Centre of Competence for Biosciences (CoCB)

This centre of competence at Munich Re focuses on genetic engineering, a field that is increasingly permeating important areas of our society.

Futurologists now predict that the impact of genetics and biosciences on the medicine, society and the economy in the 21st century will be enormous. However, like every development and every advance, genetic engineering harbours its own new risks. One of the most obvious and current risks is the complexity of genetic engineering. The explosive growth in knowledge engendered by genetic engineering (doubling of knowledge every two years) can only be contained if we have the necessary expertise.

By bundling our knowledge in biosciences across all classes of business, we contribute to the vision of the Munich Re Group to be one of the leading risk carriers and providers of financial services. In addition, we strive to attain opinion leadership in the field of genetic engineering within the insurance industry.

CoCB mission

In our company's guiding principles we state, among other things, that "we concern ourselves with today's great challenges [.]. From our knowledge of risk, we are competent to adopt positions on issues affecting society. We think and act globally". By establishing a Centre of Competence for Biosciences we show once more that the guiding principles are being actively implemented.

In view of the growing importance of genetics and genetic engineering for the insurance industry, Munich Re has concentrated its expertise in the Centre of Competence for Biosciences (CoCB). This unit closely monitors important developments of relevance to the insurance industry as they emerge in the biosciences themselves or as they are applied in medicine, agriculture and industry. An important function of the CoCB is to advise and support our clients when they have any problems and questions.