We are leading increasingly healthy lives and living longer. And that’s the way to go. But it poses new challenges, also for us as a Life Science company, because the biggest changes occurring in health care today are coming from the customers themselves. This is symbolized by the two runners pictured in one of our employer branding motifs.

Claire Blanchette could easily be one of those runners. She represents a growing group of people who want to stay healthy and energetic, and who are willing to take on more responsibility for their own health. For Claire exercise has a fixed place on her daily schedule.

When Claire travels for work, she always packs her running shoes, and she has already toured some major cities on the run: Barcelona, Madrid, Amsterdam and Vienna. Usually together with a colleague or with a jogging city guide. “Running really clears my head. Afterwards I’m more relaxed and full of energy,” she says. In her hometown in northern New Jersey, she is part of a small running group that meets three times a week before work and on the weekends. And at Bayer, she has started a team to take part in a local corporate challenge 5K. “Running is a bonding experience for us, as is the desire to lead an active life,” explains Claire.

“The image of the two runners represents how we at Bayer are constantly trying to understand our customers’ requirements and to give them what they need, so that they can lead an active, healthy lifestyle. That is what motivates us,” explains Farsana Jakubi, who is responsible for the Employer Branding project from the HR side.

We support young startups in health care

“Health awareness has increased tremendously within society. More and more people want to keep an eye on their own health and fitness,” says Dr. Jesus del Valle. To do so, they are increasingly making use of heart rate monitors, pedometers and a growing range of health apps and diagnostic tools. “This trend is also changing the health sector. And we at Bayer are responding,” he says – and not only with drugs and over-the-counter products, but also with innovative technologies and services that help people to live healthier lives or recover from illness more quickly.

Jesus is head of the Grants4Apps Accelerator open-innovation initiative at Bayer, which supports young start-ups engaged in developing business ideas for innovative software, hardware and technologies in the health sector. Two such start-ups are Medikeep and Vitameter. Medikeep in Estonia has developed an app that compiles a digital inventory of your medicine cabinet at home and notifies you when a drug is approaching its expiration date, while the team at Vitameter in Canada have developed a portable digital meter for home use that analyzes a user’s vitamin levels from just one drop of blood.

Digital applications also help when it comes to prescription medications. One example is Bayer’s “Pill Reminder,” which is aimed at women who use the pill for contraception, reminding them when to take the next one – because the pill only offers reliable protection when taken regularly. At the same time, the app provides an overview of the woman’s current cycle. The app is free of charge and is just one example of how Bayer is working to fulfill the individual needs of modern women and to meet the demand for contraceptive support.

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