Will Hamburg Embrace Innovation by 2025?

Hamburg Innovation Summit Celebrates Successful 10th Anniversary

The city of Hamburg, known for its advanced innovation, particularly in the health sector, hosted the 10th edition of the Hamburg Innovation Summit (HHIS) on July 15, 2025. The event, which attracted over 3,000 participants, nearly doubling the number from the previous year, was a resounding success.

Senator Melanie Leonhard, responsible for Economics, Labor and Innovation, emphasized Hamburg's innovative prowess during her opening remarks. She highlighted the city's focus on Green Technologies and the development of new materials in connection with Artificial Intelligence and Data Science.

The summit featured 80 program points with 140 speakers on six stages and around 1,800 square meters of Expo Area. Topics discussed included Artificial Intelligence, Quantum Computing, Novel Food, Mobility & Urban Development, Industry 4.0, Climate and Energy, Advanced Materials, Social Innovation, Entrepreneurship, War of Talents, Health & Lifestyle, and the application of science and technology.

The majority of respondents in a trend monitor at the summit looked optimistically towards the future, with around 47% viewing the next five years' innovation prospects as rather positive. However, challenges in innovation were identified, including a pronounced fear of change (32.8%), excessive bureaucracy (29.5%), and lack of risk-taking (27.9%).

Hamburg's Mayor Peter Tschentscher was present at the summit and spoke with numerous exhibitors. One of the highlights of the afternoon was the announcement that the Startup Factory "Impossible Founders" receives funding from the federal government, with more than 50 million euros now available for innovative Hamburg startups in the "Deep Tech" sector.

The financing for the startup factory was made available by various companies, foundations, and the federal government, contributing a total of 50 million euros including federal funding. The funds will support startups across almost all areas, including Social Entrepreneurship, Venture Clienting, and funding opportunities.

The tecHHub Hamburg was mentioned as a particularly positive example and the already very well-functioning network work. Startup City Hamburg presented a panel titled "From Migration to Innovation: Startup Successes in Hamburg", featuring founders with migration backgrounds from Hamburg.

The Federal Ministry of Research, Technology, and Space (BMFTR) recently classified two DESY projects, the X-ray light source PETRA IV and the particle detector IceCube-Gen2, as "research infrastructure of national importance". Nina Alswede from Hamburg Invest described Hamburg as being on a good path for innovation, with the partly still emerging Hamburg Innovation Parks in Altona, Bergedorf, Finkenwerder, and Harburg being particularly notable.

The Startup Stage at the Hamburg Innovation Summit included pitch formats and information on funding and financing opportunities. Melanie Leonhard appealed for people to be fearless and try new things, encouraging innovation and risk-taking. The summit closed on a high note, marking another successful year in Hamburg's innovation journey.