Zeiss Invests €30 Million in German Innovation Hub
12,000m2 innovation centre to provide a new home for photonics spin-out Nanoscribe
Zeiss, the optics and optoelectronics firm, is investing in a new €30 million innovation hub to be built at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), in the Baden-Wuerttemberg region of Germany. Construction is scheduled to begin in early 2018; the €30 million hub will cover 12,000 square meters.
Zeiss wants the hub to house high-tech and digital start-ups, as well as its own innovation and new business activities. KIT will thus join forces with Zeiss experts to pave the way for the technologies of the future. KIT will be able to lease a portion of the space for its own carve-outs and innovation activities.
The collaboration between KIT and Zeiss is based on solid foundations as the hub will also be home to photonics spin-out Nanoscribe GmbH. It has been a successful KIT spin-out since 2007, and Zeiss is a stakeholder. With this move, Nanoscribe will have more space to grow its innovative technology for micro 3D printing.
Michael Kaschke, president and CEO of Carl Zeiss said: "We look forward to opening a site in the new location of Karlsruhe. This new concept means the Zeiss Innovation Hub at KIT will become a shared centre for science, start-ups and leading technology companies. Everyone will benefit from this unique combination of physical and thematic proximity."
Holger Hanselka, president of KIT said: "The commitment shown by Zeiss at KIT's north campus will bolster innovation at KIT and promote close collaboration with industry while being a point of contact for our graduates as they embark on a career in the industry. Thanks to the Zeiss Innovation Hub, we can also offer our highly innovative carve-outs the space to develop so that scientific research can be turned into market-ready products without delay, thus benefitting both industry and society."
