Following-on from the 2004, 2008 and 2012 editions, the Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Northern Germany held a conference about regional biotechnology. The meeting gathered more than 60 participants from basic and applied sciences to industry and public administration. They analysed the state of the art in biotech development and its impact on the regional economy. The conference focused on financing, industrial biotechnology, medical biotech and diagnoctics, as well as on biotechnology 4.0 – an indispensable tool for new and innovative services and products. The conference was supported by the north German BioRegions Life Science Nord Management GmbH Hamburg and BioCon Valley GmbH, Greifswald-Rostock.