Mecklenburg-Vorpommern is investing heavily in broadband expansion and the digitalization of local companies. The federal state on the Baltic coast is one of the pioneers nationwide in acquiring funding from the Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure’s (BMVI) broadband funding program. The district of Rostock in particular can benefit from the federal funding. With currently 15 applications for funding for various expansion projects throughout the district to cover a profitability gap, the district of Rostock will receive a total of around 139 million euros in federal funding for all planned broadband projects. The money will be used for roughly 2,700 kilometers of civil engineering work and the laying of fiber optics. The aim is to provide more than 63,000 households and over 4,000 companies in the subsidized area with bandwidths of at least 50 Mbps. By connecting them to the high-speed internet, entrepreneurs in the district of Rostock can advance the digitalization of their businesses. They receive help from the Mittelstand 4.0-Kompetenzzentrum Rostock, which supports small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) from all over Mecklenburg-Vorpommern with digitalization. The central point of contact for tradespeople from the state offers lectures, training courses or workshops as well as e-learning measures and arranges contacts with experts and networks. The primary aim is to bring ideas, technologies, approaches and strategies for digitalization to the target group and to support regional companies in implementing the digital transformation. Of particular importance is the comprehensive support provided to SMEs by the competence center during the initial digitalization steps. A multi-stage approach is used for this, as Managing Director Andreas Müller explains: “First of all, individual starting points are highlighted in an information meeting in order to then find out specifically where deficits exist in a QuickCheck.” In the next stage, companies can apply with their resulting digitalization projects. A jury will select which digitalization project will be supported by the competence center with the development of an individual digitalization strategy, implementation planning and the search for potential partners.
Research and innovation in the Rostock region
At the Mittelstand 4.0-Kompetenzzentrum Rostock, companies, in particular from the healthcare, medical technology and tourism sectors, will find suitable contacts and support. Thanks to close contacts with the many scientific institutions in the region, such as Wismar University of Applied Sciences, the Fraunhofer Society for the Promotion of Applied Research and Neubrandenburg University of Applied Sciences, they benefit from the latest research findings and the digital applications based on them. For example, the Fraunhofer IGD in Rostock is currently expanding its expertise in visual computing and is conducting research in the two departments “Visual Assistance Technologies” and “Maritime Graphics” on the development of software solutions for the maritime industry, mechanical and plant engineering and information technology. The IT-Initiative MV, the industry association of the IT industry in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, also enables regional companies to network directly with other companies from the state and, according to Müller, establishes “a direct line to the digitalization industry”. The competence center in Roggentin benefits from its proximity to the most populous city in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern: the university and Hanseatic city of Rostock. The city is not only an important research location. Rostock also supports the implementation of digital applications for regional companies and thus assumes a lighthouse function in the Regiopolregion Rostock – the merger of the district of Rostock, the Hanseatic city, the municipality of Ahrenshoop and the town of Ribnitz-Damgarten. The most important economic sectors on the Baltic coast are life sciences, the maritime industry, information technology, logistics and aerospace technology. Rostock also focuses on renewable energies. The city is predestined for this due to its location by the sea. The production of electricity from offshore wind energy in the Baltic Sea is becoming increasingly important. The city’s largest employer is currently the university with its affiliated university medical center, the largest medical facility in the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.
Hanseatic city of Rostock as a center of attraction for the region
Tourism also plays an important role in the economy of the district and the Hanseatic city. The historic port city with its brick Gothic architecture is a magnet for visitors. Rostock revives old traditions at the annual Hanse Sail, the world’s largest traditional sailing event. At this year’s Hanseatic Day in June, Rostock invited visitors to find out more about the city’s historical roots. The Hanseatic League of modern times is an example of the enduring importance of partnership-based cooperation between the Hanseatic cities. The Hanseatic League was originally founded in the 12th century as a protective and trading community of merchants from coastal towns on the North and Baltic Seas. At that time, it served to secure trade in Central and Northern Europe. Today, The Hanseatic League sees itself as a living and cultural community that transcends borders. The 190 cities – from Russia to Iceland and from France to Finland – use the platform to continue the tradition of the Hanseatic League of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance and to cooperate internationally on a cultural level. The city of Rostock, which celebrates its 800th anniversary in 2018, showed how history and the future go together at this year’s Hanseatic Day and presented itself as an innovative, creative and cosmopolitan university city under the motto “Simply act!”. This reflects the city’s role as the economic center of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.
“A future-oriented broadband expansion is essential for the implementation of digitization projects”
Meanwhile, the Mittelstand 4.0-Kompetenzzentrum Rostock plans to broaden its content so that companies in the Regiopol region can benefit even more from the developments of other companies and institutes. “In addition to current overarching focal points such as IT security, data protection and IT law, this includes content such as the use of IT solutions in tourism companies, opportunities for networking doctors in private practice, online marketing and sales measures,” says Andreas Müller. The prerequisite for the targeted digitalization projects is a comprehensive broadband expansion, as is now being implemented in the district of Rostock. “A future-oriented broadband expansion is essential for the implementation of digitization projects,” says Müller and welcomes the use of future-oriented technology in the rural district, “so that regional SMEs are not left behind by technological progress outside of urban areas and remain competitive in the future. Digitalization affects all sectors, so high-speed networks strengthen the region’s economic performance.”
Photo above: Aerial view of Rostock, Warnemünde and Hohe Düne.
Photo credits: Thomas Häntzschel / Hansestadt Rostock / Fotoagentur nordlicht
Middle photo: A researcher at work.
Photo credits: Fotoagentur nordlicht / Hansestadt Rostock
Photo gallery: Impressions of Rostock; the town hall (Fotoagentur nordlicht), the Neuer Markt (Angelika Heim) and the Nordic Yards Warnowwerft (Frank Hormann / Fotoagentur nordlicht)