How the district of Munich gives start-ups initial help – district of Munich
The district of Munich has always been a place of big and small innovations. In the so-called future atlas, which precisely lists the “top prospects for the future” of all German administrative districts and urban districts, the administrative district is regularly in first place. Creative start-ups such as the Unterschleißheim brewery Crew Republic as well as the developers at the global corporations Airbus in Ottobrunn or Infineon from Neubiberg – and of course the four existing start-up centers in which the district is involved. A quick overview.
Biotechnology innovation and start-up center in Martinsried
The oldest start-up center in the district of Munich is located in the Planegger district of Martinsried – visible from afar and now a symbol of this high-tech location is the residence hotel with its striking facade. The cornerstone for the innovation and start-up center for biotechnology (IZB) in Martinsried. Since then, it has been expanded in several construction phases – also in the face of ongoing protests from the population about high rents, the construction work and the lack of a subway connection. Today, the IZB is part of the Martinsried campus, which also includes the Max Planck Institute for Biochemistry and Neurobiology. On around 26,000 square meters, more than 700 employees are researching new drugs for serious diseases such as cancer and Alzheimer’s at almost 50 start-ups and companies. The start-ups also benefit from the proximity to science, society, research institutions, the Großhadern Clinic or pharmaceutical companies. In addition to the hotel, the infrastructure also includes day-care centers and a restaurant. The IZB offshoot in Weihenstephan in the district of Freising, a competence cluster for life sciences, has existed since 2007.
Factory 1 in Berg am Laim
The digital future is to be shaped where potatoes were once processed at the Pfanni company: in the Werksviertel in Berg am Laim at Munich Ostbahnhof, more precisely in Werk1. The start-up center in Munich’s new creative district, in which the Munich district has a stake, advertises that it is “the most start-up-friendly place in Munich”, a place where the start-up scene works on the business models of the future. At Werk1, a little more than 2,500 square meters of space are being worked on in open, bright rooms on a digital project. There is a coaching program for young founders, and events are held here regularly. For example, the start-up Delicious Data uses artificial intelligence to avoid excess food in restaurants or bakeries, Nilo deals with mental health in the workplace and B42 is about state-of-the-art training for football teams. More than 20 start-ups are in Werk1, anyone who has been here for two years then becomes an alumni and has to move out of their home – this will free up space for new, innovative founders.
Accelerator community Unterschleißheim
The district of Munich is also a shareholder in the Accelerator Community Unterschleißheim (ACU), which is based in the most populous city in the district on the local business campus. The manufacturing industry hardly plays a role here, the start-ups here concentrate primarily on the area of digital transformation – under the motto Open Innovation, Open Talents, Open Market Access. The start-up center advertises that it is a haven of creativity and that it has modern co-working spaces, contacts to representatives from industry and practice, and access to proven networks. The fact that the areas of Smart City and Smart Industry are also lived out here should be in the spirit of the city.
Gate in Garching
Where could a start-up center fit better than at a university location – or at the largest of the Technical University of Munich (TU). The Garchinger Technologie- und Gründerzentrum (Gate) has been in the university town since 2002 and has supported more than 300 start-ups since it was founded. And the proximity to the university pays off, the transfer of knowledge is ongoing. On around 5000 square meters, solutions are being worked on here, above all in mobility. Artificial intelligence is just as much here as big data and local start-ups in the field of mechatronics, information and communication technology. More than 30 young companies have rented space here at very favorable conditions – for Munich and the district. The starter office only costs around 300 euros a month. The gate fits perfectly into the Garching campus with its almost 8,000 increasing and more than 17,000 students – and the proximity to cutting-edge research also pays off.