Hamburg and Israel deepen innovation partnership

Israel's high concentration of start-ups and venture capital per capita makes it one of the world's most innovative countries with over 8,000 start-ups frequently developing technology-based business models. "Israel is very good at driving innovation. Hamburg is an attractive market and offers Israeli start-ups the chance to scale up. Our events offer the various stakeholders an opportunity to make mutually beneficial and valuable contacts," said Veronika Reichboth, Head of Startup Unit at Hamburg Invest. Hamburg is one of the EU's strongest economic regions and topped Bitkom's annual Smart City Index for the fourth consecutive time in 2022. The city offers great conditions for forging collaborations. 

Eight start-ups presented their business models in eight-minute pitches under the theme of "Smart City & Smart Mobility Technologies Made in Israel" at the HCU on Tuesday (July 11, 2023). Their approaches ranged from smart management systems based on digital twins to Industrial Internet of Things (IIOT) solutions and cyber security. The start-up, HopOn, for instance, is advancing the mobility transition with its Mobility-as-a-Service solution designed to say goodbye to your car. "Our  suggestions include all kinds of mobility from public transport to walking, and take into account real-time information about traffic and weather," said Amir Rosenzweig, CEO. Changing buses with HopOn will be fun. "If a bus is delayed, the user will receive a notification on their mobile phone as well as a coffee coupon for use in a nearby café. The annoyance over the delayed bus will turn into fun (and easier to swallow) with a cup of coffee."

The intelligent use of digital solutions can be fun and has many benefits, according to Professor Jörg Müller-Lietzkow, President of HCU. The smart city emerges from the fusion of technological and digital infrastructures. Research into this process is underway at HCU's CityScienceLab with partners from civil society, politics, business and science. Jörg Rainer Noennig, Professor of Digital City Science at HCU, said the world is now experiencing a "Cambrian moment" in mobility. The Cambrian period was marked by a sudden explosion of life on Earth. "We are now experiencing the sudden emergence of a multitude of mobility options and need to figure out how to share existing space wisely." Urban Air Mobility (UAM), for instance, is on the starting blocks and take-off and landing areas should and will be found for this new means of transport, he said. Many smart ideas for shaping the future are just waiting to be turned around.

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