The future is here: new laboratories for GreenTech innovations
Published
23. February 2024
GreenTech Accelerator ryon opens modular laboratory infrastructure for start-ups and innovation projects
Hessian Minister of Economics and other high-ranking representatives from science, business and politics at the ceremony in Gernsheim
Kick-off event for GreenTech Cluster Rhine-Main-Neckar
Gernsheim, February 23, 2024 - The joy was palpable for everyone involved: After less than 12 months of construction, the first laboratory building of the GreenTech Accelerator ryon was opened today. With the Transition Center, as the new infrastructure is called, ryon has managed to close a gap, says ryon Managing Director, Prof. Dr. Jörg von Hagen: "Many start-ups ask themselves what happens after their idea has been tested. This is where the Transition Center comes in and offers the space an idea needs to grow: fully equipped laboratories, coaching opportunities and a broad network." But ryon doesn't just offer founders a new home: "University research projects and innovation projects from established companies are just as welcome!" says von Hagen.
With a total area of around 300 square meters, modern equipment and space for up to six companies, which can rent laboratory and office space, the GreenTech Accelerator has created a new pilgrimage site for GreenTech start-ups. The facility is located on the grounds of the GreenTech Park FLUXUM Gernsheim, which offers the best conditions with its wide range of industrial park facilities.
In the future, ryon is planning to develop a science and innovation campus in collaboration with FLUXUM Gernsheim. In future, researchers and experts from universities and companies will work together with young companies on this site.
In the next step, the Transition Center will be followed by a campus building: a new building with high-quality laboratories and workshops, modern workspaces for around 140 people and various event areas covering a total of around 5,000 m2. "The attractive new building will emphasize the appeal of the campus as a location for science and innovation from 2026," says Steffen Bruckner, Commercial Director of ryon.
Hesse's Minister of Economics and Deputy Prime Minister Kaweh Mansoori was also impressed by the new opportunities: "Solutions for the transformation of the economy need bright minds - but also appropriate spaces for testing and scaling up ideas. In the green tech sector in particular, this requires laboratories with high-quality equipment. ryon not only offers this, but is also intended to become a place that strengthens the location from which Hessian ideas are taken out into the world."
"The Transition Center offers local start-ups a modern laboratory infrastructure to test new technologies and improve them to the point where they can be developed to market maturity and then go into production," said Dr. Kai Beckmann, Member of the Executive Board of Merck and CEO Electronics. "At the heart of this concept is a simple but strong conviction: that innovation is the key to overcoming environmental challenges."
In addition to the opening of the Transition Center, the first network meeting of the "GreenTech Cluster Rhine-Main-Neckar" took place as part of the event. The cluster is an interdisciplinary network that brings together partners from industry, science and research, investment and politics. Its declared aim is to develop a leading technology location for innovative research and business that makes a significant contribution to sustainable transformation. "We are very proud that we have already been able to attract over 30 companies and institutions that want to join us on this journey since our foundation a few months ago. We have big goals, first and foremost the creation of qualified jobs in the Rhine-Main-Neckar region," says ryon Managing Director Steffen Bruckner. The ambitions are great, Bruckner emphasizes: "We will make the Rhine-Main-Neckar GreenTech Cluster a pioneer of sustainable technology developments in Europe.".