Berlin Senate visits Campus Buch
“The Berlin-Buch campus is a beacon of modern science and innovation in our city. With its outstanding expertise in biomedicine and its exemplary integration of research, technology, and entrepreneurship, the campus represents Berlin's future as an international hub for science and technology,” said Berlin's Governing Mayor Kai Wegner in mid-January during a visit to the Berlin-Buch campus. Prior to the visit, the Berlin state government and the mayor of Pankow had met at the BerlinBioCube. Following the meeting, Wegner emphasized the importance of Berlin-Buch as part its “Zukunftsorte” (Future Location) project. “The BiotechPark and the new BerlinBioCube startup center in particular demonstrate how talent, ideas, and entrepreneurial strength come together here to advance health and society. My thanks go to everyone who has made the campus a center of excellence and collaboration – they have shaped Berlin's reputation as a leading science hub.”
Officially a Future Location: Campus Buch receives the plaque from the Berlin Senate.
Christina Quensel, Managing Director of Campus Berlin-Buch GmbH, together with the Governing Mayor Kai Wegner in the foyer of the Berlin Biocube.
Together with Franziska Giffey, State Senator for Economy, Energy, and Enterprise, Ina Czyborra, State Senator for Higher Education, Research, Health and Long-Term Care, and Pankow's District Mayor Cordelia Koch, Wegner presented an award in the form of a plaque to the Berlin-Buch Future Location. “We are pleased to reaffirm today that the Berlin-Buch campus is an outstanding Future Location,” said Giffey. “It is representative of our economic policy goal of making Berlin Europe's top innovation hub. This is a place where cutting-edge research takes place, leading directly to the founding of new companies. We support this with funds from the state, the federal government, and the EU – in recent years, €78 million have been invested in this location. The BerlinBioCube startup center in particular shows that Berlin is investing in innovation and technology while also creating the right spaces to welcome talent from all over the world. The Berlin-Buch campus plays a key role in ensuring that Berlin remains a top player on the international life sciences and biotech map.”
Collaboration between the district and the state
Mayor Wegner praised the strong collaboration between the Pankow district and the state Senate. This partnership is crucial for adapting transportation infrastructure and social services to the needs of planned new urban quarters in the region. District Mayor Koch welcomed a planned joint initiative for Buch, which was discussed during the meeting. The goal of such initiatives in Berlin is to channel state funding into socially disadvantaged urban areas in a coordinated manner. Koch emphasized the significance of Buch as a center of health, science, business, and natural spaces in Pankow. The district actively supports the expansion of the campus through an ongoing urban development plan, enabling the establishment of additional research-related businesses and the promotion of new jobs in this Future Location.
District tour begins at the Berlin-Buch campus
After the Senate session, the Governing Mayor, the District Mayor, and members of the Senate and district office toured Pankow, starting with a guided visit to the science and technology campus. Dr. Christina Quensel, Managing Director of Campus Berlin-Buch GmbH, welcomed the guests alongside directors of the Max Delbrück Center, Professor Maike Sander and Professor Heike Graßmann. She highlighted the successful development of the science and biotech campus, which houses biomedical research institutions and a biotechnology park with 76 companies.
Quensel also discussed the economic impact of expanding the campus on a five-hectare site at the former Brunnengalerie. According to a recent study by IBB, this expansion could create up to 3,800 additional jobs on and beyond the campus, generate an additional €1.44 billion in economic value, and provide Berlin with €125 million in additional revenue.
From science to business: The T-knife example
During a tour of the BerlinBioCube startup center, guests visited T-knife, a young biopharmaceutical company. A spin-off from the Max Delbrück Center in collaboration with Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, T-knife develops novel immunotherapies for cancer and now employs 70 people at its Buch location.
Co-founder and Chief Technology Officer Dr. Elisa Kieback highlighted the advantages of the startup center for T-knife, emphasizing that Berlin remains highly attractive for biotech companies. “There are qualified professionals and affordable laboratory spaces here. However, in terms of venture capital, the location still needs to catch up.”
Promoting young talent at the Gläsernes Labor
The tour continued to the Gläsernes Labor, a shared STEM student lab on campus. Here, the guests engaged with a school class conducting chemistry experiments. As an extracurricular learning space, the Gläsernes Labor offers experiments in molecular biology, neuroscience, cell biology, protein and drug chemistry, radioactivity, and ecology – all closely linked to the research at the Berlin-Buch campus. Students learn, for example, how the CRISPR/Cas gene-editing tool works through hands-on experimentation.
Text: Campus Buch
