Futurology in Cologne

Future proofed. In the coming years, Cologne aims to further strengthen its position as a leading science city. Health & Life Sciences are among the city’s key fields of the future. Around 2,200 companies in the healthcare sector and internationally active players such as Miltenyi Biotec, Bayer and Lonza shape the location.

A key driver of development is BioCampus Cologne in Cologne-Bocklemünd. The BCC is already one of Germany’s largest technology parks, offering an ideal environment for innovative technology companies across more than 25 hectares. By expanding its infrastructure, Cologne is responding to the growing demand for modern laboratory space and creating room for further innovation. By 2030, the Rhine metropolis will invest more than €100 million in the project.

The biotech start-up Phagestack demonstrates how new research ideas are developed into concrete technologies here. In 2026, the company moved into its own laboratory at BioCampus and is working on new approaches to tackling antibiotic resistance. To this end, the team combines machine learning with research into bacteriophages—viruses that can specifically target certain bacteria. The goal is to advance the development of tailored phage-based therapies.

Further momentum is being generated by the Shared Lab for Life Sciences, opened by Gateway Factory in 2026. The flexible laboratory infrastructure makes it easier for start-ups to enter the field of research and creates the conditions for further growth. At the same time, BioCampus is planning two new laboratory buildings. In this way, Cologne connects scientific expertise, entrepreneurial spirit and established companies—strengthening the transfer of research into commercial application.

In the science podcast “Eine Runde mit …” by the German Sport University Cologne, researchers offer insights into their work and explain what their findings mean for our everyday lives. Whether strength training, sleep, the microbiome or sports myths—this is where sound research meets personal conversations and surprising perspectives.

 

The University of Cologne has also successfully established new research networks.
In the oncology network CANTAR (CANcer TARgeting), researchers from chemistry, biology and medicine collaborate in a way that is unique across Europe. The focus is on developing new active substances designed to intervene specifically in the biological processes of cancer cells while sparing healthy tissue as far as possible. Among other areas, the researchers investigate which molecular signalling pathways drive tumour growth, how cancer cells evade detection by the immune system, how tumour cells can be made more visible to the body’s own immune defences, and how cancer-related metabolic processes can be therapeutically influenced. CANTAR thus connects basic research with the development of potential new therapies.