70 years, 70 voices: Dr. Lorenz Mayr

Dr. Lorenz Mayr

CEO, Vector BioPharma AG, Basel/Switzerland

Chair of the advisory board of Fraunhofer IGB

“Every day, we are very much aware of how much technology is intertwined with biology and nature, how these elements depend on each other and how much they can complement and mutually stimulate each other.“

The role of the IGB in the development of bioeconomy

Dear friends, affiliates and guests of Fraunhofer IGB,
Dear employees of Fraunhofer IGB,

I am addressing you today on behalf of the advisory board and wish to express my sincere gratitude to all employees at the Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology IGB for another successful year full of technological, scientific and organizational highlights. Working with purpose, the institute has successfully developed towards its objective: “We combine biology and engineering”.

We are currently seeing a number of significant political, economic and environmental changes, both nationally and internationally, and we need to address these challenges in a timely, expeditious, successful and sustained manner in order to secure prosperity for our society in the long term, to further enhance quality of life and to ensure the sustainability of the economy for ourselves and future generations. This requires systematic rethinking of economic processes and significant investment in state-of-the-art technologies, with the aim of quickly and successfully achieving the economic and ecological goals set by society. Every day, we are very much aware of how much technology is intertwined with biology and nature, how these elements depend on each other and how much they can complement and mutually stimulate each other. In my opinion, there is hardly any better place within the whole Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft than Fraunhofer IGB with its dedicated people, its advanced technologies and its clear strategy to address these enormous challenges.

Together with my colleagues at the advisory board and coming from the worlds of business, academia and politics, I have had the pleasure and privilege of accompanying Fraunhofer IGB in its activities throughout the course of the last year. The advisory board was delighted to take on this task, and we have thoroughly enjoyed following theses various innovation projects in the fields of health, sustainable chemistry and environment, bringing our external perspective to the table, attempting to contribute new ideas and establishing new contacts with industry. In discussions with representatives from the various fields of innovation, we have witnessed great enthusiasm by everyone involved for achieving successful results on these highly relevant topics at Fraunhofer IGB and for contributing towards a better future. 

I wish Fraunhofer IGB all the best for the future and every success in its activities in combining biology and engineering.

Best regards,

Lorenz Mayr

“In discussions with representatives from the various fields of innovation, we have witnessed great enthusiasm by everyone involved ...

... for achieving successful results on these highly relevant topics at Fraunhofer IGB and for contributing towards a better future.“


Lorenz Mayr