The Federal Government has decided to launch seven additional digital hubs. The cities where these will be set up are Cologne, Dresden/Leipzig, Karlsruhe, Stuttgart, Ludwigshafen/Mannheim, Potsdam und Nuremberg/Erlangen. In addition, a Cyber Security Hub will be established in Darmstadt, which will supplement the existing FinTech Hub in Frankfurt. These hubs serve to link up young start-ups with established businesses and excellent research institutes so they can develop innovative digital solutions together.

Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Energy Brigitte Zypries said: “I am delighted that our Digital Hub Initiative has met with such a great response. There have been a wide range of excellent applications, from which we have selected seven great new digital hubs. Maybe we don’t have a Silicon Valley, but we have many excellent valleys with unique strengths. The cities that have been selected focus on different industries, from chemistry to healthcare and artificial intelligence, and the initiatives that will be launched from these cities will give a boost to start-ups all across Germany.”

The Digital Hub Initiative seeks to better connect the individual hub cities through a Hub Agency. Particularly in cities that have a strong manufacturing base, established companies and innovative start-ups are often not working together as closely as they could. Closer cooperation benefits both sides: start-up companies can provide established companies with fresh ideas and established companies can provide young start-ups with advice and facilitate contacts. In addition, the Federal Government aims to launch an international marketing campaign that raises the profile of the digital hubs abroad and informs foreign start-ups about what Germany has to offer.

A total of 12 digital hubs have now been selected as part of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy’s Digital Hub Initiative. Frankfurt, Hamburg, Dortmund, Berlin and Munich were selected back in 2016 by involving an advisory board consisting of high-level experts.