Increased safety in food production and other process applications is the goal of the joint venture that Endress+Hauser and Hahn-Schickard launched on July 22. They're establishing Endress+Hauser BioSense GmbH in Freiburg, Germany, to enable rapid, onsite molecular analyses for the detection of bacterial or viral contamination in water and beverages, genetic modifications in food or contaminated milk.
The research and development service provider Hahn-Schickard has been working closely for many years with the Department of Microsystems Engineering at the University of Freiburg to develop rapid diagnostic tests that can detect extremely small concentrations of infectious pathogens with portable instruments. The joint venture is now aiming to transfer this technology from the field of medical diagnostics to industrial process and laboratory automation applications.
During the joint venture's first few months, Endress+Hauser BioSense will operate in spaces located at the university and Hahn-Schickard. Next year, the company will move into the university’s innovation center, FRIZ, currently under construction on the campus of the Faculty of Engineering. The start-up will expand Endress+Hauser’s activities in Freiburg, where developers are already working on new sensor technologies, biosensors and Industry 4.0 solutions.
