In 2007, under the aegis of the registered society, the region submitted an application to take part in the Leading-edge Cluster Competition of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF).

With the title 'BioRN – Cell-based & Molecular Medicine in the Rhine-Neckar Metropolitan Region' the BioRN Cluster, as the only life-science cluster, won the competition in the first round in September 2008 and may now call itself a leading-edge cluster. This distinction carries with it financial support in the amount of 40 million euros up to the year 2013. The same amount is provided by the private enterprise sector.

A total of 36 projects from 25 private-sector enterprises in the BioRN Leading-edge Cluster will be or have been promoted with these funds. The first partial projects have meanwhile been completed successfully and according to schedule.
The Aim of Leading-edge Cluster Promotion: to bring biotechnological innovations to industrial maturity.

Bringing innovations to industrial maturity means in the BioRN Cluster: developing suitable new drugs, diagnostic test systems, and technology platforms to the point where turnover can be generated for the first time through their out-licensing (e.g. to larger partners).

The promoted projects– sorted thematically – are assigned to five joint projects. Project partners are small and medium-sized biotech enterprises, globally active healthcare concerns, and research facilities from the Rhine-Neckar metropolitan region. Focal points of the Cluster are personalized medicine and cancer research. The projects convey a picture of the manifold types of cooperation between science and business. Coordination of the leading-edge cluster projects is in the hands of the BioRN Cluster Management GmbH.