The "Business meets science" event focused on the question of how local business and science benefit from regional research.
Under the motto "Cutting-edge research in Upper Lusatia - how WE, the local economy and science, benefit", the Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences (HSZG), together with the Dresden Chamber of Industry and Commerce, the Dresden Chamber of Crafts and the Allgemeiner Unternehmerverband Zittau und Umgebung e.V., invited guests to Zittau on January 15, 2026 as part of the "Business meets science" event.
The event "Cutting-edge research in Upper Lusatia - how WE, the local economy and science, benefit" focused on developments and prospects arising from major projects such as the establishment of the semiconductor manufacturer European Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (ESMC) in Dresden, the future establishment of the German Center for Astrophysics (DZA) in Görlitz or regional and (inter)national research activities of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, the German Aerospace Center (DLR) and the Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences. What opportunities does this open up for small and medium-sized regional companies in Saxony and Lausitz? Where do concrete interfaces arise? And how can science and business benefit from each other and shape the future of Upper Lusatia together?
With the German Centre for Astrophysics (DZA), for example, a research center is being created in Lausitz with a - as the DZA writes on its homepage - "forward-looking scientific programme: a center for digitization that brings together the data streams of astronomical observatories worldwide, and a center for the latest technologies that cooperates closely with industry and technology centers in Saxony and worldwide." However, the German Aerospace Center (DLR), the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft and the Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences are also demonstrating with their research projects in the region how Upper Lusatia can successfully manage structural change - from a region focused on lignite mining to a region as a potentially attractive location for science and business.
"Cutting-edge research and technology-leading companies often seem far away - but for companies in our region, there is a concrete opportunity to benefit from innovations, new partnerships and supplier opportunities. It is particularly important to Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences to show ways in which small and medium-sized companies can also gain access to our university, other large research institutions and high-tech companies. As an economist, I know that research is not an end in itself - it only becomes fully effective when innovations and new technologies flow directly into companies. A continuous exchange between science and business is therefore crucial in order to sustainably strengthen the region's innovative and economic power," says Prof. Dr. Sophia Keil, Vice President Research, Transfer and International Affairs.
As an economist, I know that research is not an end in itself - it only becomes fully effective when innovations and new technologies flow directly into companies. A continuous exchange between science and business is therefore crucial in order to sustainably strengthen the region's innovative and economic power.
”In the keynote speech "Chips made in Europe - Opportunities for SMEs in Upper Lusatia", Dr. Germar Schneider, a long-standing expert in the semiconductor industry and Senior Manager at Infineon in Dresden, and Dr. Steffen Pollack, founder and former Managing Director of Fabmatics GmbH, outlined the development of the semiconductor industry in Germany and specifically in the Dresden area. "We want to show SMEs and research institutions the opportunities that are opening up for Upper Lusatia through the expansion of the semiconductor factories in the north of Dresden," says Germar Schneider. Schneider, who was born in Augsburg, refers to his home state of Bavaria before the 1980s, when it was still largely characterized by agriculture. "Today, Bavaria is a high-tech state. And in Saxony, our high-tech ecosystem continues to grow thanks to investments in the semiconductor industry - including with SMEs."
Dr. Steffen Pollack adds: "You need patience and perseverance to build up a company. If you combine that with a vision, your company's genuine expertise and a pioneering spirit and pioneering work, then you have a basis for entrepreneurial success." Pollack founded the company HAP GmbH (Handhabungs-, Automatisierungs- und Präzisionstechnik GmbH Dresden) in 1991. 13 years later, his company had 25 employees; by 2026, there were 350. In 2017, the company changed its name to Fabmatics, partly because the letter "H" is difficult to pronounce in Asia. "Fabmatics is now a nationally and internationally recognized company," says Pollack.
So how does sustainable and successful growth come about - especially in the new federal states? Rainer Gropp, President of the Leibniz Institute for Economic Research Halle, told SPIEGEL (January 9, 2026 issue): "Investment in the future does not come from subsidies, but from curiosity - in the research departments of companies, at universities, in start-ups. If the state really wants to stimulate investment, it must create excellent research conditions for people who want to turn an idea into a company." This is an (in)direct reference to the pioneering spirit and the genuine start-up idea that Schneider and Pollack shared with the audience in their keynote speech at "Business and Science".
