With the opening of a new location on Balanstrasse in Munich, Humboldt-Innovation is expanding its presence and strengthening collaboration between science and industry in Germany. The subsidiary of Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin aims to send a clear signal for more collaborations in the national innovation ecosystem.
The new location is in the immediate vicinity of the Start2Group, a strategic partner with whom the company intends to work closely in the future. The goal is to connect talent, research, innovations, and startups from the capital region with Bavaria's economic strength. Bavaria, and especially Munich, is considered a hotspot for deep tech with a strong SME structure, excellent research institutions, and internationally operating companies.
Strengthening the innovation location through networking
"With our new branch in Bavaria, we are placing a clear focus on investor engagement to expand our national network and significantly strengthen collaborations between science and industry – particularly in applied research, continuing education, and entrepreneurship. Our Munich location can also be used by other partners in the capital region to initiate projects. With Start2Group, we have a strong national partner at our side who also supports us in our internationalization."
explained Volker Hofmann, Managing Director of Humboldt Innovation.
The new office will be headed by Oliver Hasse. He will not only assume responsibility for the Munich office but has also been appointed Deputy Managing Director of Humboldt-Innovation. Hasse has experience in innovation strategy, financing, and the promotion of science-related start-ups. Most recently, he served as Managing Director of INAM (Innovation Network for Advanced Materials).
A sign of cooperation instead of competition
With the opening of the Munich location, Humboldt Innovation has a clear strategic goal, as Oliver Hasse says:
"The opening of the Munich location is not just an expansion of Humboldt Innovation, but we also want to send a clear message: to strengthen innovation and technology transfer in Germany and Europe, we need less competition and more collaboration between ecosystems."
To officially kick off the program, Humboldt-Innovation and Start2Group are jointly hosting the "AI Startup Challenge," a competition for startups in the field of artificial intelligence. Five teams will have the opportunity to present their business ideas to a jury. The competition is intended to symbolize the beginning of a more intensive collaboration between the innovation centers in Berlin and Munich.
The new branch is intended to serve as a contact point for startups, research institutions, and investors seeking to advance application-oriented innovations. With its move to Munich, Humboldt-Innovation demonstrates that the future of technology transfer in Germany lies in supra-regional collaboration.
