Innovative Healthcare and Life Sciences Location

The German capital region is one of the world's leading locations in everything related to health and innovation. 

What makes the region especially strong is the unique concentration and networking of science, clinics, and business.

More than 670 biotech, pharma, and medtech companies benefit from the excellent scientific environment, clinical research landscape, and proximity to policymakers and healthcare professionals. This applies to globally operating companies such as Bayer, B. Braun, Berlin-Chemie, Biotronik, Eckert & Ziegler, Pfizer, Sanofi, Takeda, and Thermo Fisher as well as to the many small and medium-sized companies in the healthcare industries. 

Added to this is the geographic location of the German capital region, which provides good access to Western, Central, and Eastern European markets.

Facts & Figures

Additional information on the facts and figures of the Berlin-Brandenburg healthcare and life sciences region can be found at the following links:

Fact Sheet
Life Science Report 2022 | 2023

Companies and Activities

The healthcare industry with its more than 21,000 companies and approximately 380,000 employees has a particularly high impact on the German capital region. It is both an engine for growth and employment, as well as a guarantee for the highest quality healthcare.

With more than 140 hospitals, the clinic landscape in Berlin-Brandenburg offers a broad and high-quality range of care in the region. These include beacons such as the Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, which as Europe's largest university hospital integrates treatment, research, and education.

In the fields of biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, and medical technology, growth rates of three to five percent and about 50 new startups per year demonstrate dynamic innovation. 

More than 80 percent of the approximately 280 biotech companies work in biomedicine. Of the approximately 350 medtech companies, many are focused on digital health solutions, cardiovascular technologies, and diagnostic imaging. In addition to the biotech and medtech landscape, the capital region has a considerable tradition of drug development. Globally operating companies such as Bayer, Pfizer, Sanofi, Takeda, or Berlin-Chemie (as part of the Menarini Group) and plenty of medium-sized companies offer jobs for around 10,000 employees.

An increasing numbers of global players and companies based in the German capital region are seeking to forge contacts withstartups  to invent new digital products and methods for the healthcare market. Berlin hosts over 60 accelerators and incubators, many of them with a strong focus on the healthcare sector. 

Science

The German capital region is home to over 40 renowned scientific institutions, including the Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, the Brandenburg Medical School Theodor Fontane, the Berlin Institute of Health (BIH), the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association (MDC), the Robert Koch Institute, the German Heart Center Berlin, and other well-known Fraunhofer, Helmholtz, Leibniz and Max Planck Institutes in Berlin and Brandenburg. 

The region offers approx. 200 university courses of study in 30 universities with a focus on life  sciences and healthcare, among them: 

  • Humboldt Universität zu Berlin 
  • Freie Universität Berlin 
  • Technische Universität Berlin 
  • University of Potsdam 
  • Brandenburg University of Technology Cottbus - Senftenberg 

Scientists conduct excellent life sciences research here, characterized by a broad spectrum and close interdisciplinary networking. The region features short paths to exchanges and partnerships – not only between different research institutions, but also between industry, clinics, and academic research in various ways. Important elements are transfer-oriented platforms, networks, and technology parks.

Technology parks

Eight of the many technology parks and centers of innovation in Berlin and Brandenburg alone focus on the life sciences. The parks provide businesses with optimal space requirements, modern laboratories and rooms to meet their individual needs, contributing to their success and growth in the region. The parks are true melting pots of interdisciplinary technology development because scientific research and business are close neighbors. 
For research institutions, spin-offs or corporate relocations – you will find out about opportunities in the technology parks and innovation centers of the capital region here:

Location Advantages

  • High density and excellence of research and academic institutions 
  • Hot spot for founders and top investment location in Europe 
  • Unique clinic landscape, including Charité – one of the largest university hospitals in the world 
  • Synergies through strong network structures and political support 
  • Highly-qualified workforce and talent from around the world 
  • Best framework conditions for production 
  • Attractive commercial space and office property 
  • Very good funding conditions 
  • Seat of parliament, government, and top associations 
  • High quality of life in one of the most attractive metropolitan regions in the world

More reasons for your business and innovation in Berlin-Brandenburg:
Berlin: www.businesslocationcenter.de 
Brandenburg:www.wfbb.de/en/Standort-Brandenburg/Ten-Good-Reasons-to-Invest-in-Brandenburg