However, this curiosity for entrepreneurial spirit has paid off economically for the Free State of Saxony. The Baden-Württemberg State Statistical Office (source: Der SPIEGEL, 09.01.26) predicts an increase (price-adjusted) in GDP (gross domestic product) of 9.7 percent for Saxony between 2014 and 2024, the highest figure of all the new federal states. In comparison: Saxony: +9.7 percent, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania: +9.4 percent, Brandenburg: +4.1 percent, Thuringia: +3.5 percent, Saxony-Anhalt: -0.7 percent.
The subsequent keynote speeches at "Business meets Science" by Dr. Stefan Jakschik (Managing Partner of ULT AG), Professor Sophia Keil and Marcus Will (HSZG) and Dr. Uwe Riedel (Director of the DLR Institute of Low-Carbon Industrial Processes) primarily outlined the future exchange between science and industry. "Our house is open. Science thrives on cooperation and personal exchange. At our campuses in Zittau and Görlitz, a variety of spaces invite people to come together, share ideas and develop innovations - for example in the CELSIUZ transfer room in the Mandauhöfe in Zittau. As a university, we see ourselves as an open, lively innovation hub for the region," says Prof. Dr. Sophia Keil. "DLR sees it as its task to put research into practice," explains Dr. Uwe Riedel. "Chips - that's not for me. That's something for large corporations, some of the participants thought in advance of the event. But the more complex the respective ecosystems are (here in the semiconductor sector), the greater the opportunities for small and medium-sized companies in Upper Lusatia to benefit from them," says Dr. Stefan Jakschik.
However, there was also some skepticism in the audience and among the participants about how to approach research institutions in terms of communication. "I have an office equipment company. Should I contact the German Aerospace Center directly if I have a new office chair in my range?" was a pointed comment from the regional Zittau business community. "We need better communication. We still don't really know how to communicate with companies and research institutions," says Ina Ultsch, Deputy Chairwoman of the General Business Association of Zittau and the surrounding area. "We know that a communicative interface is still missing here at the moment. That's why we want to build a communicative platform in the future that makes this possible - a dialog between regional companies in the skilled trades, business and science," says Ultsch.
The Dresden Chamber of Skilled Crafts appeals: "Go to the topic tables and formulate your needs. Cooperation between science and industry can only work through exchange," emphasizes Daniel Hübschmann, Head of Innovation and Technology at the Dresden Chamber of Skilled Crafts. The Dresden Chamber of Industry and Commerce confirms the positive development of the Görlitz/Zittau locations and the border triangle: "We are here in the border triangle between Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic. This is a location that is worth keeping an eye on regionally, nationally and internationally," says Lukas Rohleder, Managing Director of the Dresden Chamber of Industry and Commerce.
Following the event, an accompanying exhibition with research projects from Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences with themed tables invited the more than 160 guests to an informal "get-together" with exchange and dialog - and to explore current and future opportunities for cooperation between business and science. The "Business meets Science" event, moderated by Leonie Liemich, Project Coordinator of the Lausitz - Life & Technology Alliance, proved to be an important platform for dialog between universities, research institutions and regional businesses. It provided decisive impetus for the development of the Lausitz region and emphasized the importance of cooperation between research and companies.
"I am grateful that we were able to successfully organize this event for the 17th time together with our partners - IHK Dresden, Allgemeiner Unternehmerverband Zittau und Umgebung e.V., Hochschule Zittau/Görlitz and Handwerkskammer Dresden," said Prof. Dr. Sophia Keil, Vice President Research, Transfer and International Affairs. Prof. Dr.-Ing. Alexander Kratzsch, Rector of Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences, said in his welcoming address: "When I see how full the hall is, then this event will be a great success. "
The Sächsische Zeitung wrote on January 16, one day after the "Business meets Science" event: "Upper Lusatia's courtship of Taiwan's chip industry continues. On January 18, 2026, Görlitz member of the Bundestag Florian Oest (CDU) traveled to Taiwan with the rector of the Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences, Alexander Kratzsch. They are part of a group of politicians from the Bundestag and business representatives such as IHK Managing Director Lukas Rohleder. The delegation's program is specifically geared towards expanding cooperation in science and business. "
The "Business Meets Science" event on January 15, 2026 was thus a successful prologue for further international activities of the Free State of Saxony in research and business - from which small and medium-sized companies in the region can also benefit in the future.
Text: Frank Leberecht , Photos: Rafael Sampedro
