"We are very happy about the recognition of Heidelberg's startup activities," says André Domin, Managing Director of Technologiepark Heidelberg GmbH. "Here, young companies not only find an ideal infrastructure with state-of-the-art office and laboratory buildings, but also far-reaching expertise in the high-tech sector to help them turn their ideas into reality."
"Heidelberg has immense startup potential," adds Thomas Prexl, Managing Director of Heidelberg Startup Partners. "Recognizing this potential and helping to turn it into marketable products and services is our job. And we succeed very well thanks to the good cooperation with research institutes. We are very pleased that with our high-tech startups we were able to land so far ahead in the city comparison." The city ranking is conducted every year by the Cologne Institute for Economic Research on behalf of WirtschaftsWoche and ImmobilienScout24.
The Heidelberg Technology Park has been focused on medicine and biotechnology for decades and its tenants are known for their innovations in this field - not least because of its close proximity to Heidelberg University Hospital, the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), and the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ). In recent years, numerous startups from other high-tech industries have joined the ranks, especially in the fields of artificial intelligence and information technology. We have planned further initiatives to support this trend. "For example, we are currently in the process of creating additional space, especially for the AI sector, in order to develop an interlocking offering along the entire value chain - from startups to established companies."
Startup support with a focus on AI, IT and life sciences
The Heidelberg Technology Park, together with NEXT MANNHEIM and innoWerft Walldorf, offers the Up2B Accelerator specifically for startups from the IT sector. The project is co-financed by the European Social Fund (ESF) and the state of Baden-Württemberg.
In addition, the Life Science Accelerator Baden-Württemberg is located at the Heidelberg Technology Park. The twelve-month support program is designed to help founders from life sciences make the leap into independence. It is also co-financed by the ESF and the state of Baden-Württemberg.
In order to provide small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with low-threshold access to the future technology of AI, the Heidelberg Technology Park, together with bwcon GmbH and the Data X Lab of the University of California, Berkeley, already launched the "KI Lab Kurpfalz" last year. The offerings and training programs of the KI Lab Kurpfalz can help SMEs develop necessary key AI competencies. The KI Lab Kurpfalz is located in the new Business Development Center (BDC) Heidelberg. It not only offers the KI Lab Kurpfalz and thus SMEs an important contact point. Startups - many of which are spin-offs from research institutions - also find optimal starting conditions at the BDC.
