Bavaria’s Minister President Söder and Minister of Economic Affairs Aiwanger open the Digitale Manufaktur in Rödental

RÖDENTAL/COBURG Together with Bavaria’s Minister President Dr. Markus Söder and in the presence of high-ranking representatives of Coburg’s political and business community, Minister of Economic Affairs Hubert Aiwanger opened the Digitale Manufaktur in Rödental. 
 

Aiwanger stressed: “With the Digitale Manufaktur, the lively start-up scene in the Coburg area has a new focal point. Young entrepreneurs can find the perfect environment to transform the opportunities of digital transformation into innovative and sustainable business models here. The innovative strength that makes Bavaria so strong as a high-tech location comes from the courage, creativity and passion of its founders. In a world of technological upheaval, start-ups are the pioneers and drivers of tomorrow’s key technologies. That is why we are funding the Coburg digital start-up centre with over 4.3 million euros. We are giving Coburg’s creative minds a home in the immediate vicinity and thereby creating a future for the region.”

Bavaria's Minister President Dr. Markus Söder underlined: “Digitalisation is the future. With the start-up network, we are connecting start-ups throughout Bavaria and giving them a home. Our High-Tech Agenda Plus includes a total of 3.5 billion euros for science and research. Bavaria thus combines tradition and technology.”

Member of the Landtag Martin Mittag: “The Digitale Manufaktur in the district of Coburg represents another important building block for our region and thus a forward-looking rural area. Our strong economic region needs another pillar, especially in view of digitalisation, in order to survive in the face of tough competition. The commitment and the professionally outstanding work reflect in Bavaria’s decision for the funding that our region is and will remain competitive. I’m very grateful for that.”

Sebastian Staubel, District Administrator, Coburg District: “From my point of view, exactly three things are needed for this success: openness, bright minds and hard work. It is only because we have persistently used these three ingredients and because the Bavarian State Government has always supported our commitment that we are at this point today. That’s why Zukunft.Coburg.Digital and this Digitale Manufaktur exist.”

Dominik Sauerteig, Lord Mayor of the City of Coburg: “Coburg city and district invest very deliberately in promoting creative talents and courageous founders. The Digitale Manufaktur in Rödental, which opened today, and the cold storage hall in Coburg, which will open soon, are beacons of this joint strategy. Both locations complement each other and will become the new home of digital founders from near and far. I also welcome the Zukunft.Coburg.Digital. plan to develop the locations into a Green Valley. Sustainability is a key element of modern entrepreneurship.”

Jochen Flohrschütz, Managing Director of Zukunft.Coburg.Digital: “The Digitale Manufaktur is a milestone for the digital transformation of the Coburg region. The offices and production boxes are rented out and the workshop rooms are regularly filled with innovative people who are pushing their start-ups and companies forward in a creative atmosphere. We are delighted that the Digitale Manufaktur has now also been officially inaugurated by Minister President Dr. Markus Söder and Minister of State Hubert Aiwanger.”

The Bavarian Ministry of Economic Affairs is funding the conversion, equipment and rent of the Zukunft.Coburg.Digital digital start-up centre with 3.8 million euros and is supporting networking activities with a further 550,000 euros. This creates two locations with different focuses for founders and innovators in the Coburg area. In the cold storage hall of the former Coburg slaughterhouse, start-ups will be able to use 30 co-working and creative spaces from next year. Start-ups that have already grown will find office and workshop space as well as production boxes in the Digitale Manufaktur on the former site of the Goebel porcelain factory in Rödental. At both locations, the start-ups not only benefit from the start-up network and the services offered by the Gründerzentrum, but also from close exchange with Coburg’s strong SME sector. Zukunft.Coburg.Digital is the third digital start-up centre in Upper Franconia, alongside Lagarde 1 in Bamberg and Einstein 1 in Hof.

In his speech, Minister of Economic Affairs Aiwanger emphasised the importance of start-up funding by Bavaria: “Good ideas are emerging all over Bavaria. That is why we invest in our founders across the board. With the funds from the High-Tech Agenda Plus, we have once again significantly increased start-up funding. We are supporting the pioneering spirit of young talent so that a wave of digital start-ups rolls through Bavaria. In this way, we are ensuring that Bavaria remains a highly attractive start-up location and that we are at the forefront of the markets of the future.” 

The digital start-up centres support digital start-ups and are central contact points for start-ups in all regions of Bavaria. The 19 digital start-up centres with 28 locations across Bavaria focus on networking start-ups with business, science and investors. The Bavarian Ministry of Economic Affairs is funding the development of the facilities with 120 million euros in total.
 

Source: StMWi | Press number: 413/21