BioRegio STERN Management GmbH is developing an internationalisation strategy for life sciences companies in the region. The skill-sharing network for the life sciences sector carried out a study in conjunction with the Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Engineering IAO to identify the specific needs of entrepreneurs. The results were presented and discussed with 15 entrepreneurs as part of the strategy workshop “Thinking internationalisation forward” at the Haus der Wirtschaft in Stuttgart on 26 February 2014.

Seventy-two companies from the STERN BioRegion took part in the study on internationalisation. The response rate of around 22 percent in just six weeks shows how important this topic is for entrepreneurs in the region. “We’d like to use the study to focus on the aims and ideas of entrepreneurs in order to provide them with even more effective support,” explains Martina Rüber, who is responsible for developing the internationalisation strategy at BioRegio STERN Management GmbH. According to the study, the companies already generate over 25 percent of their sales abroad and are planning a growth rate of more than ten percent in the next three years. They see internationalisation as a key corporate goal in this process. The U.S. and Asia in particular were named as attractive international markets alongside the neighbouring German-speaking countries. According to the survey results, the greatest barrier to internationalising business operations is the companies’ own lack of resources. Some 80 percent of respondents aim to attract new customers abroad and, among other things, would like more support in arranging cooperation partners and funding.

During the workshop, the entrepreneurs discussed the specific strategies to be de-veloped for particular countries. Different licensing criteria – from the U.S. regulatory authority the FDA, for example – repeatedly present major hurdles for the companies’ internationalisation strategies. Dr. Helmut Hierlemann, head of product management at Denkendorf-based Polymedics Innovations GmbH with decades of international experience in over 20 countries, praises the commitment of BioRegio STERN Management GmbH: “Regional economic development and internationalisa-tion go hand in hand, as you need to be regionally anchored and have international ties for a successful internationalisation strategy.” Dr. Jürgen Bernhardt, CEO of Esslingen-based BioTeSys GmbH, explains: “The network in the STERN BioRegion is important and workshops like this one enable those taking part to expand their horizons. This strengthens cohesion and thus also international awareness and positioning.” The members of the workshop rated the sharing of information and ideas between entrepreneurs as particularly useful. “I especially liked the fact that various participants with different perspectives were able to develop a variety of solutions in a highly focused way,” says Klaus Mauch, member of the Board of Directors of Stuttgart-based Insilico Biotechnology AG.

The internationalisation study was conducted with kind support of Baden-Württemberg International.