Innovation network for digital location

Jena Digital Association joins forces in the digital economy and science in future

Yesterday afternoon, 26 companies and institutions from Jena's digital economy, science and administration came together at the Scala Restaurant in the JenTower for the founding meeting of the Jena Digital Association. The association is a joint innovation and cooperation network that aims to establish Jena as a beacon for digitalization across all sectors and to help it gain national and international appeal.

Jena is a strong digital location with a long tradition and is considered the capital of e-commerce in Germany. "Around 3,500 employees in more than 140 companies in the digital economy and a further 1,500 digital experts in the high-tech companies and research institutions based here are playing a key role in shaping the digital transformation of our society," reports Wilfried Röpke, Managing Director of the Jena Economic Development Corporation (JenaWirtschaft) and member of the board of the newly founded association. JenaWirtschaft co-initiated and actively supported the process of founding the association. "Developing innovative solutions will increasingly require the cross-industry exchange of knowledge and cooperation between players from different areas of society in the future," emphasizes Hans Elstner, Chairman of the Executive Board of rooom AG and spokesperson for the association. The tasks of the network go far beyond those of an interest group: "Our goal with the association is to create a communication and cooperation platform for business, science and administration around the topic of digitalization," explains Domenique Dölz, project employee at JenaWirtschaft and operational network manager of Jena Digital. "Jena Digital now offers us the opportunity to form an alliance in order to represent the business location and our industry to the outside world and to network more closely internally," emphasizes Christian Otto Grötsch, Managing Director of dotSource GmbH and Secretary of the association.

Jena Digital has already been proving for a good two years that pooling resources means added value for everyone as a loose network of companies. With the virtual discovery tour "Jena Digital Safari" and the workshop series "Digi:TALK", event formats have been established that showcase the versatility of Jena's digital economy and bring industry players into conversation. The Jena vs. Virus Camp, a hackathon in which urban society and the digital economy worked together to find creative and sustainable solutions for dealing with the pandemic, was a great success for the network. Thanks to the network, digital skills are now being promoted among children and young people throughout the state via the annual Code Week Thuringia. In addition, specialists and companies were successfully 'matched' at job speed dating events. This successful networking is to be consolidated and continuously expanded with the founding of the association.

Stephanie Hänsch, site manager at Accenture Technology Solutions GmbH in Jena and spokesperson for the association, reports that the growing demand for skilled workers will be one of the biggest challenges facing the network: "As a digital location, we are competing for the best talent. Together, we want to work on the local framework conditions and develop innovative concepts to promote and train future employees." The joint marketing of the digital location is just as much a focus of the association's work as the pooling of resources for the training and further education of skilled workers. Jena Digital's close cooperation with the economic development agency and Jena's existing industry networks is also of great importance for the development of the innovation location.

The variety of topics covered by Jena Digital is broad, emphasizes Dölz, and ranges from e-commerce and digital business to data competence, artificial intelligence and IT security. The broad spectrum is also reflected in the diversity of the founding members. From small and medium-sized companies, such as Orisa Software GmbH, to established digital and e-commerce giants, such as dotsource GmbH, Accenture Technology Solutions GmbH and Intershop Communications AG, as well as up-and-coming start-ups such as rooom AG. Scientific institutions such as the Ernst Abbe University of Applied Sciences and international high-tech companies such as Carl Zeiss AG and SCHOTT AG are also involved in the innovation network.

"Yesterday's founding of the Jena Digital association is an important step forward," summarizes network manager Dölz. "But this is just the beginning. All players with an interest in digital content are invited to join the innovation network," says Dölz, calling on Jena's digital economy to participate in the association.

All information about Jena Digital can be found on the Jena Digital association website.

Sound bites from the network

Christian Otto Grötsch, founder and managing director of dotSource GmbH

As an owner-managed digital agency from Jena, it is important for us to stay in contact with the other players in the location! Jena Digital now offers us the opportunity to form an alliance to represent the business location and our industry to the outside world and to network more closely internally.

