RootCamp becomes part of de:hub AgriFood Osnabrück/Hannover

The Lower Saxony startup partnership “Agrifood Osnabrück-Hannover” is the new location of the nationwide Digital Hub Initiative (de:hub) of the Federal Ministry of Economics and Climate Protection (BMWK).  This marks the establishment of the first de:hub in Lower Saxony. The BMWK announced the selection decision today at the Startup Summit Germany in Berlin. Agrifood Osnabrück-Hannover” is the first de:hub in Lower Saxony and is dedicated to the development and promotion of pioneering technologies in the agrifood sector.

The de:hub “Agrifood Osnabrück-Hannover” aims to achieve a sustainable and digital transformation of the global agricultural and food industry. The partners - Seedhouse (Osnabrück), RootCamp (Hanover), Agrotech Valley Forum (Osnabrück) and DIL Deutsches Institut für Lebensmitteltechnik e.V. (Quakenbrück) - are joining forces to create a unique ecosystem. The goal is to bring innovative solutions to the market faster and ensure the competitiveness of the region and Germany. This collaboration is supported by the work of the startup niedersachsen as a central hub for networking and promoting startups in Lower Saxony. Here, the agricultural and food industry is to become a pioneer on an international level. 

Lower Saxony's Minister of Economic Affairs Olaf Lies: “With the de:hub Agrifood, Lower Saxony has a new startup lighthouse that will strengthen our regional economy and make us visible as an international hub for innovations in agriculture and food production. The strong commitment of the startup ecosystem we have built up in recent years and the successful collaboration of the Agrifood partners have made this success possible.”

Dr. Philipp Ritterhaus, Head of Startup Coaching & Corporate Innovation at RootCamp: “For RootCamp, it is essential to be part of the de:hub Agrifood. We bridge the gap between startups and corporates for the transformation towards a sustainable economy. To do this, we need an intensive exchange within the ecosystem in which the most important institutions for agrifood innovations in Lower Saxony are now bundled."

As part of this network, Osnabrück-Hanover will become a central location for innovations in the agricultural and food industry. “We are embarking on an exciting journey as partners and are looking forward to the exchange and cooperation with the existing and new hubs,” emphasizes Florian Stöhr, Managing Director of the Seedhouse. “Our vision is to use our combined expertise to drive the digital transformation of the agricultural industry and develop sustainable solutions for global challenges. Lower Saxony and Germany therefore have the potential to become an international hotspot for agrifood innovations.”

About the de:Hubs

The BMWK's de:Hub initiative has been connecting startups, established companies, science and investors since 2017 in order to promote the digital transformation in Germany. The current twelve hubs each focus on specific industry and technology sectors and help to strengthen Germany's competitiveness as a location for innovation. The hubs serve as platforms that enable close cooperation between different players and sectors and promote innovations that have an international impact.

Get here to the German press release and follow “Agrifood Osnabrück-Hannover” on LinkedIn.