Berlin Institute of Health

What Berlin Institute of Health does

The Berlin Institute of Health (BIH) at Charité is a public research institution (Körperschaft des öffentlichen Rechts) founded in 2013/legally constituted in 2015, headquartered in Berlin, Germany. Its mission is medical translation — converting biomedical research discoveries into clinical applications and treatments for patients. BIH operates as the translational bridge between Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin (one of Europe's largest university hospitals) and the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC), providing funding programs, mentoring, regulatory support, and commercialization pathways to academic researchers.

BIH's offerings span funding programs (SPARK-BIH with grants up to and beyond €50,000), innovation accelerators (Digital Health Accelerator, which has produced 18+ spin-offs since 2017 including aignostics, mTOMADY, TimeTeller, PreFree, and ida), the GeneNovate entrepreneurship programme for gene and cell therapies, and dedicated research centers including the BIH Center for Regenerative Therapies (BCRT), QUEST Center for Responsible Research, Center of Digital Health, Center of Health Data Sciences, and Center of Genomic Medicine. Career development is delivered through the Biomedical Innovation Academy via Clinician Scientist Programs (CSP, DCSP, and the new proHealth track). Major infrastructure includes the Berlin Center for Gene and Cell Therapies (under construction, expected 2028), a joint venture with Charité and Bayer AG.

BIH's business model is primarily non-commercial: it is funded by the German federal government (BMBF/BMFTR) and the State of Berlin, supplemented by competitive grants (DFG, BMBF project funding), industry partnerships (Bayer AG, Sanofi), foundation support (Stiftung Charité), and technology transfer revenue through Charité BIH Innovation via licensing and spin-off formation. The institute coordinates Germany's National Strategy for Gene and Cell Therapies, giving it national-level policy influence. Revenue is not publicly disclosed.

Name

Berlin Institute of Health

Legal name

Berliner Institut für Gesundheitsforschung in der Charité (Berlin Institute of Health at Charité)

Website

https://bihealth.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

The Berlin Institute of Health (BIH) is a publicly funded translational research institute at Charité in Berlin, Germany, that converts biomedical discoveries into clinical applications through funding programs, accelerators, and research centers. It serves academic researchers, clinicians, spin-off startups, and patients with rare diseases and cancer.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Berlin

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Public Research Funding: As a public research institute (partially integrated into Charité, a public law corporation), BIH receives core funding from federal government (BMBF) and state of Berlin. Major project funding includes BMBF grants for programs like proHealth (nearly 8 million EUR over 10 years) and National Strategy for Gene and Cell Therapies coordination.
2. Technology Transfer Revenue: Revenue generated through licensing of intellectual property, spin-off companies, and commercialization partnerships facilitated by Charité BIH Innovation. SPARK-BIH and Digital Health Accelerator programs support translation toward market via licensing or company founding.
3. Collaboration and Partnership Funding: Industry partnerships and collaborations, including support from Bayer AG for the Berlin Center for Gene and Cell Therapies. Events like GeneNovate Investors' Day connect startups with investors and industry partners.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

BIH is a public translational research institute that bridges basic biomedical research at MDC and clinical research at Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin. It operates a portfolio of funding programs (SPARK-BIH), accelerators (Digital Health Accelerator), entrepreneurship programs (GeneNovate), career development academies, and specialized research centers that translate scientific discoveries into therapies, diagnostics, and digital health solutions.

Product overview

Berlin Institute of Health (BIH) at Charité is a translational research institution focused on converting biomedical research findings into medical applications for patients. Rather than a single commercial product, BIH operates as a platform of interconnected programs, research centers, and innovation support services. The core offerings include: SPARK-BIH (translational funding for therapies, diagnostics, and medical devices), the BIH Digital Health Accelerator (digital health solutions via spin-off or licensing), and the GeneNovate programme (entrepreneurship for gene and cell therapies including the Investors' Day event). Research is conducted through specialized centers including the BIH Center for Regenerative Therapies (BCRT), QUEST Center (responsible research), Center of Digital Health, and Center of Health Data Sciences. Career development is supported through clinician scientist programs (CSP, DCSP, ACSP proHealth) managed by the BIH Biomedical Innovation Academy (BIA). Notable infrastructure includes the Berlin Center for Gene and Cell Therapies (opening 2028), a joint project with Charité and Bayer AG, and software tools like ovrlpy for spatial transcriptomics quality control.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Digital Health Accelerator (DHA): Program that funds, guides and supports Charité/BIH clinicians and researchers to turn concepts into digital health solutions via licensing or spin-off
• SPARK-BIH
• QUEST Center
• GeneNovate
• BIH Biomedical Innovation Academy (BIA)
• GeneNovate Investors' Day

