New Digital Hub Rhein-Neckar Goes Live - AI Opportunities for SMEs

A Central Platform for Key Technologies and Innovation in the Region

The Digital Hub Rhein-Neckar, funded by the Baden-Württemberg Ministry of Economic Affairs, is now live. The new platform brings together offerings, events, and expertise on key future technologies and connects companies, startups, and research institutions in the metropolitan region in a targeted manner.

The Rhine-Neckar metropolitan region has strong innovation potential—but until now, there has been no single digital hub to highlight this potential and make it accessible. The Rhine-Neckar Digital Hub is now filling this gap at https://dhrn.de/ .

Supported by a consortium of regional partners—including innoWerft Walldorf GmbH, the City of Mannheim, Digital Hub Rhein-Neckar GmbH, and others—the Digital Hub creates a central platform for small and medium-sized enterprises and startups that want to learn about key technologies, find suitable partners, and take advantage of regional innovation opportunities.

Focus on Five Key Technologies

The Rhine-Neckar Digital Hub covers five key technology fields that are particularly important for the region’s competitiveness:

• Artificial Intelligence (AI): Applications in production, logistics, quality management, and data-driven services

• Cybersecurity: Protection of critical infrastructure, industrial IT security, and secure data rooms

• Industry Tech: IoT applications, sensor technology, automation, data analysis, and connected production processes

• Sustainability and Energy Efficiency: CO₂ reporting, energy-saving potential in production and buildings, and drivers for the circular economy—measurable through key digital technologies

• Metaverse and Extended Reality (XR): Virtual and extended realities as new platforms for collaboration, training, and product development, digital twins, and immersive experiences

AI Matching: The Right Partner at the Touch of a Button

At the heart of the platform is an AI-powered matching feature: Companies describe their specific needs or technology requirements—the AI then identifies suitable contacts and offers from the region’s partner network. This quickly turns the search process into a concrete collaboration.

Venues, Events, and Opportunities in the Region—All in One Place

In addition to the matching feature, the platform offers a continuously updated overview of regional events, funding opportunities, and workshops, as well as available venues for meetings, coworking, and innovation projects throughout the entire metropolitan region.

Funded by the Baden-Württemberg Ministry of Economic Affairs

The project is funded by the Baden-Württemberg Ministry of Economic Affairs. The symbolic check presentation took place recently to mark the official launch of the project—a clear signal of the economic importance of regional innovation infrastructure.

“Good projects rarely fail because of a lack of will. They fail because people can’t find the right partners. That’s exactly where the platform comes in: Companies can see at a glance what opportunities are available in the region, and the matching system suggests partners that are a good fit for their specific project. This turns searching into getting started.” — Dr. Harald Sussek, Managing Director of 5-HT Chemistry & Health

_________________________________________________________________

About the Digital Hub Rhein-Neckar

The Digital Hub Rhein-Neckar is a joint initiative of innoWerft Walldorf GmbH, the City of Mannheim, Digital Hub Rhein-Neckar GmbH, and other partners from the metropolitan region. Its goal is to facilitate companies’ access to key technologies, highlight regional expertise, and foster concrete collaborations. The project is funded by the Baden-Württemberg Ministry of Economic Affairs.

🌐 https://dhrn.de/