Bildnachweis: alisaaa – stock.adobe.com, Sebastian – stock.adobe.com.
SPRIND, Germany’s Federal Agency for Disruptive Innovation, is dedicated to finding answers to societal challenges of our era by advancing technologies that tangibly and sustainably enhance our lives. How does SPRIND achieve this ambitious goal? We had a conversation with Dr Patrick P. Rose, Innovation Manager at SPRIND.
Plattform Life Sciences: Dr Rose, SPRIND is on the lookout for „game-changing innovations for our time“. Could you elaborate on this?
Dr Patrick Rose: We’re talking about revolutionary technologies that spawn products previously unknown ord deemed unnecessary. Examples include smartphones or microwaves, born from timely, serendipitous discoveries that transformed our lives. SPRIND comprises a team of serendipity engineers who support innovators in bringing such breakthroughs to life. This means providing a platform where even the most unlikely ideas can flourish and where lucky or fortunate coincidences aren’t overlooked. SPRIND is just such a place. But this takes courage, as there’s always a risk of failure. Our philosophy is thus: „It’s better to try and learn from our mistakes than to live with regret.“ We seek out outside-the-box thinkers who aren’t deterred in developing their innovative ideas, even by current technological limits.
Is there no pressure to commercialise ideas at SPRIND?
Our mission involves commercialising technologies and prototypes that might not otherwise see the light of day. To uncover such groundbreaking prototypes or products, we think beyound conventional boundaries and seek solutions for contempory problems. Take biomanufacturing, for instance. Achieving a truly circular economy necessitates an end-to-end restructuring of existing manufacturing sectors, integrating novel strategies like bio-based manufacturing. Synthetic biology is pivotal here, enabling biomanufacturing to be an economically viable solution for a circular economy. In involves engineering biology to transform organic and inorganic waste into new products such as feed, food or industrial materials using microbes. Biomanufacturing not only allows us to repurpose waste and create locally self-sufficient industries but also to reimagine manufacturing. By this I mean we want to foster the establishment of local manufacturing hubs where regional inputs can be converted locally into new materials, without having to source or refine raw materials from far away. The first step is to support innovators who can prove their ideas‘ feasibility. The Circular Biomanufacturing Challenge ist designed to highlight different approaches in this area that could offer solutions and foster new markets for a circular economy.
How do you plan to achieve this goal?
The eight teams selected for this competition have specific objectives to achieve an end-to-end biomanufacturing concept. They need to repurpose three waste streams using continuous fermentation processes and produce a variety of high-demand, low-value products essential for a resilient economy. The goal is to avoid high-value, niche markets and create cost-effective products, integrating advancements in additive manufacturing.
What strategies are you implementing to spur innovation and attract new investment partners?
Our return on investment is measured in impact, not financial gain. The SPRIND Challenges, spanning three years, offer up to EUR 6 m in funding for up to four teams. Each year, up to wo teams that don’t meet the requirements may be phased out. While wes et ambitious milestones, we give teams considerable freedom and support to innovate boldly and creatively within the Challenge. Annual reviews determine which teams we continue to support. We believe in the potential of ideas thas might need multiple iterations to change the world. The SPRIND Freedom Act recently passed in Germany facilitates long-term idea development without the immediate need to seek additional investors. However, we are introducing our teams tot he public and investors over several years, like at the SPRIND Venture Vision Event, to demonstrate the economic viability of their visionary ideas. Our goal is to reduce the risk of these radical innovations until the market adopts them. SPRIND’s role is not to advance non-mainstream innovations.
Does this mean that SPRIND won’t share in any subsequent success?
Though a limited company under German federal ownership, we have considerable freedom and opportunities for action. Investors collaborating with us get an early look at potential breakthroughs and can follow our efforts from day one. Their return on investment consists in new opportunities to engange with companies poised to make a significant impact. We also have the capacitiy to patiently develop products and prototypes that might not be immediately market-ready. For instance, we can establish subsidiaries allowing investor participation. Currently, there are 13 such subsidiaries. The new law also provides us with more equitiy capital.
What strategies is SPRIND pursuing to keep the innovations it promotes in Germany?
SPRIND’s vision is to empower German innovators by providing a platform for realizing their radically new ideas. In doing so, SPRING becomesa preferred partner and valuable collaborator, helping create globally successful companies. We also showcase Germany as a fertile ground for innovation, attracting top talent to develop groundbreaking ideas here, thus promoting Germany as leading innovation hub. Innovators working with us align with our core values vor bettering society and the world. Wether from Germany or abroad, if someone aims to make a significant positive change, SPRIND is the place to be. Our focus on the technologies themselves, not their geographic location. Our legacy will be how we, as an institution and partner of choice, facilitated change in Germany, the EU and globally through our radical ideas to make the world a better place. Building an ecosystem here ensures innovators can achieve exactly that. SPRIND’s objective is to position Germany as an innovation and start-up friendly nation. To sustain this vision, we need a cultural shift. We want to break away from Germany’s traditional cautious attitude – of reflexively „say no to everything first“ – and act as catalysts for a mindset change. We hope this will propel us light years ahead, not just a few kilometres.
Dr Rose, thank you very much for the interview.
The interview was conducted by Urs Moesenfechtel.
This article was published in the current Plattform Life Sciences issue „Circular Bioeconomy 4_23“, which you can view as an e-magazine via the following link:
https://www.goingpublic.de/wp-content/uploads/epaper/epaper-Life-Sciences-4-2023/#58
Autor/Autorin
Dr Patrick P. Rose
Dr Patrick P. Rose is an Innovation Manager at the German Federal Agency for Disruptive Innovation, SPRIND. Since December 2022, he has been building an investment portfolio with an emphasis on biotechnology. Previously, Patrick was the inaugural Science Director (later he was named Chief Scientist) for Synthetic Biology at the United States Office of Naval Research Global (ONRG), where he built the first synthetic biology-focused global investment portfolio in early research. While working for ONRG, he was also selected to be the inaugural Program Manager for the United States Department of Defense Bioindustrial Manufacturing Innovation Institute; later selected to be BioMADE. Patrick holds a PhD in microbiology from Oregon Health & Science University and is an inaugural alumnus of the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security Emerging Leaders in Biosecurity Program.
