A little over a year after its founding, the members of the Future Cluster Nanodiag BW met for the annual cluster conference in Freiburg. The two days, from 25th to 26th June 2024, were marked by intensive exchange and further strengthening of the network in the spirit of an open innovation culture. Members gave brief presentations on the progress they have made in their respective research and development areas for the cluster and outlined the next steps.
The meeting began with an inspiring keynote by John J. Kasianowicz from the University of South Florida, Tampa (USA), titled: “The Basis for the Detection, Characterisation, and Identification of Single Molecules Using Nanopores and Another Example of Why Theory and Simulation Need an Experimental Foundation”—a perfect introduction to the subsequent scientific discussions.
“The progress reports from our members and the intense discussions at the cluster conference show that the cluster has had a very successful first year: The foundation has been laid, the work is progressing with high intensity, and the networking between the various disciplines and institutions is improving steadily. The outlook is promising that we can achieve our ambitious goal of establishing innovative nanopore technology methods in the healthcare sector. The challenges are significant, but over these two days we have once again witnessed the immense potential that our partners bring to our network.”
The programme also included a start-up panel, where several start-ups from the cluster’s environment had the opportunity to present themselves. With input from Bettina Möckel (Qiagen) and Thurid Gspann (Start-up Office of the University of Freiburg) and discussions with experienced entrepreneurs, researchers were encouraged to initiate spin-offs and cooperate with the business sector. Supporting spin-offs is one of the goals of the Clusters4Future initiative, of which Nanodiag BW is a part.
In a workshop designed and conducted by the Steinbeis Europe Center, participants developed ideas on how to further improve collaboration within the cluster and how to organise the work of the individual projects more effectively. The results of the innovation dialogue will be incorporated into further planning and preparations for the second implementation phase, which is set to begin in 2026.