Products and services

• SPARK-BIH Translational funding program providing grants (Track 1 up to €50,000, Track 2 above €50,000), education, mentoring, and entrepreneurship support to help researchers develop novel therapies, preventives, medical devices, and diagnostics, and move them toward clinical application or commercialization.
• BIH Digital Health Accelerator (DHA) Program that funds, guides, and supports Charité/BIH clinicians and researchers to turn concepts and research results into digital health solutions for patients and healthcare systems via licensing or spin-off. Supports AI/ML, robotics, sensors, XR, clinical decision support, in-silico and in-vitro diagnostics, and digital therapeutics.
• GeneNovate Entrepreneurship Programme Six-month entrepreneurship curriculum covering Business Models, IP Protection, Regulation, Go to Market, Legal Foundations, Team & Project Management, Finance & Funding, and Exit Options, preparing researchers and scientists for company founding in gene and cell therapies.
• GeneNovate Investors' Day Annual networking platform connecting gene and cell therapy startups with investors, industry leaders, and policymakers to accelerate translation of advanced therapy research.
• BIH Biomedical Innovation Academy (BIA) Academy offering career-phase-focused programs including doctoral scholarships and clinician scientist programs; serves as a strategic personnel development think tank for biomedicine and new models of academic innovation.
• BIH Charité Clinician Scientist Program (CSP) Structured career path enabling physicians at Charité to pursue specialized clinical training alongside protected dedicated research time at BIH.
• BIH Charité Digital Clinician Scientist Program (DCSP) Digital-focused variant of the CSP for physicians with projects in computational medicine including AI, machine learning, digital imaging, modeling, big data, bioinformatics, and extended reality.
• Berlin Advanced Clinician Scientist Program proHealth (ACSP proHealth) Career development program for advanced clinician scientists focused on prevention research; funded by BMFTR with approximately €8 million over ten years, supporting four positions with 0.3–0.5 full-time equivalents and a research budget.
• ovrlpy Quality control software tool for spatial transcriptomics that detects hidden errors in complex tissue analyses by identifying cell overlaps and folds in tissue sections.

Quantifiable outcome

• 22 translational projects funded with €9.5 million across 13 German cities through SPARK-BIH
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

AI capability8 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship, minor and major.

