Almost 1,000 people flocked to Leipzig to attend the German Biotech Days 2026, where the Who’s Who of the industry was gathered to network and learn. Germany’s Minister of Research Dorothea Bär emphasized biotech’s role within the country’s high-tech agenda: “We want to become a global leader in biotechnology – and are actively helping new research ideas find their way into innovative products and services!” Be it in the fields of healthcare, nutrition or chemistry, Germany is continually investing in life-changing technolo-gies, with Leipzig and Saxony as key hubs of this development.

Leipzig’s Mayor for Economic Affairs Clemens Schülke highlighted this fact by pointing out how the new Center for Gene and Cell Therapy in Regeneration and Transplantation (CREATION) is aiming to make cell and gene therapies (CGT) available to patients faster. During the two-day conference, experts from Leipzig’s Fraunhofer IZI also weighed in on the future of CGT. And leading scientists from Leipzig University – a key player in the Leipzig Center of Metabolism (LeiCeM) – shared the results of their groundbreaking research into metabolic disorders.

But it wasn’t all work and no play in the city of Bach and Leibniz: There were tours to Leipzig’s life science innovators and a range of informal networking events. Whether at Leipzig’s tropic paradise Gondwanaland, its historic Moritzbastei or at the conference venue itself – every guest felt welcome and came away with new insights and contacts. It was about having inspiring conversations, making meaningful new connections, and boosting the biotech community as a whole. Or as one attendee put it: “Over just two days, I was able to accomplish and resolve more than I likely could have in two months, simply because all the key stakeholders were present in person.”

© Philipp Kirschner  | Sera Z. Kurc & Tolga Cakal | leap:up GmbH