Stephanie Hänsch, Site Manager Jena, Accenture Technology Solutions GmbH

As a leading global IT company, we at Accenture support numerous clients on their path to digitalization. We have already built up a strong team in Jena for this purpose. With Jena Digital, we want to create a network that will help Jena continue to develop into an attractive location for talent and companies in the digital sector. A place where industry experts can come together and jointly overcome challenges such as the shortage of skilled workers. This also includes innovative concepts for the promotion and training of future employees as well as the exchange of ideas and mutual support between members and interested parties in the digital industry.

Hans Elstner, founder and CEO of rooom AG

My home town of Jena offers a unique network of research, innovative companies and digital pioneers. The new Jena Digital Association is our opportunity to promote synergies and drive digitalization forward - far beyond the city limits! As Deputy Chairman of the Board, I am delighted to be working with so many great partners to make Jena's digital beacon shine even brighter.

Matthias Schwuchow, Managing Director of ORISA Software GmbH

The establishment of Jena Digital will strengthen Jena as a location in the long term, local IT companies will be able to network better and promote new ideas. We look forward to innovative collaboration with the association's partners, strategic goals relating to digital topics and a lively exchange of ideas.

Manuela Meyer, Digitalization Officer of the City of Jena

As a city administration, we have long since set out to implement digital transformation. Whether it's the Smart City model project or the 5G traffic networking project - we are right in the middle of it and want to shape the framework conditions for a business-friendly, innovative and liveable city together through our involvement in the association. We cannot do this alone, but only together with the business community, universities and research institutions as well as the citizens of our city.

Markus Klahn, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Intershop Communications AG

Intershop is part of Jena and therefore part of Jena Digital - together with other local IT companies, we want to strengthen the location and, in particular, attract and develop new talent to Jena. Helping to shape the digital future of Jena is important to us, which is why we have joined Jena Digital.

Prof. Steffen Teichert, Rector of the Ernst Abbe University of Applied Sciences Jena

The Ernst Abbe University of Applied Sciences expressly welcomes the founding of the Jena Digital association. This will further strengthen the cooperative relationships between business and science that have existed for many years. As Ernst Abbe University of Applied Sciences, we are delighted to be part of the growing community of digitalization activists in the city of Jena.

Dr. Patrick Hahn, Head of Digitalization and IT, Carl Zeiss AG

As a founding partner of Jena Digital, we are delighted to be making a committed contribution to networking and promoting the digital economy in our start-up location of Jena. Jena Digital lies at the intersection of three important ZEISS drivers: We are advancing the digital transformation of the economy with technologies, data expertise and solutions. We provide innovations with an open, creative and science-oriented development space, for example at our future high-tech location in Jena. And as part of our sustainability agenda, we are committed to climate protection and CO2 neutrality as well as to science and technology education and the promotion of young talent in digital and high-tech professions, among other things. We look forward to working with Jena's business, science, administration and civil society to provide effective impetus for the location.

Jörg Triller, Head of Regional Information Solutions EMEA, SCHOTT AG

SCHOTT AG is very pleased about this initiative and expressly supports the founding of the association with all its goals. Digitization is much more than a buzzword and is fundamental for cities, business and science alike. Above all, we want to play an important role as a business partner and benefit from the network at the start-up location in Jena.

Thomas Becker, Managing Partner DAKO GmbH

As a future-oriented IT company rooted in the region, DAKO GmbH sees it as a great pleasure and responsibility to join the Jena Digital Alliance as a founding member. In cooperation with other well-known players from the regional science and business community, we would like to work together even more actively in the future to increase the visibility of Jena as a location for innovation and digitalization.

Roland Bornheim, THYOTEC | IKS Service GmbH

With the founding of the Jena Digital association, networking is set to reach a new level of quality.

Florian Ölsner, Lead Software Engineer, Spleenlab GmbH

When founding Spleenlab, we deliberately chose the Central German region and its proximity to Jena as a location, as there are generally good conditions here for start-ups, particularly in the areas of financing, personnel expertise and supply chains in the high-tech sector. At the same time, however, we also see a need for structural optimization to bundle and serve interests and needs, particularly in the start-up sector. Together with established companies, our aim is to promote the topics of technology and knowledge transfer, recruiting skilled workers and coworking spaces, as well as strengthening digital networking.

