“We thrive on proximity and exchange”

The Adlershof Science and Technology Park is the largest of Berlin’s eleven future locations. In terms of content, the location in the south-east of Brain City Berlin is broadly positioned, but the focus is traditionally on natural sciences. The close connection between science and business has also grown historically in Adlershof.

“There has always been innovation here at the location. And always bright minds,” says Cindy Böhme. “That makes Adlershof really special”. The 33-year-old is company spokesperson for the state-owned WISTA Management GmbH, which develops and operates what is now probably Germany’s largest science and technology park. Cindy Böhme is very familiar with the history of this future location in south-east Berlin. That is because history is everywhere on the 460-hectare site. For example, in the “Aerodynamic Park” between the institutes of Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, which houses a soundproofed former engine test bench, a wind tunnel and the “spin tower”, in which the spinning of aeroplanes was once simulated. Or in the now modernised buildings of the German Aviation Research Institute and the Forum Adlershof – with the two striking heads on high pillars in front of them.

Around 1,300 companies are now based in the Adlershof Science and Technology Park, as well as 18 scientific institutions. These include renowned non-university research institutes such as the Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung  (Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing, BAM) and the Helmholtz Zentrum Berlin (HZB) with the Bessy II X-ray source. And around 28,000 people work here on technological solutions for tomorrow.

Adlershof has a tradition of innovation

“The history of innovation at the location dates back to the beginning of the 20th century,” explains Cindy Böhme. In 1909, the first motorised flights took off from the Adlershof-Johannistal airfield. Shortly afterwards, the Deutsche Versuchsanstalt für Luftfahrt (DLV) was founded there on the initiative of Count Zeppelin – as the predecessor institution of the German Aerospace Center (DLR), which is still based here today. “Research and industry in the aerospace sector have therefore always existed in Adlershof, with interruptions during the war and post-war periods.” Another centrepiece of the site is the German Academy of Sciences, which was founded in Berlin in 1946 and renamed the Academy of Sciences of the GDR in 1972. The scientific institutes of the academy located in Adlershof quickly developed into a centre for physics, chemistry, materials, aeronautical and cosmic research. 

However, the fall of the Berlin Wall also brought upheaval to Adlershof: The facilities in Adlershof, the GDR state radio and the academy, had lost their purpose. In 1991, the Berlin Senate decided to create an “integrated landscape of science and business” at the location. “There were buildings and infrastructure on the site at the time, but there was also a great deal of uncertainty. Not all of the academy’s employees could be transferred to the new research facilities,” says Cindy Böhme. “The State of Berlin therefore had the task of deciding what should happen to the existing scientific institutions and which employees should be taken on. Of course, many people had to deal with this. But those who stayed had a great desire to create and build something at the location. Many of those who were not taken on took matters into their own hands and set up their own business. That was our first founding generation, so to speak.”

The former GDR Academy of Sciences gave rise to a total of eight of the research institutes now based in Adlershof, including the Ferdinand-Braun-Institut, Leibniz-Institut für Höchstfrequenztechnik (FBH) and the Max Born InstitutE for Nonlinear Optics and Short Pulse Spectroscopy (MBI). In 1997, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin decided to relocate its mathematics and natural sciences faculties to Adlershof. The historical development of the location also determined the current focus of the technology park: Photonics and Optics, Photovoltaics and Renewable Energies, Microsystems and Materials, Information Technology (IT) and Media as well as Biotechnology and Environment. “Today, we are extremely broadly positioned, science-orientated and high-tech-oriented,” explains Cindy Böhme. “This also makes us largely crisis-proof. The products and services of the companies at this location are in many cases unique worldwide. Moreover, if one of the sectors suffers an economic slump, this does not immediately weaken the entire technology park.”  

Tolerance and openness to the world

Another growing advantage of the science and technology park: Science and business are located close together in Adlershof and work in close co-operation. “We thrive on proximity and exchange at the location” according to Böhme. “High-level technology is the result of collaboration between companies and research institutions. Maintaining this is important to us.” The basic framework for this is a functioning infrastructure. In addition to laboratories, clean rooms, workshops and offices, this now also includes a digital infrastructure, a 5G campus network and a Jelbi station. However, the people who work and study here are more important for the further development of the location. Talented people from all over the world should feel at home in Adlershof – they want to be supported and challenged. Cindy Böhme explains: “We started focusing more on individual employees a few years ago. For example, we have established a network of skilled workers at the site and launched a further training academy. SMEs and start-ups often do not have the resources to design staff training offers themselves. With the WISTA Academy, we are bringing such programmes to the site for the employees of all institutions and pooling their needs.” Measures and events such as the “Diversity Festival Adlershof” maintain and promote tolerance and openness to the world at the site. “People of different backgrounds and disciplines should be able to work well and happily together at the location. After all, innovation is based on diversity and openness. And new solutions are created in teams that incorporate different perspectives.”

Founding based on science

In terms of content, for example, the development of new materials and new technologies in Adlershof is to be promoted. One of the plans is to establish a new, interdisciplinary centre of excellence for solving the "Grand Challenges”, such as climate change and the scarcity of resources. “The companies and research institutions at the location are already very active in these areas,” says Cindy Böhme. “Whether they are developing plant-based meat substitute solutions, innovative green chemistry processes or new storage options for solar power.” Start-ups that begin as spin-offs from research, for example, find their first home in the Adlershof start-up centre IGZ. The young company Quantune Technologies, for example, developed a high-precision, miniaturised IR spectrometer and received the Berlin Brandenburg Innovation Prize for it in 2022.

Successful technology transfer also takes place in Adlershof via the start-up services of Humboldt-Universität or the non-university research institutes located at the site. “The transfer between research and industry works particularly well when someone starts a business from a scientific background,” says Böhme. Successful examples of such spin-offs in Adlershof include C1 Green Chemicals, which has developed the world’s first pilot plant for the production of green methanol. Or Xolo, whose revolutionary 3D printing process can be used to produce surfaces extremely precisely and very quickly. The ST3AM project also aims to promote innovation: This new location on Rudower Chaussee, in the heart of Adlershof, offers around 3,000 square metres of makerspaces and plenty of space for creative, interdisciplinary work – as well as a relaxed atmosphere for developing disruptive ideas. It is due to be officially opened in late summer.

“Adlershof is known in the natural sciences scene beyond Berlin and has great international appeal. Precisely because there are many outstanding scientific institutions and companies here,” says Cindy Böhme. Added to this is the strong appeal of Brain City Berlin. “Berlin is a very special place. The city has an excellent research landscape, offers a lot of culture and a wide range of opportunities. We benefit from this, of course, because specialists from all over the world still like to come to Berlin – and there are many collaborations.” According to Cindy Böhme, there is something else that connects the Adlershof Science and Technology Park with the capital: “Berlin has constantly reinvented itself in recent decades, just like Adlershof. We see parallels there – and a lot of potential for the future.” 

Author: Ernestine von der Osten-Sacken

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