At its meeting on March 29, 2023 at the German Biotechnology Days in Wiesbaden, the BioRegions working group (Ak BioRegio) elected the spokesperson for the next two years. Dr. Julia Schaft, managing director of BioRN, the life science cluster of the Rhine-Main-Neckar region, was unanimously elected as the new spokesperson. Dr. Schaft succeeds Dr. Janin Sameith, Project Manager Life Sciences & Bioeconomy at Hessen Trade & Invest GmbH, who has held the office since 2021. The new spokesperson team is complemented as deputies by Dr. Jürgen Walkenhorst, Life Science Nord Management GmbH and Dr. Jens Hellwage, InfectoGnostics Forschungscampus Jena e.V. .
"The working group of bioregions bundles the forces of Germany's life science regions to promote the economic use of modern biotechnologies. Together, the representatives of the BioRegions have a huge network as well as a deep insight into the region-specific structures and challenges. Together, we want to set impulses for strengthening Germany as a biotechnology location. I am looking forward to the upcoming tasks as spokesperson, the cooperation with the bioregions as well as with BioDeutschland", says Julia Schaft.
The Working Group of BioRegions in Germany is an association of German BioRegions and has its office at Biotechnologie-Industrie-Organisation Deutschland e. V. (BIO Deutschland) in Berlin. The 31 members deal with topics such as financing, foundation and technology transfer as well as the external presentation of the German biotechnology industry and other life science sectors. Since 2007, AK BioRegio has awarded the annual Innovation Prize of the German BioRegions, a nationwide competition for application-oriented ideas from universities, and organizes the German Biotechnology Days together with BIO Deutschland.