A Year of Opportunity and Successes

A chance to pat ourselves on the back – the Berlin Partner annual report for 2022.

The development agency Berlin Partner for Business and Technology sees itself as a facilitator of ideas in the German capital city. Over 200 dedicated staff help Berlin’s businesses thrive. Berlin Partner’s annual report shows Berlin as a high-growth location and Berlin Partner as a high-performance business development agency and first port of call for  companies looking to set up and grow in Germany and Europe. 

Berlin has been growing dynamically for many years. In 2022, the gross domestic product rose by 4.9 per cent, up from the previous year (3.2 per cent) and significantly higher than the national average (1.8 per cent). Berlin Partner contributed to this.

Stefan Franzke, Managing Director of Berlin Partner, says, "Berlin's entrepreneurs have once again shown that good ideas thrive in times of crisis. That is why Berlin Partner sees itself more than ever as a promoter of ideas in the capital. And because things are not going to get any easier this year, we will continue to be there for the business community in 2023 – with good ideas, with advice and action, and always together.” 

Berlin Partner’s business services are multifarious and highly individualized. They include:

• An Innovation Service to determine your innovation needs and connect you with partners from research institutes and industry
• A Finance Service that helps businesses find funding for investment and innovation
• An International Service to help you open up new markets abroad 
• A Talent Service to support you in your search for skilled personnel as well as training, qualification, and residency issues
• A Location Service to help you find the right site or offices
• A Sustainability Service to show you ways to strengthen your corporate sustainability

Furthermore, Berlin Partner is also official partner to some of the city’s most established and grandest events, such as the Berlin Fashion Week, Berlin Master Chefs, and various sports marketing campaigns. The agency also supports initiatives such as Berlin Against Anti-Semitism, runs the city’s AI campaign including the project #AI_Berlin, and offers comprehensive information on business locations on the internet portal Business Location Center.

Who is behind Berlin Partner?

Berlin Partner for Business and Technology is a public-private partnership primarily funded by the State of Berlin. The shareholders of Berlin Partner are:

• the Investment Bank Berlin IBB 
• the Technology Foundation Berlin 
• the Partner for Berlin Holding Association for Capital Marketing 
• the Berlin Chamber of Trades, 
• the Chamber of Commerce and Industry Berlin 
• the Alliance of Business Associations in Berlin und Brandenburg UVB

All of these institutions have an interest in promoting the economic success of businesses in the city of Berlin. 

Which sectors does Berlin promote especially?

If you have a company or a business idea, then Berlin Partner can help you achieve your vision – whatever your sector or industry. Your activities will likely fall under one of the clusters that Berlin promotes and Berlin Partner’s dedicated staff are organized by. See for example Wolfgang Korek as cluster manager for energy tech or Amira Gutmann-Trieb, cluster manager for ICT and the creative industries.

Here’s a roundup of the industry sector clusters that the city of Berlin specifically sees as growth sectors. They cover a wide range of business ideas and styles.

The clusters are:

1. Energy Technology 
   The diverse field of energy tech and smart city comprises a particular focus on clean technologies and also includes topics such as materials and resource efficiency, sustainable water management, and the circular economy.
2. Life Sciences and the Healthcare Industry, including biotech, medtech and digital health.
3. ICT, Media and the Creative Industries 
   This cluster accounts for 40.745 businesses in Berlin with €32.8B in turnover. Included are tech firms in AI and blockchain.
4. Optics and Photonics Lighting, laser, and optical technologies are among the most important key technologies of digitization. This cluster also comprises microsystems and quantum technologies.
5. Transport, Mobility and Logistics There are currently 112.000 people employed in this cluster in Berlin, making it one of the most significant. eMO, the competence center for electric mobility, is also part of Berlin Partner. The trend is clear: in 2022 there were 60% more electric vehicles on Berlin's roads than in the previous year.
6. Industrial Production
   There are over 60 robotics companies in Berlin. Furthermore, Berlin is the capital of additive manufacturing. The network is coordinated by Berlin Partner under the new umbrella brand AMBER (Additive Manufacturing Berlin Brandenburg).

How did Berlin Partner perform in 2022?

Berlin Partner’s successes are measured according to various indicators. The focus is on the number of jobs created or secured in Berlin with the support of Berlin Partner. In addition, the investment volume in the city and the third-party funds raised in the projects supported by Berlin Partner are major factors. Here are some stats:

• In 239 successfully completed projects, 
• Berlin Partner has supported companies which have created a total of 8389 new jobs in Berlin,
• In the process, around €1.1B investment was secured,
• Berlin Partner helped gather €140.1M in third-party funding for research and development, half of it from the federal state; over a third of this money goes to the cluster Transport, Mobility and Logistics
• According to the IBB, all this resulted in a €1,9B increase of the GDP in the region, and additional €260M public revenue for the years 2022-2024. 

Of the 239 completed projects, a quarter are considered innovation projects. 107 projects (that’s 45%) involved existing Berlin businesses. A third of the projects involved Berlin Partner helping businesses to relocate or start up in Berlin. 

Of the 73 businesses that Berlin Partner helped to settle in Berlin, a third came from within Germany, a third are European, and the final third are from the rest of the world. 

Of the 8389 new jobs, about half were through relocation projects, the other half through supporting established Berlin businesses. 

Furthermore, of the 8389 new jobs, 3536 were in the ICT, Media and Creative Industries, 1935 in Transport, Mobility and Logistics, the rest in other clusters.

Of the €1,1 billion in planned investments, ICT, Media and Creative Industries get the lion’s share, almost half. Most of it, €958M, is going to established Berlin businesses.

Finally, in 2022, 166.500 qualified people moved to Berlin, over half from abroad.

Berlin is as attractive as ever to people and companies. The work of Berlin Partner supporting businesses in Berlin only makes it more so. 

As Stephan Schwarz, Senator for Economics, Energy and Public Enterprises, puts it:

“We are looking at economic growth that is well above average, a top position in the creation of new employment and an unbroken attractiveness for investments from Germany and abroad. There are three reasons for this: A strong economic structure, a dynamic innovation environment that attracts talent from everywhere, and a clear commitment by policymakers to develop Berlin into a leading business and technology location in Europe.”

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Interview: Olaf Bryan Wielk, ideenmanufaktur
Header image: © Berlin Partner – eventfotografen.berlin