Several members of the FDP faction in the Hessian state parliament were in Kassel to inform themselves on site about innovations ‘made in northern Hessen’.
The first stop
The first stop was the Kassler company ‘doks. Innovation ‘, which equips drones with sensors to automatically detect the goods racks on large logistics areas. The parliamentary executive director of FDP faction Jürgen Lenders was very enthusiastic about this: “The logistics industry is a key sector in Hesse. Much has to be done here in the areas of digitization and infrastructure. The state government, however, misses the willingness to promote innovation. Due to the central location we have a great location advantage in Hesse, which we also have to exploit”.
Another station was the NorthHessenAccelerates innovation platform. For this purpose, the medical technology manufacturer B. Braun Melsungen, the Kassel fertilizer company K + S and the heating and cooling technology manufacturer Viessmann from Allendorf have joined together to get answers to future questions and challenges with the help of start-ups worldwide.
Presenting ideas
Serak Rezane, Innovation Manager at K + S, presented the platform to MEPs in detail. In particular, the idea to strengthen the rural area was very well received by Deputy Group Chairwoman and Spokesperson for Rural Areas Wiebke Knell: “I think it’s very good that there is such a platform here in Northern Hesse. Only in this way will we have the chance to make the location of Northern Hesse known nationally and internationally. Unfortunately, what is missing in many places in rural areas is the nationwide connection to the broadband network – but that is a prerequisite for being interesting for the start-up scene. Here, I would like to see more commitment from the state government to ensure that rural areas are not left behind”.
Keep startups innovation
The spokesman for the FDP parliamentary group for digitization Oliver Stirböck said in a similar vein: “Especially in the logistics sector, the Kassel site is of outstanding importance. In addition to the digital infrastructure, we also need better tax conditions in the long term, especially for venture capital. That’s the only way to keep innovative start-ups in the region”.