BioRiver works for the life sciences industry in the German Rhineland region. Founded in 2004 the BioRiver association is an independent and industry driven organisation. The river Rhine gave its name to BioRiver, the cities of Cologne and Düsseldorf are the centers and the economic hubs of the BioRiver region. The universities of Aken, Bonn, Cologne and Düsseldorf have been origin for countless biotech spin-offs. The industry giants Qiagen and Miltenyi Biotec are among these academic spin-offs, too. Both organisation are strongly committed to BioRiver by their engagement in the executive board.