Martinsried gets start-up incubator Munich Accelerator Life Sciences & Medicine (MAxL)

Bavaria has evolved into an outstanding start-up ecosystem for biotechnology within the last 25 years. By funding the Munich Accelerator Life Sciences & Medicine, the Bavarian state government is sustainably strengthening Martinsried’s role as a leading biotechnology location in Germany and Europe. The early-stage incubator is managed by Bio^M and is scheduled to open as early as 2023.

Bavaria’s Secretary of State for Economic Affairs, Roland Weigert, handed over a grant of 8.5 million euros to Bio^M, the network organization of the Bavarian biotechnology industry.

Weigert: „Biotechnology is a crucial building block for the medicine of the future and a sustainable industry based on the bioeconomy. In this context, start-ups play a key role  as drivers of innovation. Thanks to consistent support from the state government, Bavaria has evolved into an outstanding ecosystem for start-ups in this key industry.“

MAxL is designed to provide targeted support for pre-seed projects and start-ups shortly after they are founded in the life science and healthtech sectors. "In the first few months, the projects and start-ups face particular challenges. There is a huge need for flexible laboratory infrastructure tailored to the early phase in combination with customized and professional support and networking offers. The planned early-stage incubator in Martinsried offers both together. With MAxL, we are creating the perfect framework for successful spin-offs."

Prof. Horst Domdey stated at the handover: "I would like to thank the Bavarian Ministry of Economic Affairs for its ongoing support and the trust placed in Bio^M. I am certain that the creation of the new early-stage incubator will once again decisively improve the framework conditions for founders in the life sciences and healthtech sector."

For 25 years, Bio^M has very successfully supported both SMEs and founders in biotechnology. With the Bio^M inQlab program, a virtual incubator for the medicine of the future, a unique and specialized offer for founders in the life sciences could be built up in the last years (https://www.bio-m.org/fuer-gruender.html).

"We are very much looking forward to providing our teams with another offer tailored to the needs of early-stage life science start-ups in the future and thus to accompany the start-ups even more specifically on their way. This offer will make it possible to bring the teams into an even closer exchange with each other and with relevant partners as early as possible," commented Dr. Petra Burgstaller, responsible for inQlab at Bio^M together with Christina Enke-Stolle, who added:

"Founding a life science start-up is a complex undertaking. The convergence with digital technologies creates opportunities and new challenges. Here, we see the key in collaboration across a wide range of disciplines and in the close involvement of partners from industry and the financing sector, who provide their expertise."

Based on this expertise, the new incubator structure supports pre-seed and early-stage start-up teams with a structured incubation and coaching program, pre-equipped lab workspaces, a co-working space, meeting and event space, as well as numerous training and networking opportunities.

MAxL is planned as a highly visible new flagship project of the Bavarian life science and healthtech ecosystem in several phases. The vision is to create a unique, inspiring, co-creative and entrepreneurial breeding ground for outstanding life science and healthtech start-ups in Bavaria. Excellent minds will thus shape the future of medicine and the bioeconomy – based on cutting-edge biomedical research and groundbreaking new technologies. In the process, the new structure forms internationally a highly attractive gravity center for investors as well as for industrial companies.