Dr. Bernward Garthoff is the Biotechnology Representative for the Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, of the Biotech Cluster BIO.NRW. He studied veterinary medicine at Hannover University and joined Bayer AG in 1976. In the Pharmaceuticals Business Group he held a variety of major positions in research and development, in Germany as well as in the U.S; these were especially concerning the cardiovascular and biotechnology area. In 1994, Dr. Garthoff joined the top management of Bayer’s Crop Protection Business Group. He has managed the integration process associated with the acquisition of Aventis CropScience and was until recently member of the Board of Management of Bayer CropScience AG. He has also been chairman of the German Association of Biotechnology Industries (DIB), as well as a member of the Private Sector Committee of CGIAR (World Bank) and a member of the EuropaBio Board, its Treasurer and Chairman of the AgriFood Council of EuropaBio.