The health research region Maastricht joins the Health Axis Europe. The four leading locations Cambridge (UK), Leuven (Belgium), Maastricht (Netherlands), and Heidelberg (Germany) form an alliance to foster innovation in health across Europe.
Heidelberg, Germany, June 11, 2015 / B3C newswire / -- During a visit by a delegation of the Employers’ Association of the Province of Limburg (LWV), representatives of the biomedical clusters in Leuven (Belgium), Maastricht (Netherlands), and Heidelberg met at Heidelberg Castle on June 10 to seal the accession of Maastricht to their strategic alliance “Health Axis Europe“. The goal of the alliance is to cross-leverage their innovation resources and thus jointly increase their international competitiveness. The Health Axis Europe was founded on June 8, 2011 by the clusters in Cambridge and Leuven and the BioRN Leading-Edge Cluster in Heidelberg.
The alliance is managed and coordinated by the Health Axis Europe Committee, comprised of key individuals from each cluster representing local industry, science, politics, and venture capital. The parties in the alliance are the University of Leuven, the BioRN Network in Heidelberg, and the Brightlands Consortium in Maastricht, consisting of the Maastricht University, the Maastricht Health Campus and the Chemelot Campus. The partners agreed on the initiation and coordination of cross-border cooperation in research and development and on the support of start-ups.
On June 9, the Biotech Cluster Rhine-Neckar (BioRN) won the tender of the Federal Ministry for Education and Research (BMBF) for the internationalization of leading-edge clusters with its project proposal for the expansion of the Health Axis Europe. In the next four years a portion of the development funds of up to 4 million euros will go to projects of the expanded Health Axis Europe.
The Managing Director of the BioRN Network in Heidelberg, Christian Tidona, said: “The accession of Maastricht to the Health Axis Europe is an important step towards the creation of critical mass in Europe. The fact that the BMBF has again selected Heidelberg for funding is encouraging us to move ahead with the internationalization of our leading-edge cluster.”
The Health Axis Europe Committee will meet in Maastricht in the coming months and will initiate the first joint projects.
About BioRN Network e.V.
The BioRN Network in Heidelberg represents the Biotech Cluster Rhine-Neckar (BioRN). It unites renowned research institutions such as the University of Heidelberg, the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), and large global companies such as Roche, BASF, Merck and AbbVie. Together with more than 80 biotech companies, numerous suppliers and sector-specific service providers, as well as regional associations, local authorities and chambers, the BioRN Network is helping to develop the Rhine-Neckar Metropolitan Region into one of the leading innovation hubs for the life sciences in Europe.
Contact
BioRN Network e.V.
Dr. Christian Tidona
Managing Director
Im Neuenheimer Feld 582
69120 Heidelberg
+49 6221 4305 112
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
www.BioRN.org