BayOConnect 2025: Bavaria shows great biomedical innovation potential in dynamic times

• Biotechnology conference “BayOConnect” in Munich brings together players from all areas of Bavarian and international biotechnology.
• With around 350 participants, over 350 partnering meetings, 10 start-up pitches and 16 poster presentations, 27 exhibitors and over 40 sponsors and partners, Bio^M successfully promotes networking in the industry.
• Geopolitics, macroeconomic uncertainties and changing framework conditions influence biotech developments and investment behavior.
• Accelerating life science research and development requires new incentives, strategic models and international cooperation.
• Start-up 2NA FISH wins BayOConnect Start-up Award sponsored by EBD Group.
• m⁴ Award ceremony: 2.5 million euros for five research teams from Bavaria.

Further press photos are available here.

Around 350 players from the Bavarian, German and international biotechnology industry responded to the call of the biotech cluster development organization Bio^M to attend the 2nd edition of the biotechnology conference “BayOConnect – Forum for Biotech & LifeScience” in Munich. On July 1 and 2, big players, SMEs, start-ups, science, pharmaceuticals, politics and investors met to exchange ideas. The industry discussed the changing framework conditions for innovation in dynamic times. Start-ups presented new ideas on innovative gene therapy, RNA targeting and non-invasive cancer diagnostics, among other things. The conference concluded with the ceremonial presentation of the m⁴ Award, endowed with 2.5 million euros, to five Bavarian teams for outstanding biomedical research.

In a time of global uncertainty and dynamic upheaval, innovation and collaboration are becoming increasingly important to the biotechnology industry. Geopolitical tensions, macroeconomic challenges and a changing regulatory environment are influencing the development and financing of biomedical innovations worldwide. At the same time, new technologies such as Artificial Intelligence and automated data platforms are opening up enormous potential for research, diagnostics and therapy.

“This year’s BayOConnect is all about change – economically and technologically,” says Prof. Dr. Ralf Huss, Managing Director of Bio^M. "We are experiencing how Artificial Intelligence, new investment models and geopolitical developments are profoundly changing biotechnology. With BayOConnect, we are creating space for dialog about these dynamics – and promoting concrete collaborations that accelerate the transfer of innovation into marketable solutions."

Great innovation potential of the industry in dynamic times

This year’s BayOConnect addressed this complex situation with a clear goal: to strengthen innovation in the life sciences and drive forward sustainable solutions through intelligent cooperation, strategic investments and application-oriented research. In high-caliber panels, international experts discussed how resilient innovation ecosystems can be created – and what role Germany and Europe will play in this in the future: How can Europe survive in global competition? How can the bridge between academic research and industrial application be successfully built? What role do Artificial Intelligence, data-driven platforms and new technologies play in accelerating innovation?

Geopolitical influences, volatile investment strategies, translational hurdles and sustainable business models were also examined. A particular focus was placed on interdisciplinary collaboration, resilient innovation ecosystems and the integration of digital technologies as drivers of medical breakthroughs.

Around 350 participants from leading companies such as Roche, Google, Amazon Web Services and Nvidia as well as from politics, science, investment and numerous start-ups and SMEs exchanged ideas. The aim was to use the momentum and strengthen the innovative power of biotechnology: be it through (international) cooperation or early investments.

This year’s main sponsors MSD, Crelux – a WuXi AppTec Company, as well as technology leader and sponsor Roche are among the world’s leading companies in the development of medical innovations – and exemplify BayOConnect’s aspiration to actively shape the future of healthcare. Over 40 other sponsors supported the event, underlining the relevance of the topics and the format. Together, they set a strong signal for the close cooperation between science, industry and technology development – with the aim of bringing biomedical innovations into application more quickly.

Start-up pitches and a winner: from gene therapy to non-invasive cancer diagnostics

The “big players” of tomorrow also presented their innovative developments. 10 founding teams presented their innovative ideas in the start-up pitches. These were diverse: new approaches in gene and radioligand therapy, non-invasive cancer diagnostics, CRISPR-based point-of-care tests and sustainable solutions in agriculture and beekeeping were presented.

The EBD Group sponsored the BayOConnect Start-up Award, which Dr. Christina Port from 2NA FISH received from Santa Munro (EBD Group), State Secretary Tobias Gotthardt (StMWi) and Prof. Dr. Ralf Huss together with a free ticket to BIO-Europe 2025 in Vienna. 2NA FISH is developing a platform technology to measure RNA biomarkers in spatial context, to assist in selecting appropriate cancer therapies and avoid unsuccessful treatments, side effects, reduced survival time, and high costs.

A presentation of all start-up projects can be found here.

Innovation exhibition and networking

A particular highlight of BayOConnect was the innovation exhibition, where over 30 start-ups and established companies presented their latest technologies and products. This exhibition offered participants the opportunity to find out first-hand about the latest developments and make valuable business contacts, such as investors. An accompanying poster exhibition showcased innovative ideas and the latest research findings. Participants also met in over 350 partnering meetings to exchange ideas and explore collaborations. Following the repeated great success of this biotech conference, the next BayOConnect is scheduled to take place again from June 30 to July 1, 2026 at the Design Offices in the München Macherei.

m⁴ Award winners honored for pioneering research

BayOConnect concluded with the ceremonial presentation of the m4 Award, endowed with 2.5 million euros, to five Bavarian teams for outstanding biomedical research. The prize is awarded every two years by Bio^M together with the Bavarian State Ministry of Economic Affairs, Regional Development and Energy. The prize money of 500,000 euros per team is intended to enable the winners to spin off from the academy. This time, the selected research projects deal with the major widespread diseases Alzheimer’s, cancer and rheumatoid arthritis and provide solutions for RNA therapies. Five winning teams were able to convince the jury of high-ranking experts with their outstanding biomedical research projects and prevail over 48 excellent applications from research institutions throughout Bavaria.

All m⁴ Award winners with pictures, project descriptions and videos can be found here.