Mainz is an important location in the field of biotechnology. Many companies, institutes, and public institutions such as the university and the university medical center are successfully working in this segment. The breakthrough of BioNtech in particular has given this industry and Mainz as a location a major boost. In order to build on this success and create development prospects, a strategy must be developed to establish Mainz as a biotechnology location. Due to the complexity of establishing Mainz as a biotechnology location, a multi-stage approach with partly parallel and increasingly concrete courses of action is recommended.

When developing an urban development strategy, the spatial networking of the various sub-sectors of the industry plays a major role: proximity between research, development, and application (proximity to patients) is essential for the emergence of an international biotechnology location. Many of the companies are already located in close proximity to each other in the districts of Bretzenheim and Oberstadt, in the immediate vicinity of the GFZ barracks, the university medical center, and the university campus.

In order to strengthen and continue the existing axis, a western extension of the biotechnology axis (GFZ barracks – University Medical Center – University) towards the A 60 motorway is a logical step. This will create a biotechnology axis that closely links research, development, and application. The proximity to the city center with its cultural and leisure facilities, the excellent transport links, and the surrounding recreational areas contribute to the attractiveness of this location. The urban development strategy plan was coordinated and further developed internally by the city and supplemented with a detailed plan.

In order to involve the public at an early stage, a public information event was held on July 12, 2022, at which the urban development strategy was presented and participants had the opportunity to submit suggestions. The participation notice is available for download. During the public information session held on July 12, 2022, numerous suggestions were made regarding the competition, which were incorporated into the competition. These include, among other things, greening the area, high-quality open spaces, and measures for climate protection and climate adaptation. The competition was also coordinated with the relevant specialist departments and agencies and will be submitted to the city council for a decision.

Objective and procedure

In a next step, an international competition was held for the area west of the university extension site in order to gather ideas on how the biotechnology location could be designed. The aim of the competition was to show how a sustainable and innovative district could be created. The minimal impact on cold air currents was examined via a microclimatic assessment accompanying the competition. In addition, a district could be created that connects the various functions and creates high-quality open spaces for the district and the surrounding area. The competition announcement and the implementation of the competition were decided by the city council on November 30, 2022.