A packed programme of visits awaited 12 Germany scholarship holders on their excursion to QIAGEN's company headquarters: the basics of molecular diagnostics, development of the market for applied test procedures and a visit to the production facilities in Hilden. First-hand information was provided by Dr Thomas Schweins, Senior Vice President and former member of QIAGEN's Executive Committee, and Prof Detlef Riesner, Honorary Senator of HHU, member of the Board of Trustees and co-founder of QIAGEN, which is now a listed company. For the students, this get-together of donors and scholarship holders was an exciting mix of practical insights into the working world of a biotechnology company, the opportunity to network and background information on the development of a company from the start-up phase to a global player.
