Unchaining a champion

Unchaining a champion Biotechnology in North Rhine-Westphalia already has a colorful history and a number of achievements. But the success story is only just beginning. By Joachim Pietzsch The view from BioCampus on the outskirts of Cologne, Germany. On a clear day the panorama from the BioCampus on the outskirts of Cologne, Germany, is impressive. From the conference room atop its eleven-story main building, the view stretches from the Seven

Written byJoachim Pietzsch
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By Joachim Pietzsch

On a clear day the panorama from the BioCampus on the outskirts of Cologne, Germany, is impressive. From the conference room atop its eleven-story main building, the view stretches from the Seven Mountains (Siebengebirge) above Bonn in the south to the branches of the Ruhr area in the northeast, passing along the flat land towards Aachen and the Belgian border in the west. Downstream along the Rhine River, the view almost extends to the state's capital, Düsseldorf, before it finally reaches the trees, walls, and bridges of the timeless city of Cologne itself. Steeped in Roman history, and constantly reinventing itself since that era, Cologne's magnificent cathedral rises up as a testament to pure confidence. "Many regions claim to lie in the heart of Europe," says BioCampus Cologne's managing director Detlev Krupp, "but we really do. The most important motorways of Western Europe merge in Cologne, and ...

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