Sometimes just one small pill can save lives. Or alleviate pain. That is why most innovations come from the pharmaceutical industry. Bayer AG, based in Leverkusen, is especially innovative in this field. In 1899 it produced the pill that would later become the world’s most popular painkiller. In addition to the many other medical advances it has brought about, the corporation from North Rhine-Westphalia now continues to demonstrate its innovative ability with research achievements in the fields of cancer treatment and thrombosis prevention, for example. Bayer is one of more than 50 pharmaceutical companies located in North Rhine-Westphalia. The federal state is also home to nearly 50 technology centers and around 60 external college research centers, making it the region with the densest research network in Europe. It therefore offers the best conditions for scientific excellence
of any kind.