With the large-scale innovation initiative High-Tech Agenda Germany, the federal government aims to achieve greater competitiveness, value creation, and technological sovereignty. For example, Germany is to become the leading location for bioengineering in Europe by 2029. By 2030, the number of German AI start-ups is expected to have quadrupled. Ambitious goals have thus been set. Now the challenge lies in implementation.
Prof. Irina Smirnova, Vice President for Research at the Hamburg University of Technology, discussed this challenge with other leading experts during a roundtable at the Hamburg Science Summit 2026. The panel included, among others, Dr. Alexandra-Gwyn Paetz, Head of the Department for Technological Sovereignty and Innovation at the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space, as well as Christian Wiebus, Senior Director of New Business and Innovation at NXP Semiconductors.
Together, several key questions were explored: What specific role do universities and companies play in implementing the High-Tech Agenda Germany? How can individual innovation centers like Hamburg successfully position themselves? And how can collaboration between science and industry be more closely integrated? Prof. Irina Smirnova stated: “At TU Hamburg, we have taken the High-Tech Agenda as an opportunity to deliberately reflect on our particular strengths and to set the course for their further development in line with the High-Tech Agenda. In doing so, we have bundled and made visible our competencies, potentials, and strategic priorities. This also led to the creation of a dedicated website showing the contribution TU Hamburg can make to the key future fields of the High-Tech Agenda.”
TU Hamburg Represented in Five Key Technologies
TU Hamburg is represented in five key technology areas identified within the framework of the High-Tech Agenda Germany, including AI and biotechnology. The university’s approach is to combine excellent research with application-oriented solutions. In the past ten years alone, around 60 companies have emerged from TU Hamburg, which are still active in the Hamburg metropolitan region and far beyond.
The High-Tech Agenda Germany was one of several central topics at the Hamburg Science Summit 2026. The overarching theme of this year’s event was “Europe in a Multipolar World.” Renowned international experts and decision-makers from science, politics, and business exchanged ideas in various formats on how Europe can successfully navigate the balancing act between openness and sovereignty in a multipolar world. The Hamburg Science Summit is organized by the Körber Foundation and the Hamburg Authority for Science, Research and Equality.
