Berlin - Europe's new innovation hub
IT&Telecom companies are constantly working to create value for digital startups. As part of this work, Nordic Tech Week has been initiated by IT&Telecom companies, ITK-Norway and the Danish IT industry. The aim is to make Nordic Tech companies visible to German business interests and to initiate a dialog on German-Nordic collaboration on digital policy issues in the EU.
- I think Nordic Tech Week can have a real impact. One big advantage is that this is a Nordic collaboration. Each domestic market is more limited in relation to the German market, but if Nordic companies can join forces, as we have done during Nordic Tech Week, it opens the eyes of the German market," says Per Thöresson, Sweden's ambassador to Germany.
Berlin is Europe's new innovation hub with a generally good start-up climate. There are attractive centers where different startups can sit together and a local political leadership that pursues a forward-looking and entrepreneur-friendly policy.
- Berlin and Stockholm are both among the top European cities when it comes to attracting start-up capital. "But one advantage of Berlin is that it is still quite cheap to live here, especially when compared to other major European cities," says Per Thöresson.
He continues:
- It's great to see that many young people are coming to Berlin with new ideas, including from Sweden. The city is explicitly investing in bringing new, innovative companies here and is, for example, helping to set up new premises. Berlin and IT belong together," says Per Thöresson.
Will Berlin take over from London as the poster child for digital innovation?
- A lot depends on what kind of Brexit we get. But I already see tendencies that German cities are taking over more and more in different areas where the UK and London were previously the obvious choice. Finance is one example. IT and telecom is another," says Per Thöresson.
Brexit isn't the only reason for Berlin's digital development and momentum. Several industries are predicted to follow suit.
- One advantage of Berlin in particular is that there is physical space. There are still fewer people living in Berlin now than there were before the Second World War. Berlin also offers a well-developed infrastructure and good political support. So I think Berlin has a good chance of becoming a new digital hub. In fact, the potential for cooperation between Germany and Sweden is greater than many people think," says Per Thöresson.
So how do we demonstrate the power of Nordic-German cooperation?
- In my view, it is about changing the general image of Germany. It's a country that needs to be in people's minds. And not a country that you have to get through as quickly as possible when you go down to more southern latitudes on vacation. Even Germans need to change their attitude towards Sweden. We're not just Bullerbyn and endless expanses. Sweden is a young, forward-looking, technologically innovative and sustainable partner and nation," says Per Thöresson.
The Nordic market is more prone to change than the German market, while the German market is much larger. There are examples of German startups developing an idea that they want to test in the Nordic market to see how and if it works. At the same time, the Nordic market needs the German market to get more volume.
- Our markets complement each other. And the more Swedish startups that actually want to come to Berlin, the easier and more positive the story of modern Sweden will be. This is where an initiative like Nordic Tech Week is important," says Per Thöresson.
Money to apply for
Money is available for German-Swedish collaborations. Within the framework of the German-Swedish Innovation Partnership - signed in January 2017 - Vinnova, together with its German counterpart AiF Projekt GmbH, announces various types of project funding opportunities. See www.vinnova.se