Birgit Kerber is passionate about technology transfer and firmly believes that close interactions between industry and academia are essential for tackling today’s societal challenges. She has played a pivotal role in advancing technology transfer at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), where she has held multiple positions within EMBL Enterprise Management (EMBLEM), EMBL's technology transfer office. She currently leads business development at the European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI), overseeing initiatives like the Open Targets public-private partnership. Birgit’s expertise encompasses managing and licensing EMBL intellectual property, fostering successful industry-academia collaborations, engaging with biotech and pharma companies, and supporting spin-off ventures. She earned her biology diploma from Philipps-University Marburg and completed her PhD at the Max Planck Institute in Göttingen. Birgit is an active member of BIO Deutschland, co-chairing its Technology Transfer working group, and an alumna of St Gallen Business School, CEIPI, Boehringer Ingelheim Fonds, DFG and EMBO.