Berlin may no longer be “poor but sexy” but it’s still a place to be – especially when it comes to L

What is it about Berlin that makes it such a vibrant und buzzing hot spot for Life Sciences and especially Biotech in the last couple of years? It’s been experiencing steady growth and an exceptionally high level of start-up dynamics. And yes, look at it, many of the biotech companies are founded from the universities and research institutions on site. And rightfully so, since they greatly benefit from the strong science and the good infrastructure for clinical studies in the region. But not only start-ups, also global pharmaceutical companies value the know-how and the local conditions: Here they can develop and produce new active ingredients.

And what makes that important to you and me? Growth, innovation and global investment in the Berlin region are great opportunities that call for – yes, you guessed it – a lot of good employees and executives. Not only the universities generate Life Science turnovers. Around 40 scientific institutions conduct research in the field of life sciences. The Berlin Institute for Health Research (BIH), where scientists from Charité and the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association (MDC) do joint research, is one of the lighthouses in the biomedical research landscape.

The excellent scientific and clinical environment in Berlin is supported by a close proximity to the decision-makers of the German health system. In addition, there is the geographical location of the German capital region, which provides good access to western, central and eastern European markets. Global players such as Astra Zeneca, Bayer, Berlin-Chemie (Menarini), Daiichi Sankyo, Pfizer, Sanofi and Takeda as well as more than 20 medium-sized pharmaceutical companies are based in Berlin-Brandenburg and employ around 10,000 people.

So in addition to being close to the client and the candidates we also profit from being close to research facilities, ministries, lobbyists, decision-makers and industry that provides numerous synergies when it comes to recruiting. And not to forget: for recruiting a local hub always means a gateway in two directions. Executive search is being done for Berlin and from Berlin which means we not only offer a global search to local clients but also global connections to local candidates. As much as global is the currency in recruiting, it’s a weakness to forget about the power of local.

When ingeniam/IIC Partners opened an office in Berlin last year it seemed like: we finally made it! But look at the big recruiting dinosaurs and where they have their offices. Just saying. We truly appreciate the contact point that Berlin offers us and that we can offer our clients. Because, well, not “poor but sexy” anymore, but surely a place to be!