Christoph Hanf, Managing Director PARIMEO GmbH

Our motivation with Jena Digital eV is to network the existing expertise even more closely in order to create synergies with the shapers of digitalization. The further development of Jena as a digital location also offers us numerous opportunities for cooperation and the initiation of new projects.

Steffen Späthe, Managing Director of Navimatix GmbH

We want to promote the networking of software-developing companies in and around Jena. Together, we will create opportunities for exchange and the training and further education of our current and future employees that would not be possible for each individual alone. In this way, "Made in Jena" can also be established as a guarantee of quality for digital products in the long term and Jena can become visible as an outstanding location for the digital industry.

Marko Fliege, JustOn GmbH

As a future-oriented IT company rooted in the region, DAKO GmbH sees it as a great pleasure and responsibility to join the Jena Digital Alliance as a founding member. In cooperation with other well-known players from the regional science and business community, we would like to work together even more actively in the future to increase the visibility of Jena as a location for innovation and digitalization.

Michael Walther, Managing Director akquinet finance & controlling GmbH

In order to develop radiance beyond Jena as a beacon for the digital economy and science, it makes sense to pool expertise and create joint solutions. In our view, the founding of the association makes a major contribution to this. We are very much looking forward to working together and are happy to contribute our cutting-edge topics for processing and analyzing data, as well as our training formats for teaching skills in handling data.

Sandra Melle, authorized signatory of TAF mobile GmbH

As an innovative service provider in the field of mobility solutions from Jena, we hope that our foundation and membership in Jena Digital will give us greater visibility and an active exchange in the innovation network with regional IT companies. Innovative project ideas could be developed in joint cooperation or synergy effects could be exploited. Our aim is to promote digitalization in the region and drive forward international recruiting.

Christoph Hanf, Managing Director of PARIMEO GmbH

Our motivation with Jena Digital is to network the existing expertise even more closely in order to create synergies with the shapers of digitalization. The further development of Jena as a digital location also offers us numerous opportunities for cooperation and the initiation of new projects.

Founding members (in alphabetical order)

As a supporting member

• Accenture Technology Solutions GmbH
• Orisa Software GmbH

As members

• akquinet finance & controlling GmbH
• Carl Zeiss AG
• Cdmm GmbH
• DAKO GmbH
• dotSource GmbH
• Ernst Abbe University Jena
• Enginsight GmbH
• Intershop Communications AG
• IT-Paradies GmbH
• Jena - City of Light (City Administration)
• JustOn GmbH
• Navimatix GmbH
• PARIMEO GmbH
• relyon AG
• rooom AG
• SCHOTT AG
• Spleenlab GmbH
• TAF mobile GmbH
• Thyotec I IKS Service GmbH
• T-Systems Multimedia Solutions GmbH
• UnternehmenDigital GmbH
• UX2B GmbH
• Werner & Klopfleisch UHG
• Business Development Corporation Jena mbH

Members of the board

• Wirtschaftsförderungsgesellschaft Jena mbH, Mr. Wilfried Röpke, (Chairman of the Executive Board)
• rooom AG, Mr. Hans Elstner, (Deputy Chairman of the Executive Board)
• Accenture Technolgy Solutions GmbH, Ms. Stephanie Hänsch (supporting member, Deputy Chairwoman of the Board)
• dotSource GmbH, Mr. Christian Otto Grötsch, (Secretary)
• Orisa Software GmbH, Mr. Mathias Schwuchow (supporting member)
• Ernst Abbe University of Applied Sciences Jena, Prof. Steffen Teichert
• Intershop Communications AG, Mr. Markus Klahn
• Jena - Lichtstadt, Ms. Manuela Meyer
• T-Systems Mobile Solutions GmbH, Mr. Ralf Pechmann