From New Media to Biotechnology - A Powerhouse at the Crossroads of Emerging Technologies

From New Media to Biotechnology ” A Powerhouse at the Crossroads of Emerging Technologies

The development of the Munich high-tech cluster has been supported by the region's history as Germany's most important media location. Within the greater Munich area, 127,000 employees are active in more than 11,425 media companies. Munich is considered to be the second most important publishing location in the world after New York. Thirty-six percent of all German radio and television providers are based in Munich, including the Disney Channel, MTV, RTL2, and Universal. Bavaria Film in Munich houses Europe's most important film facilities. The media activities of the region have attracted many high-tech companies dealing with digital and Internet- based media communications. A notable new media cluster in Munich is located around the town of Unterf hring, less than 30 minutes from the city center.

In addition, the Munich region has developed into one of Europe's most important biotechnology clusters. Martinsried, another town located just minutes from the city center, has become well known across Europe and even in Silicon Valley. Between 1991 and 2000, Martinsried went from having no biotech companies to having 50 of them within one square kilometer. On average, between 1997 and 1998, one new biotech company was founded every 14 days in the cluster. Ninety percent of these companies were spin-offs from the Munich-based Max Planck Society, ^[3] the Munich-based Center of Genetics, and Munich's university faculties for chemistry and biology. Today, Martinsried is considered to be the "Gene Valley" of Europe.