• Charité – Universitätsmedizin BerlincoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 September 2025BIH is the translational research unit of Charité. Charité provides clinical infrastructure, patient access, and research personnel. Joint programs include Clinician Scientist Programs, SPARK-BIH, Digital Health Accelerator, and Berlin Center for Gene and Cell Therapies.
• Bayer AGflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 September 2025Bayer AG leads the Berlin Center for Gene and Cell Therapies project with Charité and BIH. The center will provide space for 15-20 biotech startups and a GMP production facility for gene and cell therapeutics up to clinical phase II. Largely funded by federal government and state of Berlin, positioning Berlin as a leading hub for gene and cell therapy development.
• SanofiflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 October 2017Comprehensive R&D cooperation agreement signed in 2017 between BIH, Charité, MDC, and Sanofi to accelerate development of novel therapies. Partnership leverages academic research excellence with industry drug development expertise.
• Startupbootcamp Digital HealthminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 19 September 2017Partnership established in 2017 for collaboration on BIH's startup accelerator program in Berlin. Leveraged Startupbootcamp's global accelerator network and expertise.
• Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMDC is a founding member of BIH alongside Charité. BIH serves as translational bridge connecting MDC's basic Helmholtz research with Charité's clinical research. Shared research projects and joint appointments strengthen biomedical research ecosystem in Berlin.
• Queen Mary University of London (Precision Healthcare University Research Institute)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational research collaboration leading world's largest study on genetics of blood proteins with 118 investigators from 89 institutions. Demonstrates BIH's capacity to coordinate large-scale international genomics research.
• GeneNovate Consortium PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGeneNovate national entrepreneurship program involves: Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, University Medical Centre Mainz, Life Science Zentrum Mainz GmbH, TUM Technical University Munich, TUM Venture Labs Healthcare, and UnternehmerTUM. Coordinated by National Network Office for Gene and Cell Therapies.
• Digital Health Accelerator Ecosystem PartnerscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerDHA operates with ecosystem of industry partners, hospital partners, mentors, and investors. Supports spin-offs including aignostics, mTOMADY, TimeTeller, PreFree, and ida with product development, licensing, and funding pathways.
• Messe BerlinmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-organizer of bio:cap Life Science & AI Investival alongside Charité, BIH as conceptual sponsor, and Hasso Plattner Institute. Breaks traditional industry boundaries connecting investors, startups, researchers with pharma, AI players, and policymakers.
• Hasso Plattner Institute (HPI)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerConceptual sponsor for bio:cap Life Science & AI Investival. Contributes to connecting life sciences with digital/AI innovation ecosystem in Berlin.
• Bayer Co.Lab BerlinmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSponsor and partner for GeneNovate Investors' Day events. Represents Bayer's commitment to Berlin's gene and cell therapy ecosystem through Co.Lab Berlin incubator.
• Bio DeutschlandminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartner organization for GeneNovate Investors' Day and co-organizer of Biotech Finanz-Gipfel 2026. German biotech industry association supporting networking and policy dialogue.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Francis Crick Institute: UK-based biomedical discovery institute focused on translating research into clinical impact. Comparable to BIH as a publicly funded translational research institute that bridges basic science and clinical application, with structured training and industry partnership programs.
• Wellcome Sanger Institute: Genomic and translational research institute with strong industry spin-out activity. Comparable to BIH for its genomics-driven biomedical research and commercialization pathways (e.g., via Wellcome Sanger's spin-out portfolio).
• Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard: Non-profit biomedical and genomic research institute that translates discoveries into therapies and diagnostics. Comparable to BIH in its translational mission spanning genomics, chemical biology, and disease research with strong industry collaboration.
• German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ): Germany's largest biomedical research institute focused on cancer, with strong translational programs and technology transfer. Comparable to BIH as a public German translational research center with a national mandate and significant grant funding base.
• Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC): BIH's own founding partner institution within the Helmholtz Association. Directly comparable as a Berlin-based molecular medicine research center whose basic research is translated through the BIH partnership.
• Allen Institute: Non-profit medical research organization translating large-scale science into clinical applications. Comparable to BIH for its mission-driven biomedical research, structured programs, and emphasis on open science and translational outputs.
• European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL): Intergovernmental research organization for molecular life sciences. Comparable to BIH for its publicly funded basic-to-translational life sciences research, training programs, and technology transfer infrastructure.
• Babraham Institute: UK public research institute focused on signaling, epigenetics, and immunology with commercial translation pathways (e.g., Babraham Research Campus). Comparable to BIH for its public funding model, translational mission, and biotech incubation ecosystem.

Broad incumbents

• Karolinska Institutet: Sweden's leading medical university with extensive translational research, clinical trial infrastructure, and innovation/spin-off programs. Comparable to BIH for its translational medicine mission and academic-clinical integration, though much larger in scale.

Emerging players

• BioInnovation Institute (BII): Denmark-based non-profit incubator for life science startups with translational programs. Comparable to BIH's Digital Health Accelerator and GeneNovate as a translational-to-commercialization platform, though more focused on venture creation.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/berlinnovation
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCnmW6qNJTrKup6sZp0HTgOg
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/berlin-institute-of-health
• Instagraminstagram.com/berlininstituteofhealth

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Subsidiaries5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Berlin Institute of Health