Biotop-report 2011

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A Reputation for Excellence in Life Sciences

The exceptional research community remains a strong driving force in the development of 

Berlin-Brandenburg as a biotech location. With more than 200 research facilities, Berlin is 

the capital of German science. The great tradition of this place of research became espe-

cially evident in 2010, when the city arranged a whole year of celebrations on the occasion 

of the anniversaries of five of its oldest and most prestigious science establishments.

News

 

February 2010

 

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German Medical Innovation Prize 

2009, endowed with € 100,000, 

goes to Professor Dr. Ulrich Speck 

of the Charité

 

March 2010

 

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ground-breaking ceremony for new 

research building of Experimental 

and Clinical Research Center in 

Berlin-Buch

 

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Analytica Research Prize for 

Dr.  Matthias Selbach of the MDC

 

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Potsdam Center of Systems Biology 

positively evaluated by the BMBF /

further support to 2011

April 2010

 

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Jiang Gao, PhD student at the 

 Institute of Biochemistry, Free 

University, is the third winner of the 

Speed BIONNALE Lecture Award

 

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Construction of the Application 

 Center for Polymer Nanotechnolo-

gies at the Fraunhofer Institute for 

Applied Polymer Research IAP in 

Potsdam-Golm starts 

May 2010

 

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Centre for Biomaterial Development 

in Teltow and Tianjin University to 

start German-Chinese cooperation 

for the development of biomaterials 

for regenerative medicine.

 

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Dr. Joachim Storsberg from the 

Fraunhofer Institute for Applied 

Polymer Research (IAP) receives 

Joseph von Fraunhofer Prize 

June 2010

 

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Bioanalytics researcher Janina 

Kneipp of BAM receives 1.39  

million € ERC Starting Grant 

July 2010

 

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Foundation stone laid for new 

research building of MDC and the 

Charité Campus Berlin-Buch

 

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Promotion Prize of the Berlin Scien-

tific Society to Dr. Christel Bonnas of 

Excellence Cluster NeuroCure 

September 2010

 

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Maria-Magdalena Titirici of the 

Max Planck Institute of Colloids and 

Interfaces receives 15th Desty Award 

for Innovation in Separation Science 

October 2010

 

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2. World Health Summit in Berlin

 

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Dr. Manel Esteller receives the World 

Health Summit and Pfizer Award 

for Innovation and Biomedical 

Research, endowed with 75,000 €

 

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Alzheimer’s researcher Gerd 

Multhaup, Professor of Biochemistry 

at the Free University, is awarded 

the “Copper Award 2010” by the 

International Copper Association

 

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Matthew Poy and James Poulet from 

the Max Delbrück Center for Molecu-

lar Medicine (MDC) Berlin-Buch and 

the Charité, receive research funds 

amounting to around 1,5 million 

€ each from the ERC (European 

Research Council) for the next five 

years

The Berlin State Library commemorated its foundation 350 years 

ago. Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin commemorated its birth 

in 1710. The Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences celebrated 

its  first  statute  of  the  same  year  and  its  opening  in  1711  and 

Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin its founding 200 years ago, while 

the Max Planck Society commemorated the foundation of its pre-

decessor organisation, the Kaiser Wilhelm Society, in 1910.

The Charité is now one of Europe’s largest university hospitals. 

Some 3,000 doctors and scientists research, heal and teach here 

to the highest international standards. More than half of German 

Nobel Prize laureates for medicine and physiology have come 

from the Charité. The university hospital is held in the highest 

regard worldwide for its excellence as a site of academic teach-

ing. With its 14,500 employees, Charité earns revenues of app. 

one billion Euros per annum, making it one of Berlin’s biggest 

employers. The pronounced entrepreneurial orientation of the 

Charité was underscored in 2010 by the closing of a cooperation 

agreement with Sanofi. As a partner for research and clinical tri-

als, the Charité is indispensable to the development of the bio-

tech industry in the Berlin-Brandenburg region.

German Center for Cardiovascular Research

In spring 2011 it was decided that Berlin will be part of the new 

German Center for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK). The Charité, 

the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC) and the 

Deutsches Herzzentrum Berlin (DHZB) will combine their research 

in the DZHK under the name “Cardio Berlin”. Associated partners 

are the German Institute for Human Nutrition in Potsdam-Reh-

brücke (DIfE), as well as the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) in Berlin. 

The successful Berlin application was co-ordinated by Prof. Vera 

Regitz-Zagrosek, director of the Institute for Gender Research in 

Medicine at the Charité.

Cardio Berlin will be a novel integrative institution for basic clini-

cal and public health research with a mission to maintain car-

diovascular health throughout life by preventing disease and its 

progression. Cardio Berlin will combine existing basic research 

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