Health and Life Sciences

Cologne: a healthcare success story

Cologne is both a leading national and international location in the sphere of Health and Life Sciences. From biotechnology and medical technology to digital health, Cologne's 200 or so healthcare companies are crucibles for innovation and growth in a sector that is changing fast due to demographic changes and increasing health awareness in society. Cologne’s leading international healthcare companies include Miltenyi Biotec, Bayer and Lonza and the region is home to approximately 60 startups and scaleups, that are drivers of future-focused solutions.

200 Companies

80000 Employees

6.5 bil Euros revenue/year

An innovative company like Monrol is always looking for partners who act quickly and future-oriented in a dynamic environment. We are happy and grateful to have found such partners in the city of Cologne and in KölnBusiness. Cologne as a healthcare location and the surroundings rich in top-class scientific institutions are ideal conditions to fulfil Monrol’s mission in the service of patient health. Monrol’s high-end research and production will surely continue to develop very positively in Cologne.

Aydin Kücük, CEO, Monrol

Dr Karl Clasen, managing director, Lonza Cologne

For a research-based company like Lonza Cologne, the location of Cologne is nearly ideal: We have a high density of universities, research institutes and many other biotechnology companies here with whom we exchange ideas. In addition, Cologne is very attractive with its diverse culture, shopping and residential opportunities. Our employees like living here, and for applicants the city is a real attraction.

Dr Karl Clasen, managing director, Lonza Cologne

Manuel Mandler, founder and CEO, alley – VBMC ValueBasedManagedCare GmbH

For us, Cologne is the perfect location because we are close to our partners in medicine and healthcare in the Rhineland. In addition, many creatives and innovators come together here. Together, we have exactly the right environment to break new ground as an e-health startup.

Manuel Mandler, founder and CEO, alley – VBMC ValueBasedManagedCare GmbH

As a digital healthcare pioneer, Cologne is the ideal location for us. We can collaborate here with the numerous large university hospitals in the region and jointly develop new innovations for the digital healthcare of the future. The location is highly attractive for well-trained specialists – also because international talents feel at home in a cosmopolitan city like Cologne.

Admir Kulin, founder and CEO, m.Doc

Dr Rupprecht Milojcic, managing director, damedic

The great connections throughout Europe as well as the good location in the centre of the Rhineland, linked to all the universities from Düsseldorf to Aachen and Bonn to Koblenz, make Cologne very attractive as a business location. The people of Cologne don't take things too seriously, so life is always peppered with smiles. That stains on the corporate culture.

Dr Rupprecht Milojcic, managing director, damedic

A lighthouse for medical professionals

With around 80,000 employees, the healthcare industry is the second largest sector in Cologne, generating a staggering 6.5 billion Euros each year. The sector is supported by excellent infrastructure as well as high population density and a good quality of life in the metropolitan area. The city not only attracts industry specialists, but it also provides them with opportunities for further career development and training in its renowned science and research establishments.

Cologne’s powerful research network

Cutting edge research is carried out in Cologne’s Health and Life Sciences sector at ten internationally recognised universities, around 40 hospitals and clinics, as well as three Max Planck Institutes. This know-how is directly passed on to students. In addition, technology centres such as BioCampus Cologne and RTZ Köln give startups, SMEs and corporations enough space for interdisciplinary cooperation and ideas exchange. A number of industry networks are also based here: BioRiver – Life Science in the Rhineland, Digital Health Germany, BioCologne and Gesundheitsregion KölnBonn; as well as federal authorities such as the Federal Centre for Health Education (BZgA) and the Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices (BfArM). Being one of the most relevant international trade fair cities, Cologne is the location for a number of congresses in the field of Health and Life Sciences: from the Health 4.0 Innovation Congress to PerMediCon and the Health Congress of the West.