The BioMed X Innovation Center in Heidelberg, Germany, constitutes a new class of incubator at the interface between academia and industry where top life science talents from all over the world are jointly working on biomedical innovation outside the pharma box. Young talents from leading academic institutions world-wide are selected in BioMed X Boot Camps based on their scientific expertise, creative energy, and passion for product-oriented pre-clinical research & development. Interdisciplinary project teams are collaborating in an open-innovation lab facility in Heidelberg with guidance of experienced mentors from academia and industry while expanding their scientific network and receiving an intensive entrepreneurship and leadership training. Each team is typically sponsored by a corporate pharma or biotech partner of BioMed X. After a fully funded project term of 2-4 years, successful projects are either internalized into the development pipeline of the respective pharma or biotech sponsor or spun off into an independent startup company.