HNEE Professor Uwe Demele brings scientific expertise to the Schwedt Startup Lab

The Startup Lab Schwedt receives scientific reinforcement: Prof Dr Uwe DemeleProfessor of Responsible Business Management & Ecological Sustainability at Eberswalde University for Sustainable Development (HNEE), will be actively involved in the EXIST model project for sustainable industrial development.

With his many years of experience and proven expertise in life-cycle management, circular design and academic Further Education, Prof Demele will enrich the innovation ecosystem in Schwedt. In his role as a research professor specialising in transfer, he not only provides strategic impetus, but also actively shapes the sustainable transformation at the industrial location.

"Schwedt offers a unique real-world laboratory in which we can rethink industrial value creation - in a circular, networked and sustainable way," says Prof Dr Uwe Demele. "Together with companies, start-ups and civil society, we are developing concrete solutions for industrial practice."

The Schwedt Startup Lab combines the innovative spirit of young companies with the challenges of industrial transformation. It is being implemented by HNEE together with the companies PCK Raffinerie GmbH and LEIPA Group GmbH. The aim is to create a platform on which start-ups can test and further develop their ideas under real industrial conditions - embedded in a network of science, business and society.

A central element is the open innovation approach, which specifically transfers new technologies into industrial applications. With the Startup Challenges Schwedt is an innovative financing instrument that enables practical solutions for key issues of the future - for example, on the path to climate-neutral life-cycle management.

Prof Dr Uwe Demele is contributing to the project not only with his scientific expertise, but also strategically. His key contributions include the development of circular business models and circular design concepts that are specifically geared towards industrial application. In addition, he designs practical training formats such as workshops and transfer modules that are tested directly in the Startup Lab. Another focus is on building and strengthening resilient networks between science, industry, start-ups and civil society - both at regional and international level - in order to drive forward the transformation in a comprehensive and cooperative manner.

This dovetailing creates new impetus for industrial change, strengthens sustainable value-added chains and positions Schwedt as a model region for circular industrial solutions.

For Schwedt, this means a noticeable boost in innovation: local companies and start-ups benefit from practical transfer projects in the field of circular economy, which make it easier for them to access sustainable production methods. At the same time, targeted investment is being made in the development of skilled labour - students and start-ups are receiving application-oriented training in future-relevant topics such as life-cycle management and responsible business practices. Schwedt is thus increasingly positioning itself as a beacon for sustainable industrial projects - with growing visibility beyond the region. This progress is complemented by the emerging Innovation Campus Schwedt, which enables demonstration projects on an industrial scale under municipal sponsorship and creates an efficient infrastructure to effectively combine sustainable chemistry and industrial innovation.