in the biotechnology sector. In doing so, the entire educational chain from school to company is to be taken into account in order to meet the demand for skilled workers in the field of biotechnology, but also in related scientific and technical fields.

Biotechnology network - Within the existing structures of the Rhineland-Palatinate university system, the Biotechnology Academy RLP was established to strengthen Rhineland-Palatinate as a biotechnology location. The goal is to network the biotechnology actors in the state and to create special offers to secure the demand for specialists. Through exchange, education and development, the Biotechnology Academy RLP will make a decisive contribution to securing the skilled workforce and to the further development of Rhineland-Palatinate as a location for innovation. A central element of this is the promotion of the exchange of scientists.

Cooperation with the industry - The Biotechnology Academy RLP cooperates with companies in the biotechnology sector. In addition to joint research and transfer projects, these companies are also to be involved in the further development of the range of courses offered for training and further education at the universities in line with demand.

Development of educational opportunities - Study opportunities are developed and offered in line with the needs of industry. In cooperation with the Biotechnology Academy RLP, companies can thus integrate the teaching of key competencies required for a successful biotechnology economy during their university education, thus meeting the demand for highly qualified specialists more precisely.