Zukunftsort Health Innovation Quarter Berlin-Mitte

Key local players (selection)

• Bayer AG
• Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, with the Mitte Campus and the Virchow-Klinikum Campus
• German Rheumatology Research Center (DRFZ)
• Max Delbrück Center for Medical Systems Biology (MDC-BIMSB)

Healthcare innovations in Berlin-Mitte

With the Health Innovation Quarter and its initiators, Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin and Bayer AG, a highly innovative ecosystem for health innovations with international appeal is emerging in the heart of the German capital. It closely integrates research, development, production, and market launch, ideally mapping the entire value chain. In doing so, the location makes a significant contribution to the creation of high-quality jobs, the establishment of new companies, and Berlin’s international competitiveness. It strengthens the excellence of Berlin’s universities and positions Berlin as a leading location for gene- and cell-based therapies as well as for forward-looking health innovations.

Attractive location: It doesn’t get any more central

The Health Innovation Quarter stretches across the Berlin-Mitte district as a continuous strip spanning approximately five kilometers—from the Charité Mitte campus along the Spree and Humboldthafen, through the Bayer site between Müllerstraße and Nordhafen, all the way to the Virchow-Klinikum campus. Its proximity to the main train station offers (international) air and rail travelers excellent connectivity.
Together with the State of Berlin, Bayer and Charité are pursuing the further development of this new Zukunftsort. It is set to become even more attractive for companies, employees, and residents. To this end, transportation access and the quality of life in the area will be further improved, while the international ecosystem and the networking of companies, startups, and research institutions will be further advanced.

Key players & ecosystem: Strong partnership between science and industry

With Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin and Bayer AG, two globally renowned key players are collaborating at the new Zukunftsort locations, embodying the perfect combination of science, research, and industry. Through its faculty, Charité also trains the next generation of talent—a critical need in this field—and, via the Berlin Institute of Health at Charité (BIH), contributes to the translational sector, where scientific findings are transformed into applications, products, and services for the benefit of patients. Complemented by numerous other institutions, companies, and startups in the field, an innovation ecosystem has emerged that makes Berlin-Mitte a central hub for cutting-edge medical, pharmaceutical, and biotechnological research.

The Berlin Center for Gene and Cell Therapies, currently under development, represents a visible nucleus of the close cooperation between Bayer and Charité and thus also of the new Zukunftsort location. Funded by the federal and state governments, including as part of the National Strategy for Gene and Cell-Based Therapies, it will serve as a development and production site for a multitude of startups following its planned opening in 2028. Furthermore, it will be an essential component of the innovation ecosystem.
The Bayer Co.Lab Berlin is already part of the ecosystem at the Bayer site and offers direct access to expertise in research and development, manufacturing, regulatory affairs, medicine, and other fields. It links state-of-the-art technical facilities with access to global expertise. Innovative biotech startups such as Cellbricks GmbH and BlueRock Therapeutics are already located on the campus. The startup MyoPax is a spin-off from the Max Delbrück Center and Charité.

A boost for the Berlin-Brandenburg health region

The new Health Innovation Quarter further strengthens Berlin-Brandenburg as a health hub. Together with the existing Zukunftsort locations Campus Buch and Berlin Südwest, it forms a strong innovation axis. As an international beacon, it makes sustainable contributions to life-saving innovations, a high level of startup activity, industrial value creation, and highly skilled jobs.

Links

Information | CGT Berlin
Standort Berlin | Bayer Deutschland