Review: 2023 International Health and Environment Industry Development Forum & Germany´s Health Capital - Berlin Investment Promotion Seminar

We are very happy that Berlin had a strong presence at the China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS), one of the most important international trade fairs in China, on the 4th of September 2023.  

Together with our partners, the Investment Promotion Agency of the Ministry of Commerce of the PRC (CIPA), the International Health and Environment Industry Association (IHEIA), and the China Medical and Health Development Foundation, we organized an impactful conference and seminar to promote cross-border cooperation in the life sciences and healthcare industry and to present and discuss new market trends, technologies and products, with a special focus on Berlin: The "2023 International Health and Environment Industry Development Forum & Germany´s Health Capital - Berlin Investment Promotion Seminar”, which was opened by Yong Li, Deputy Director General of the CIPA. 

The importance of the bilateral cooperation in the life sciences and healthcare sector has been underlined by the participation of Andrea Jünemann (Yu Na), Minister Counselor of the German Embassy in China, who acknowledged the achievements of companies and institutions from Berlin in these fields as well as the work of the economic representative office of the Berlin state government which is serving as an important bridge between China and Berlin in order to enhance the economic understanding and cooperation between both sides.   

In the keynote speech about “Berlin-Brandenburg, the world´s leading healthcare industry cluster”, Yiran Li, Chief Representative of Berlin in China, introduced the excellent health care and life sciences ecosystem in Berlin-Brandenburg, the capital region of Germany, which attracted a lot of world leading companies and creates a strong breeding ground for health start-ups, and showcased other outstanding location factors of Berlin such as the very young and international work force (from more than 170 nations) as well as the outstanding science and research landscape, which among other factors rank the Berlin-Brandenburg healthcare industry cluster on top 3 worldwide, according to an international benchmarking study of the WifOR Institute and SNPC GmbH. 

As always, and this time via video, Berlin Partner did a great deal in highlighting the market prospects and support measures for companies settling down in Berlin.  

Dr. Stefan Franzke talked about the status of Berlin as one of the most important locations for the healthcare industry in Germany and mentioned that many medical companies from Berlin such as Eckert and Ziegler, Biotronik, and World of Medicine, are very well established and maintain close partnerships with local companies in China. Finally, Stefan Franzke invited all interested companies and institutions from China to visit Berlin and said that he is also looking forward to his visit in China together with a large company delegation from Berlin in Nov this year.  

Susan Kaffenberger from Berlin Partner introduced the services of Berlin Partner. With more than 52 private shareholders and 280 partners from business and science, Berlin Partner is offering excellent on the ground services for new and established companies in Berlin.  

Furthermore, two influential healthcare ecosystem players from Berlin introduced their organizations via video and explained how they empower start-up companies with their innovation and marketing processes.   

The CEO of Bio-PAT e.V., Anika Bockisch, introduced her network, which is facilitating the cooperation between SMEs, research institutes, and universities in the field of process analytics and control in bioprocesses. Bio-Pat is providing further empowerment with helping their members to become more visible on social media and via other marketing channels and is pushing forward innovation processes in application fields such as bioenergy, food technology, environmental technology, pharma and medical biotechnology.

Maren Lesche is the Co-founder of Vision Health Pioneers Incubator, the only start-up incubator in Berlin which is solely focusing on the healthcare sector. Maren stated that Vision Health already supported more than 50 start-ups and that they have chosen Berlin as their company location because the digital health sector is tremendously supported in the German Capital.  Some of the main industry trends that Vision Health discovered are virtual and augmented reality solutions coming from the film and tech industry and now converging into health tech as well as artificial intelligence solutions, voice recognition (which is of importance considering the growing importance of mental health), and the sustainability element in healthcare connected with new materials. According to Maren, all these cross-industry links are providing companies from different countries and backgrounds with opportunities to work together in Berlin.  

During our event, it became obvious again, that the Berlin start-up and innovation ecosystem can absorb new ideas and input from companies worldwide and is welcoming companies from China in the healthcare sector and others to develop new technological solutions for the global market. 

Two of the companies from Berlin, which were part of our event on Sep 4th, already made big steps into the Chinese market and introduced their business model and market prospects to potential cooperation partners onsite.  

Xu Li, Head of the Home Community section of Renafan Group, introduced the company’s elderly care and rehabilitation projects in China, and Shen Guoxing, the representative of German Delco International China, promoted Delco’s services and products in the nutrition and health supplement sector.  

We are delighted, that Renafan also concluded a strategic cooperation agreement with our partner IHEIA during the event, and we really look forward to further bilateral exchange and cooperation between Berlin and China in the healthcare sector. 

Thanks again to the guests of the Berlin Investment Promotion Seminar and to our partners for setting up this great event together with us!