Promote revolutionary power: “The money has to go back to where it came from” | EUROtoday

The Hamburg Chamber of Commerce and the University of Hamburg wish to strengthen the revolutionary power of the Hanseatic metropolis and to ascertain a “Hamburg Future Foundation”. The Senate is meant to supply the cash for this basis from funds that Hamburg receives from its municipal investments in personal firms, in recent times for instance from excessive dividends from the transport firm Hapag-Lloyd. “The money has to go back to where it came from,” mentioned Chamber of Commerce President Norbert Aust, who offered the idea of a future basis on Thursday on the Chamber of Commerce along with Hauke ​​Heekeren, President of the University of Hamburg.

Two years in the past, the Chamber of Commerce had already demanded a so-called “innovation billion” from the red-green Hamburg Senate so as to have the ability to promote improvements and start-up firms within the metropolis extra. However, the town authorities didn’t take up this request. Instead, the Senate used the excessive circulation of funds in recent times to repay money owed, amongst different issues.

“In order to develop and apply innovations and technologies quickly, we need more focus, a common strategy and the necessary money,” mentioned Aust. “Financing must be anchored in a planning-safe, consistent format, regardless of budgets and election cycles. One solution lies in the establishment of a ‘Hamburg Future Foundation’, which is financed from private sector income or dividends from the city.”

A foundation provides an institutional framework for promoting innovation and creates “a bridge between politics, business and science,” mentioned Aust. Innovation and technical progress are essential for the financial system “in order to overcome the current crises and shape the location in line with our “Hamburg 2040” technique.”

Hauke ​​Heekeren, who is also spokesman for the Hamburg State University Conference, said: “Hamburg’s universities and research institutions attract skilled workers, train the talents of tomorrow and develop innovations that benefit society. We are characterized by outstanding research in the metropolitan region, particularly in the areas of health, climate and sustainability, new materials, mobility and artificial intelligence.”

The intention of the Hamburg universities is to “put these fields of innovation into practice even more closely together with the economy. As a science and economic metropolis in Hamburg, we want to strengthen the innovation location together and exploit the great potential in order to further increase our national and international competitiveness.” Heekeren also said this on behalf of the science network “Pier Plus”, in which 22 universities and non-universities Research institutes in Hamburg cooperate with each other.

Aust and Heekeren said that in addition to the city’s funds, a Hamburg Future Foundation could also raise funds from the numerous family businesses in the Hanseatic city. Parallel approaches, such as establishing a “startup factory,” may be mixed with a future basis; they aren’t mutually unique, mentioned Heekeren. Discussions are being held with the foundations of the Hertz and Otto entrepreneurial households about financing a “Startup Factory”.

Startup entrepreneur Max Webers from Colipi mentioned on the Chamber of Commerce that new firms may use extra assist from the town or from establishments resembling a future basis, particularly relating to allocating and offering appropriate house and rooms in Hamburg. Colipi, a spin-off from the Hamburg University of Technology, produces artificial palm oil from carbon dioxide and hydrogen, which can be utilized as a biofuel, a element for the cosmetics business or as meals.

Olaf Preuß is a enterprise reporter for WELT and WELT AM SONNTAG for Hamburg and northern Germany.