251 286 - Biotech Bayern

German tax system imposes considerable restrictions on the
way in which finance is provided, especially for young, innovative
companies 6 . At the same time, so the report, there
is too little focus on state-of-the-art technology. Germany's
traditional strengths lie in the field of high-quality technology
– mainly in the automotive industry, classical
chemistry and mechanical engineering. The growth
potentials are, however, far greater in the research-anddevelopment-intensive
high-tech sectors and knowledgeintensive
services.
One of the primary objectives of the BIO Deutschland trade
association is therefore to contribute actively to improving
the framework conditions for innovative SMEs.
The association works at different levels and with various
committees to achieve this aim. The key instruments are
statements and opinions currently being elaborated in eight
working groups. One of the next aims the association is
seeking to accomplish will be the introduction of tax incentives
for R & D, especially in innovative SMEs, already a
common practice in other European countries. Additional
measures are also planned for improving the legal framework
conditions for the protection of intellectual property
with respect to the needs of SMEs: some of the objectives
are to cut down bureaucracy relating to the law on employees'
inventions, to reduce the fees for industrial property
rights for small and medium-sized enterprises and to
harmonize industrial-property legislation relating to biotechnological
inventions in the European Union. Other
objectives of BIO Deutschland are to support technology
transfer and to make the professional image of the innovative
entrepreneur better-known.
Important is that innovation no longer arises mainly within
the fixed limits of a company or institution. A lively productive
process calls for the integration of various innovation
channels and external players. Today, the transformation, or
'translation', of inventions and discoveries into marketable
offers needs to be given far more consideration far more
quickly. This is the only way to ensure that new technologies
are got ready for marketing fast and efficiently, and that the
markets in question are capable of assessment and develop-
One of the primary objectives of the BIO Deutschland trade
association is therefore to contribute actively to improving the
framework conditions for innovative SMEs.
ment. SMEs, research-intensive and with proven experience
in the field of cooperation, are playing an ever more important
role in this context: They are creative, productive and
agile. As independent innovation and talent pools, they are
the part of the value added chain that links public research
with Germany's big-industry sector.
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biotechnologie.de 2007
BIO Deutschland and BIOCOM 2008
Wirtschaftswoche No. 52, 21.12.2007
BIO Deutschland and BIOCOM 2008
OECD Science, Technology and Industry Outlook OECD, Paris, 2002
Commission of Experts for Research and Innovation of the
Federal Government, 27 02.2008
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