The InnovationsArea gives new companies a platform for presenting business ideas, introducing products and making contacts - at attractive rates to make the fair a success for first-time exhibitors
Recently founded biotechnology and chemical companies play an important role in the transfer of technology between the scientific and commercial sectors.
As a leading international trade fair for analysis, laboratory technology and biotechnology, Analytica 2008, which is being held in Munich on 1-4 April 2008, will actively support this process with a new exhibition sector.
Start-ups such as subsidiaries of companies and research institutes or spin-offs of colleges and universities are forces that drive innovations in the high-tech sector: They take research results to market and, in doing so, are an important source of momentum for their economic use.
Biotechnology and the life sciences are prime examples at analytica, but this also applies to modern disciplines related to chemistry such as nanotechnology, microprocessing techniques and lab-on-chip solutions.
Experts agree that new, small companies have a definite influence on research and development.
This is also supported by the statistics.
Most companies are small in size: more than 88percent of all companies employ fewer than 50 people, and nearly half of them (40percent) only have one to nine employees.
And most companies are new: At the end of 2005, the average age was just 6.9 years.
In the biotech sector, their numbers grow by a few dozen companies each year.
That also applies to nanotechnology, an interdisciplinary technology that draws from the field of chemistry, among others.
During the last ten years, more than 200 new start-up companies have been founded in this sector alone.
Analytica 2008 to feature a separate exhibition sector for start-ups.
As a leading international trade fair for analysis, laboratory technology and biotechnology, Analytica will take the importance of new companies into account by giving them their own exhibition sector in 2008: the InnovationsArea in Hall B2 will address new companies in these sectors and give start-ups and spin-offs their own compact presentation platform.
Besides new biotech and life-science companies, start-ups in the nano-chemistry, microreaction technology and bioinformatics sectors are invited to come and present their innovations, products, services and business ideas to a broad-based audience of German and international professionals.
The InnovationsArea is more than just an exhibition cluster intended to adequately present the innovative strength of these new companies.
It will be rounded out by an InnovationsForum and, besides exhibition space and stand offers, includes a number of professional exhibition marketing and communication services at attractive rates.
The InnovationsForum will inform visitors about the latest developments in analysis, laboratory technology, biotechnology and laboratory diagnostics on each day of the fair and serve as a platform for discussions and lectures on future technologies and research trends.
However, it will also feature information for start-ups such as funding opportunities and other relevant topics for new companies.
Everything from a single source: space, stands and promotional services As a result, the InnovationsArea will help exhibitors, visitors and potential business partners establish personal contacts.
Hans-Joachim Heusler, managing director at Munich International Trade Fairs, explains the new concept: "New companies get everything they need to make their first exhibit cost-effective and efficient, and it all comes from a single source.
"We also support their exhibits with an entire range of services based on Analytica's many years of exhibition and communication experience".
To qualify as a start-up for the InnovationsArea, companies may not be more than five years old and may have no more than 15 employees.
Bioregions, innovation centres, business incubators, research institutes, universities and government-subsidised joint exhibits will round out the InnovationsArea, making it an interesting visitor attraction at Analytica 2008.
"By establishing this new exhibition sector, Analytica 2008 is underscoring the great importance of university research to the innovative strength of the entire industry and giving these new, dynamic companies a platform for business success at the international level," explains Hans-Joachim Heusler.
Analytica a candidate in economic ministry's development programme.
By establishing the new InnovationsArea, Analytica 2008 is also following another recent trend, ie, economic programmes that promote the development of new, innovative companies.
Just last autumn, the German ministry of education and research established its Go-Bio competition, which is designed to encourage scientists to found their own biotech companies and market their research projects commercially, and to support this process financially.
At the end of January 2007, the ministry for economics and technology launched a development programme to help new companies participate in leading trade shows in Germany.
It begins in June 2007 and is supposed to promote the marketing and export of products and techniques developed by these companies by helping them participate in exhibitions.
The shows involved in the programme between now and the end of 2007 have already been identified, and the exhibitions for 2008 are currently being selected.
Analytica 2008 is a candidate for the promotion programme, and a decision is expected in the early summer.
If the decision is favourable, additional details will follow.
