Minister Sven Schulze awards Magdeburg Port of Science the status of Center of Excellence

At the last event in his summer tour, Sven Schulze, the Minister of Economic Affairs of Saxony-Anhalt, presented the award of Center of Excellence Saxony-Anhalt to Magdeburg Port of Science.

Sven Schulze: “Businesses and research institutions are working hand in hand at Magdeburg Port of Science. Many high-quality jobs have been created on the site and opportunities for new industrial partnerships are also constantly emerging. The new ‘Elbfabrik’ of the Fraunhofer Institute for Factory Operation and Automation IFF and the transPORT initiative of Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg, which involves the establishment of a high-tech ecocenter for medical technology, will drive the development of the location. The Port of Science is undoubtedly a Center of Excellence in Saxony-Anhalt. It represents progress and an international approach. We will continue to highlight and further develop these factors.”

“The Port of Science has huge potential and offers space and interesting opportunities for both urban development and the cooperation between science and business. It is an excellent advertisement for Magdeburg as a location for research and therefore definitely a Center of Excellence. Research into future technologies is taking place in the old grain warehouses and new production and logistics processes are being trialed and ultra-modern medical technology solutions are being developed,” said Sandra Yvonne Stieger, city councilor for business, tourism and regional cooperation in the regional capital Magdeburg.

Professor Julia Arlinghaus, Director of the Fraunhofer Institute for Factory Operation and Automation IFF, added: “We are very pleased that the Port of Science has been awarded the status of Center of Excellence. The Fraunhofer IFF was one of the first organizations to move into what was then the new Port of Science. From the very beginning, we have seen it as our mission to develop the location together with businesses, other institutes and the city council of the regional capital Magdeburg. The ‘ElbFabrik,’ which we are opening in September, is the production plant of the future, our new research and demonstration factory. Our aim is to use it to bring industry and research even closer together here at the Port of Science.”

Dr. Robert Franke, Managing Director of IMG, explained: “The Port of Science is the perfect example of a Center of Excellence that offers outstanding development potential in an ideal inner-city location. The Fraunhofer IFF with its Elbedome is one of the leading centers for research into digital working worlds. The Research Campus STIMULATE, where business and science are working hand in hand, is developing technologies for highly innovative therapeutic and diagnostic processes. This is the perfect environment for innovative start-ups. One good example is the young medical technology company Neoscan Solutions. The Port of Science offers outstanding synergies that we aim to exploit in our discussions with investors.”

The background to the Magdeburg Port of Science:

On the site of the city’s former commercial port, the Magdeburg Port of Science is developing into a modern city district. Only a stone’s throw away from the campus of Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg, a science and research site is being developed for commercial, residential and service industry use, with links to leisure and tourism because of its proximity to the River Elbe. The open areas and old warehouses of the former commercial port are ideal for renovation and the construction of new buildings. The newly arrived companies and the modernized facilities are turning the site into a center for innovation and knowledge transfer. The conversion of the commercial port is a symbol of Magdeburg’s transformation from the home of heavy engineering into a major research location.

In the “Elbfabrik,” which is being opened by Fraunhofer IFF in the Magdeburg Port of Science on September 14, 2023, research will be carried out into new technologies and digital working worlds and its facilities will also be available for SMEs. This is where the production systems of tomorrow become reality. The extension is linked to existing buildings in the Magdeburg Port of Science to create a cohesive whole. In the factory of the future, the boundaries between virtual product development and real-life manufacturing processes are blurred. The new building extends the facilities of the Virtual Development and Training Center VDTC of the Fraunhofer IFF at the Port of Science. The “Elbfabrik” building complex will also be home to new research fields at the institute.

The next major construction project at the Port of Science is the Heisenberg Campus. Laboratories, offices and homes will be built on a site between the port basin and the banks of the River Elbe. Following a selection process in which AGROMEX chose the design of Hascher Jehle Architektur, an architectural practice in Berlin, as the winner, the company was awarded the contract to develop a site covering an area of around 15,500 m² in Werner-Heisenberg-Straße by Magdeburg city council. The new site will be known as the Heisenberg Campus in the Port of Science and AGROMEX will build offices and commercial premises there on two areas, together with more than 100 homes in seven apartment blocks.

Facts and figures:

• Total area of 33 hectares
• Investments of 20 million euros (from public funds)
• 450 jobs
• Research institutes in the Port of Science: Fraunhofer Institute for Factory Operation and Automation IFF, Research Campus STIMULATE, ifak – Institute for Automation and Communication, the Center for Scientific Further Education of Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg, the Saxony-Anhalt Galileo Test Bed, the Max Planck Institute for Dynamics of Complex Technical Systems, the Experimental Factory
• A selection of the companies on the site: Neoscan Solutions GmbH, Axetrading, metra Tec GmbH, tarakos GmbH, MIAM – Magdeburger Industriearmatur-Manufaktur GmbH, FIAtec GmbH Automatisierungstechnik

https://www.center-of-excellence-saxony-anhalt.com/magdeburg-port-of-science

Minister of Economic Affairs Sven Schulze is the patron of the Centers of Excellence in the region, where there are strong links between industry, science and research. Alongside the Magdeburg Port of Science, the other Centers of Excellence are the Research Campus STIMULATE in Magdeburg, the BioPharmaPark Dessau-Roßlau, the DOW ValuePark®, the Weinberg Campus Technology Park in Halle, the Ostfalen Technology Park, the IGPA in Arneburg, the Bitterfeld-Wolfen Chemical Park, the Green Gate Gatersleben, the Chemical Park Leuna, the Agro-Chemical Park Lutherstadt Wittenberg, the MMZ Middle German Multimedia Center in Halle (Saale) and the Chemical and Industry Park Zeitz. To enhance the already dynamic economy of the region and attract skilled workers, the initiative is being continued and more Centers of Excellence will be identified – giving the clear message: “Saxony-Anhalt, a region of excellence, welcomes talented employees and new investors!”

The Centers of Excellence in Saxony-Anhalt are chosen and marketed by IMG with the support of the Minister for Economic Affairs. They are the perfect example of how innovation and investment can contribute to further growth. In 2022, IMG also launched a campaign with the slogan “HERE your career will take off” to help the Centers of Excellence find and recruit skilled staff.

Source: Ministerium für Wirtschaft, Tourismus, Landwirtschaft und Forsten