
Roche Diagnostics GmbH
Roche and THE LÄND share a success story spanning many years
Swiss healthcare company Roche has a pioneering role in the research, development and manufacturing of innovative drugs, diagnostic tests and digital technologies. In this interview, Dr. Claudia Fleischer, Managing Director of Roche Diagnostics GmbH, explains how Baden-Württemberg as a business location has contributed to this success.
Mannheim is the third-largest Roche location globally, and Roche works for patients all over the world from this location. What are the key factors, past and present, for Roche’s success in Baden-Württemberg?
Dr. Claudia Fleischer: Our location in Mannheim has a history of more than 150 years, with a constant focus on innovation and state-of-the-art technology. For example, our outstanding staff in Mannheim develop diagnostic products for people with diabetes or cardiovascular diseases and produce life-lengthening cancer drugs and important in-vitro diagnostic devices that are subsequently dispatched from Mannheim to 170 countries around the globe.
The success of Roche in Baden-Württemberg is due partly to the fact that Mannheim and its surroundings have a great infrastructure, a high quality of life and excellent connections to international transport hubs. We also appreciate the regional ecosystem in the Rhine-Neckar metropolitan region. It plays a major role in the success and the growth of Roche in Mannheim. There are vast opportunities for networking and collaborating with various stakeholders and institutions, and this offers lots of potential. For example, we can work closely with high-ranking universities and research institutions such as Heidelberg University and the University of Mannheim. This gives us access to the latest scientific insights and to highly qualified staff.
What do you feel are the advantages of Baden-Württemberg for companies in the healthcare and medical technology sectors in particular? What advice would you give to a company starting out in your sector that is considering locating to Baden-Württemberg?
Dr. Claudia Fleischer: The formation of clusters in the region, with a large number of biotech, pharma and tech firms, creates synergies that lead to more efficient manufacturing and development processes. There are good opportunities for strategic partnerships and alliances. This means companies like us and others can benefit from shared resources, additional knowledge and innovative ideas. Networks like BioRN and EIT Health play a key role in promoting and facilitating collaboration and knowledge sharing. There are also powerful regional initiatives and funding programs that are an additional source of funding and resources for research and development. One example alongside EIT Health is 5-HT Chemistry & Health, and both support start-ups. They also promote the development of new health solutions by connecting experts and organizations all across Europe. Not only do those programs provide financial support, they also offer access to state-of-the-art infrastructure and technological platforms.
You know what I really like about Baden-Württemberg? It’s the combination of tradition and a cosmopolitan approach. On the one hand it is a place of customs and traditional costumes that play a major role in people’s cultural and social lives, and on the other hand it has the courage to try something new and experiment. Allow yourself to be inspired by the thoroughness and the spirit of innovation that Baden-Württemberg is known for and by the highly qualified and very reliable people here. Because that’s what you need to develop innovative products and make them accessible to patients.
How important is the proximity to the universities of excellence and research institutions in the state for your recruitment?
Dr. Claudia Fleischer: Being close to universities of excellence and renowned research institutions in the region is vital for our recruiting efforts. These institutions attract talented students and scientists with up-to-date expert knowledge and innovative approaches. These are hugely valuable skills for Roche as a global health company. In an internationally competitive environment where innovative power and expert knowledge are decisive factors, this proximity allows us to remain globally competitive and recruit outstanding specialists. The quality of the people we recruit is occasionally a source of envy for our competitors.
Thanks to the close collaboration with these institutions, whether through joint research projects or through internships and final-year projects, talented young people can contribute to our company and we can give them targeted support at an early stage. One special example is our dual study program in collaboration with the Duale Hochschule Baden-Württemberg (DHBW), which has been a core part of our talent strategy since 1975 and has already produced around 1,000 successful graduates. This strategic proximity and collaboration is vital in order to continue to recruit the best people and copperfasten our position as an innovative stakeholder in the industry.
How would you like to see Baden-Württemberg develop as a location going forward?
Dr. Claudia Fleischer: Germany’s and Baden-Württemberg’s wealth is especially due to its wealth of ideas, its willingness to perform and the innovativeness of its people. And that’s why, for Baden-Württemberg as a region and a business location, I would like to see:
Firstly, the further enhancement of innovativeness and competitiveness. Because the wealth of people full of ideas, a spirit of discovery and diligence have made Baden-Württemberg one of the world’s most successful regions. Research and innovation are inextricably linked to the state and can make a major contribution to developing solutions to the challenges of an ageing society in Germany. The aim should be to set a course that will maintain wealth and social cohesion in a society that lives longer. In view of the demographic challenges, there’s no doubt that it’s also vital to keep society open to innovation, new technologies and dynamic market developments.
Education is the key to each individual being able to participate in today’s knowledge society. It’s also the basis for qualified graduates and well-trained specialist staff. That’s why I would like to see us succeed together in fully exploiting and strengthening our education potential. For example, we can get children and young people interested in the natural sciences at a young age. Programs to promote Math, Computer Science, Natural Science and Technology as subjects could play a central role. A fine example is our joint involvement with the TECHNOSEUM in Mannheim, where we are setting up an experience lab. We want to use this project to get children and young people excited about biotech and at the same time show them the varied training opportunities in scientific professions.
Thirdly, it is essential to secure a sufficient pool of well-qualified workers and specialist staff as well as entrepreneurs. This can be done through corresponding qualifications in our dual education system, by further strengthening basic and continuing training, by putting in place the framework for more women and older people in the workplace, by means of targeted intergenerational knowledge sharing, through a better work/life balance and a more international workforce.