The “Virus-based Therapies” branch of Fraunhofer IGB in Biberach is being funded by the Baden-Württemberg Ministry of Economic Affairs, Labour and Tourism for almost five years since the end of 2023.
Grant notification in October 2023
On October 12, 2023, the Minister of Economic Affairs, Dr. Nicole Hoffmeister-Kraut, handed over the grant notification. The state government had already passed the resolution to set up the branch on June 20, 2023. On July 6, the Finance Committee of the Baden-Württemberg state parliament approved the decision of the cabinet.
Start in Biberach an der Riß
At the beginning of April 2024, we were able to inaugurate our new laboratories at the Innovation and Transfer Center ITZ Plus in Biberach and start concrete project work on site. Thanks to intensive preparatory work, we were able to equip the branch in accordance with the complex legal framework for handling therapeutic viruses: The laboratory facility has been approved for work with infectious pathogens, epizootic agents, and genetically modified organisms, allowing the work granted by the state of Baden-Württemberg for the development of virus-based therapies to be put into practice.
To this end, we have succeeded in recruiting young and motivated staff with high levels of expertise in virology, cell and immunobiology, and process technology. Almost 25 employees are now working in the field of virus-based therapies. Five of our new colleagues are researching the development of technologies for optimizing therapeutic viruses as part of their doctoral theses. Their supervisors are professors at both the University of Ulm and the University of Stuttgart, which shows the close networking of the VBT branch with academic institutions in Baden-Württemberg.