First digital hub for agrifood innovations launched in Lower Saxony

The Osnabrück-Hanover region is a new location for the BMWK's Digital Hub Initiative, making it a beacon for digital and sustainable solutions in the agricultural and food industry.

Berlin, September 18, 2024 - Lower Saxony has its first digital hub: the start-up partnership "Agrifood Osnabrück-Hannover" has been selected as a new location for the nationwide Digital Hub Initiative of the Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Protection (BMWK). This decision was announced at the Startup Summit Germany in Berlin. The new hub aims to promote and develop pioneering technologies in the agricultural and food industry.

Sustainable and digital transformation of the agricultural industry

The "Agrifood Osnabrück-Hannover" hub has the vision of a sustainable, digital transformation of the global agricultural and food industry. Four key partners are working together on this: Seedhouse (Osnabrück), RootCamp (Hanover), Agrotech Valley Forum (Osnabrück) and the German Institute of Food Technologies e.V. (DIL, Quakenbrück). Together, they want to create a strong innovation ecosystem to bring innovative solutions to the market faster and position the region and Germany as competitive on an international level.

With deAgrifood, Lower Saxony has a new start-up lighthouse that strengthens our regional economy and makes us visible as an international hub for innovations in agriculture and food production.

Olaf Lies, Lower Saxony Minister of Economic Affairs,

An essential part of this hub is the Lower Saxony Startup Initiative, which offers founders support and plays a central role in networking within the hub. This should make the agricultural and food industry an international pioneer.

For us as RootCamp, it is essential to be part of deAgrifood. We create a bridge between start-ups and established companies and promote exchange within the ecosystem for agrifood innovations in Lower Saxony.

Dr. Philipp Ritterhaus, Head of Startup Coaching & Corporate Innovation at RootCamp

International hotspot for agrifood innovations

With the founding of deAgrifood, the Osnabrück-Hanover location will become a central contact point for innovations in the agricultural and food industry. Florian Stöhr, Managing Director of the Seedhouse, describes the launch of the hub as "an exciting journey" and sees great potential in the collaboration between the partners involved: "By pooling our expertise, we are driving forward the digital transformation of the agricultural industry and developing sustainable solutions for global challenges."

Through this cooperation, Lower Saxony could take on a leading role in the field of agrifood innovations not only nationally, but also internationally. The initiators see great potential in developing the location into an international hotspot for innovative technologies in the agricultural and food industry.