»We Are at the Forefront of the Latest Scientific Developments« – 3 Questions for WALS Analytic Lab Services

Mr Werner, with your start-up WALS Analytic Lab Services GmbH, you offer tailor-made analytical services. In which areas of life are analytical methods essential, and how have you developed a successful business model based on this?

Analytic methods are important for many areas of our lives, even if we often don’t realise it. For example, we need analytics to check whether medicines are safe and whether food meets the quality standards we expect. At the same time, analytical methods ensure that production processes run smoothly by providing reliable data. Using our physicochemical analytical methods, we can, for example, ensure that a wall paint is always produced to the same standard and is free from impurities. Through particle characterisation, we can also determine the properties of the particles, which, amongst other things, influence the paint’s covering power. We also develop new methods to detect even the slightest differences in the chemical composition of medicines.
We offer these quality control services to companies that do not themselves have the necessary analytical capabilities, capacity or expertise. Drawing on our expertise, we can provide them with flexible and practical support – including during the product development phase. A particular focus of our company is in-line process analysis, which enables product quality to be continuously monitored right from the manufacturing process. We are committed to working closely with our customers to develop bespoke solutions and build trusting relationships.

Through your company, WALS Analytic Lab Services GmbH, you work closely with the University of Potsdam. How does this link to the academic world affect the quality of your services?

Our proximity to the University of Potsdam offers us many advantages, including access to the latest scientific expertise and state-of-the-art infrastructure. Our clients benefit from this: when dealing with complex issues, we collaborate on a project-by-project basis with researchers at the University of Potsdam. Some of the methods developed there are not yet established on the market but have already proven their worth in the academic world. The researchers benefit too, as they receive practical questions from our clients and have the opportunity to collaborate with industry partners to test and implement new methods.

I myself completed my PhD at the Institute of Chemistry at the University of Potsdam and worked there as a postdoc. This allowed me to get to know a great many research groups, professors and staff members. The other members of our team also started out at the University of Potsdam, where they built up a broad network that we are now building on. This way, we are always at the forefront of the latest scientific developments.

An increasing amount of analytical expertise is being concentrated at the Potsdam Science Park. How important is this concentration of knowledge for the innovation capacity of the science hub?

In my view, this is a very important factor. Innovation arises above all when people with different experiences, skills and perspectives engage in dialogue with one another. The Potsdam Science Park is home to a large number of companies, research institutions and specialist service providers, creating valuable opportunities for collaboration. This is also the case in the field of analytics. There are analytics companies and start-ups that use our services, as well as excellent research institutions. The fact that AGROLAB GROUP, a major analytics company, is establishing itself here is indicative of the infrastructure and appeal of the Potsdam Science Park. I hope that many more comparable flagship companies will set up here in the future – and not just in the field of analytics.

We ourselves have found excellent starting conditions here at the Potsdam Science Park, thanks to the premises and laboratories at GO:IN and the support from the site management. At the same time, the site offers young companies an opportunity to grow. Once our company has established itself, it is possible that we will build our own premises. In any case, we want to stay at Potsdam Science Park because we feel at home. This is also thanks to the open and collaborative dialogue, and the willingness to share knowledge. These are crucial prerequisites for a successful innovation hub, and it is precisely this culture that we experience here at the Potsdam Science Park every day. We cannot imagine better starting conditions.

This blog and the projects carried out by Standortmanagement Golm GmbH at the Potsdam Science Park are co-funded by the European Union and the State of Brandenburg.