During the state visit, the delegation led by Queen Margrethe II was able to gain an insight into the work of UnternehmerTUM and the Colab. Helmut Schönenberger, Managing Director of UnternehmerTUM, provided deeper insights into the incubator and the collaboration with the Danish partners. Claudia also shed light on Frey, Managing Director of the Munich Urban Colab, explained the background and vision of the Colab. Clemens Baumgärtner, Minister for Labor and Economic Affairs of the City of Munich, represented the perspective of the City of Munich. Following the presentations, the delegation toured the building, visiting the high-tech workshop MakerSpace and meeting selected startups such as Angsa Robotics and Horyzn know.
The ecosystem that unites UnternehmerTUM and the City of Munich in the Munich Urban Colab maintains close ties to Denmark. For example, the Munich Urban Colab has been working closely with Bloxhub, the Nordic Hub for Sustainable Urbanization, for some time. The goal of the partnership is to develop and test sustainable innovations in Munich, Copenhagen, and other cities. Furthermore, the Technical University of Denmark maintains close ties with the Technical University of Munich and its affiliated institute UnternehmerTUM as part of the pan-European cooperation for technical universities, the EuroTech Alliance.
German-Danish collaboration
"It is a great honor for us to welcome the Danish delegation led by Queen Margrethe II to the Munich Urban Colab. This visit sends a strong signal for the cooperation with Denmark in the field of sustainable innovations, which we are driving forward at the Munich Urban Colab,"
says Claudia Frey, Managing Director of Munich Urban Colab.
In addition to the Munich Urban Colab, the Queen visited numerous other institutions in Munich and Berlin and met with Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Bavarian Minister-President Markus Söder. Germany and Denmark enjoy a long and close partnership at the political, historical, economic, and cultural levels. The four-day state visit from November 10-13 provided all participants with a platform to engage in dialogue with a number of key players at the federal level.
Denmark in Bavaria
In addition to its Consulate General, Denmark is represented in Munich with the Innovation Center Denmark, one of seven Danish innovation centers worldwide. The Innovation Center supports research and innovation collaboration between Danish researchers, companies, and organizations with scientific and industrial players in Germany. It also introduces Danish startups to the Munich ecosystem.
