Heidelberg, November 13, 2023: Press Information from the City of Heidelberg
Heidelberg Innovation Park (hip): LAB22 as the Next Milestone in Development
The Technology Park Heidelberg offers modern office and laboratory spaces for emerging companies
From a previously vacant US area, the Heidelberg Innovation Park (hip) on Speyerer Street has evolved in recent years into a campus with strong innovation potential for the digital and biotech industries. During a press event on site, Mayor Eckart Würzner, along with Georg Breithecker, Managing Director of Patton Barracks Development Company, and Dr. André Domin, Managing Director of the Technology Park Heidelberg, presented the current milestones of hip's development, focusing on the LAB22 construction project of the Technology Park. LAB22 is currently creating modern office and laboratory spaces, offering growth and development opportunities for young companies in future-oriented industries.
Mayor Eckart Würzner stated, 'The Heidelberg Innovation Park is a pioneer in modern economic area development – innovative and dynamic, collaborative and international, flexible and carbon-neutral. Start-ups and young, successfully growing companies in IT, AI, BioTech, and life sciences receive precisely tailored high-quality spaces in our hip innovation quarter, crucial for their further development. They benefit from the high density of universities and scientific institutions in Heidelberg, as well as from the consulting services of our Technology Park and the exchange within the hip business network hip:com. In this way, hip strengthens emerging companies in our city and Heidelberg as a business location as a whole.'
Currently, over 700 employees from more than 50 companies in ten completed buildings work at hip. Upon completion of development, the quarter will have created up to 4,000 jobs. Already completed are the SNP dome sports hall and the Business Development Center of the Technology Park Heidelberg.
'Overall development of hip is progressing faster than originally planned,' said Georg Breithecker, Managing Director of Patton Barracks Development Company (egp): 'The spaces at hip are highly attractive for project developers and companies. We could have even accelerated the development of most areas. However, we carefully considered which users would best fit the hip quarter. This has paid off in terms of the quality of the projects and companies on site.'
LAB22 of the Technology Park Heidelberg: Next Milestone in hip's Development
One of the current central projects at hip is LAB22 of the Technology Park (TP) on Nikola-Tesla-Street, in close proximity to the Business Development Center (BDC). The BDC, fully leased to start-ups and young companies, is now complemented by LAB22, which creates additional space especially for small and medium-sized companies that have outgrown the initial start-up phase and established themselves in the market.
TP Managing Director Dr. André Domin said, 'The first phase of LAB22 has been operational since September 27. BioLabs, the world's leading developer and operator of co-working spaces for biotech and pharma, has moved in. It offers fully equipped laboratories and mentoring for start-ups at its first German location and is integrated into the strong BioTech cluster BioRN. With the second phase, we are now creating additional attractive development spaces for young, growth-oriented companies in life science, biotech, IT, or AI. The building provides all the technical prerequisites for laboratory operations at safety level 2 and is flexible in terms of room layout and rental duration to meet individual needs.'
While the Technology Park tenant BioLabs Heidelberg provides co-working spaces and fully equipped laboratory workplaces, the second phase of LAB22 will offer future tenants unfurnished laboratory and office spaces for individual development. Across four floors and a total area of 3,500 square meters, up to nine flexible rental units for individual development are available, ranging from 160 to 400 square meters. The first occupancy is possible from the first quarter of 2024, coinciding with TP's 40th anniversary next year. The building is constructed in passive house design with central supply and exhaust air and continuous air quality monitoring. Tenants benefit from the network and infrastructure of TP with its six locations and support offers through the Heidelberg Startup Partners (HSP) and its international connections via the International Association of Sciences Parks and Areas of Innovation (IASP). More information is available online at www.technologiepark-heidelberg.de.
With the commissioning of the Green Data Center, a green data center, on Friday, November 10, 2023, another major project was completed at hip. The Data Center provides digital infrastructure urgently needed in Heidelberg and thus makes a significant contribution to the digital future location. During its development, great emphasis was placed on sustainability: The data center is a pioneer in terms of ecology and energy efficiency, with 100% of its electricity sourced from renewable energy. Photovoltaic systems on the roof produce solar power, and the façade is greened.
More information can also be found online at www.hip-heidelberg.com.
Further reports on the press conference can be found here: https://www.swr.de/swraktuell/baden-wuerttemberg/mannheim/heidelberg-innovation-park-is-success-100.html and https://www.rnz.de/region/heidelberg_artikel,-Innovation-Park-LAB22-aims-to-create-products-made-in-Heidelberg-_arid,1226384.html.
In the photo: Mayor Eckart Würzner (r.), André Domin (center), Managing Director of the Technology Park, and Georg Breithecker, Managing Director of the Patton Barracks Development Company (EGP), presented the "LAB22" at the hip. Photo: Philipp Rothe
