Hamburg is one of Europe’s leading innovation regions, according to the Regional Innovation Scoreboard, and no other German region has developed as dynamically since 2017. This progress is no accident; it is the result of a clear strategy designed to unite applied research and business within an innovation ecosystem – creating spaces where knowledge turns into innovation. The success of this strategy is exemplified by Innovationspark Altona.

To achieve this, Hamburg Invest was tasked with developing several innovation parks and quarters across the city. These parks and quarters are located near leading research institutions and innovative companies – strategically placed where scientific excellence can translate into economic applications. While Innovationspark Finkenwerder has been fully developed since 2024, the three additional sites in Altona, Bergedorf, and Harburg will follow in the coming years. The most advanced of these projects is Innovationspark Altona, a flagship initiative within Science City Hamburg-Bahrenfeld, focused on the key areas of life sciences, nanotechnology, quantum technologies, and materials science. On a total area of 8.4 hectares, approximately 5.3 hectares are slated to host up to 128,000 m² of gross floor space.

Benefiting from research infrastructure

In the western part of Hamburg, Innovationspark Altona is becoming a central element of the city’s innovation strategy. The goal is to provide space for forward-looking companies, create high-quality jobs, and strengthen the city’s excellent network of science and industry. Already, the park offers attractive space for innovative companies and start-ups, supported by a renowned research landscape including institutions such as the Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY), European XFEL, University of Hamburg and the Fraunhofer Institute for Translational Medicine and Pharmacology (ITMP).

“Innovationspark Altona is primarily aimed at companies that want to leverage DESY’s unique research infrastructure and engage closely with the scientific community,” explains Nina Alswede, Key Account Manager for Research & Innovation at Hamburg Invest. “Technology transfer at this location has gained significant relevance in recent years. Companies benefit not only from cutting-edge research infrastructure but also from the concentrated expertise available on the campus.”

In addition to move-in-ready laboratory spaces, the park also offers plots for companies with specific facility requirements. “Companies that build their own spaces can tailor them to their exact needs,” Alswede adds. This creates a perfectly matched offering for all stages of development – from the initial idea to a market-ready product – providing ideal conditions for science-driven research projects.

Creating an innovation ecosystem

The park is part of a larger network: together with the innovation parks in Bergedorf and Finkenwerder and the Harburg innovation quarter, it forms a citywide network of technological hubs. In specially designed buildings, companies of all sizes and development stages find highly specialized labs, workshops, and office spaces. The foundation of this success is close integration with Hamburg’s outstanding research infrastructure, including unique large-scale facilities such as the PETRA and FLASH particle accelerators and the European XFEL.

This innovation ecosystem deliberately connects university research, private investment, and successful business creation, creating a dynamic environment that positions Hamburg internationally as a deep-tech hub – making Innovationspark Altona a key location for technological progress.

Supporting young companies strategically

The park’s first dedicated building, tecHHub Hamburg, was completed by Hamburg Invest in summer 2024 – a city investment project with total costs of €35 million. Sixty percent of the tecHHub Hamburg’s usable space is devoted to laboratories for microbiological and chemical work, along with offices and conference rooms, primarily targeting scale-ups.

But it’s not just about infrastructure – tecHHub Hamburg is designed to foster networking and exchange. Young companies with little experience in planning and implementing lab and office spaces receive full support for all challenges – with success: the first tenants moved in September 2024. These include Provirex Genome Editing Therapies, CrystalsFirst, and SURFACtoBioTech – scale-ups developing innovative solutions across the life sciences sector using advanced methods.

The concept is designed so that people don’t just happen to share a building, but are encouraged to actively exchange ideas and collaborate

Nina Alswede

The next step in expanding the park is already underway: in March 2025, the groundbreaking ceremony took place for the DESY Innovation Factory. Beginning in 2027, it will provide approximately 3,000 m² of usable space for high-tech companies, featuring physics labs, offices, and workshops. It is intended to bridge the gap between research and industry, offering start-ups, scale-ups, and tech-oriented companies in photonics, sensors, and quantum technologies an optimal working environment close to DESY.

A quarter with a future

Innovationspark Altona is part of the overall Science City Hamburg-Bahrenfeld concept, which connects top-level research, teaching, and development with life in sustainable, green neighborhoods. Science City aims to strengthen Hamburg as a science and innovation hub and create an ecosystem where internationally leading institutions in physics, chemistry, biology, medicine, and pharmacology collaborate with companies and start-ups to find new ways to apply their research findings. As the northern kickoff project of Science City, Innovationspark Altona lays the foundation – for health, digitalization, AI, and sustainable material development. With a new generation of buildings and research facilities, it creates a unique environment for innovative, research-based companies.

This concept also includes locating scientific institutions and private corporations in central hubs within their sectors, where integrated urban development can take place. Cluster formation and the efficient planning of synergies are central to Hamburg’s strategy. Additionally, Science City will feature state-of-the-art research facilities, a university campus, a conference center, and 3,800 residential units. A vibrant neighborhood with attractive housing, green spaces, and sustainable mobility concepts is also planned.

Innovationspark Altona is growing step by step, aligned with the development plans of interested companies. Following the recently completed functional planning, an open space planning competition and further land and building development will commence this year. Starting in 2027, companies are expected to begin realizing initial new settlements.

Text and cover image: Hamburg Invest