New Opportunities for Harburg – Also Thanks to TU Hamburg
At the event "Handelskammer on tour," experts discussed future visions for the south of Hamburg
16.04.2026
An unusual mix: Yesterday in Harburg, science, business, politics, and culture came together. The topic was the future of the emerging Hamburg district. At the event "Handelskammer on tour," high-profile representatives discussed on the podium at the Speicher am Kaufhauskanal – including the President of the Chamber of Commerce, Prof. Norbert Aust, the Chief Executive Officer of the Chamber of Commerce, Dr. Malte Heyne, the Chairwoman of the Economic Association in Hamburg South, Franziska Wedemann, Harburg resident and actor Sebastian Ströbel ("Die Bergretter"), and Prof. Irina Smirnova, Vice President for Research at the Hamburg University of Technology (TUHH).
TUHH expects up to ten new startups by 2026
The conversation in front of around 300 interested guests once again demonstrated that Harburg is undergoing a transformation process – as evidenced by an increasing quality of life, large projects, and a strongly growing startup scene. The TU Hamburg is decisively responsible for the latter. Prof. Irina Smirnova said: "In the past ten years, we have had around 60 companies that have emerged from TUHH and are now active in the Hamburg metropolitan region and far beyond. They are, so to speak, the children of TUHH. This year, we again expect eight to ten startups to emerge from our university. This kind of entrepreneurship is firmly embedded in our DNA. And even after founding, we give young startups the opportunity to stay connected with us, for example through our CampusLabs."
For many of these young companies from the manufacturing sector, sustainability plays a special role. Prof. Irina Smirnova: "'Technology for the people' has always been our motto, and in the past five years, we have focused on 'Engineering to Face Climate Change.' We want to develop technologies that allow people to live just as well in a changing climate as they do today. We see this as our societal mission."
The goal for Harburg: Tech City Hamburg
A prime example of startups that have emerged from TUHH is Lignopure. The now successful company converts industrial waste products into high-quality, sustainable ingredients through special processes. At the event, Lignopure was represented by co-founder and TUHH graduate Dr. Wienke Reynolds.
In the "Handelskammer on tour" program, in addition to the panel discussion moderated by Harriet von Waldenfels ("Hamburg Journal," NDR), there were also workshops and consultations for potential founders as well as other panels. In one session, Dr. Ralf Grote, head of the University Strategy Department at TUHH, spoke about the planned Tech City Hamburg – a strategic innovation space to be realized in southern Hamburg around the TUHH campus.
Dr. Ralf Grote: "Our goal is to bring innovations from the Hamburg University of Technology more quickly into application and to jointly shape a strong DeepTech ecosystem in Harburg with startups and industry. Tech City Hamburg offers the ideal conditions for this."
TUHH - Public Relations Office
Michael Tokarski
E-Mail: michael.tokarski@tuhh.de
Phone: +49 30601 3458
