50 million euros for Hamburg's most innovative start-up factory!

50 million euros for Hamburg's most innovative start-up factory!

Hamburg sets a strong example for innovation and business creation. On July 10, 2025, the Federal Ministry of Economics announced that a new start-up factory would be launched in the Hanseatic city. This initiative is intended to make it easier for researchers to become self-employed and accelerate the transfer of new technologies from laboratories to the economy. With a generous budget totaling 50 million euros, of which 10 million euros come from federal funds and 40 million euros from Hamburg state funds, the city wants to create a supportive environment that focuses on green technologies and innovative materials. As NDR reports, the facility is scheduled to open its doors in autumn 2025.

“Today’s founders are tomorrow’s innovators,” explained Dr. Melanie Leonhard, Senator for Economics and Innovation. As part of this initiative, Hamburg's universities, including the University of Hamburg and the Technical University of Hamburg, as well as the renowned DESY research center, work hand in hand to maximize the chances of success for new start-ups. Dr. Arik Willner from DESY emphasized that the start-up factory will significantly enrich the city's innovation ecosystem.

Support for innovative ideas

One of the main goals of the new start-up factory is to support researchers who often face hurdles such as a lack of capital or bureaucratic hurdles when setting up a company. Prof. Dr. Jetta Frost from the University of Hamburg points out that this strong alliance between universities and institutions holds enormous potential for innovative spin-offs. “This is a well-known location for new ideas and technologies,” she emphasizes.

A wide range of offers are planned, ranging from advice on start-up steps to the protection of intellectual property and support in finding investors. The city has also qualified for the Startup Factory flagship competition to gain international visibility and establish a leading hub for startups in areas such as new materials, artificial intelligence and data science. This competition is funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate and offers support of up to 10 million euros over five years.

Hamburg on the way into the future

With this initiative, the city aims to catapult Hamburg into the TOP 10 of European start-up ecosystems. Science Senator Katharina Fegebank emphasizes the importance of optimal conditions for founders. The start-up factory is intended not only to stimulate new start-ups, but also to complement existing support offers at universities and research institutions. “This is a space where ideas are turned into reality,” said the senator.

With prominent supporters such as Prof. Dr. Michael Otto and Benjamin Otto, who support the establishment of the start-up factory, believe the project is well positioned. The Joachim Herz Foundation also sees the start-up factory as an opportunity to strengthen the innovation ecosystem in the Hamburg metropolitan region. All in all, this is an exciting time for innovation in Hamburg - something is happening!