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Innovative Greifswald The Business Magazine
Innovative
Greifswald
The Business Magazine of the
University and Hanseatic City of Greifswald
CONTENTS
6 Greeting by the Lord Mayor
8 Greifswald: a young city
steeped in tradition
HanseYachts
14
The home of sailing
Friedrich Loeffler Institut
18
World-class research
22 Coldplasmatech
Wound treatment of the future
Welcome Centre
26
Welcome!
Advocado
28
Law made easy
Katapult
32
The world is as you see it
4 I N N OVAT I V E G R E I F S WA L D
Cowork Greifswald
36
Teamwork makes the dream work
Centre for Life Science and
38
Plasma Technology
WITENO
Leibniz Institute for Plasma
Science and Technology
Keep at it
Vilua Healthcare
42
Data for a better life
Cheplapharm Arzneimittel
46
Tradition meets high-tech
CO N T E N T S 5
6 I N N OVAT I V E G R E I F S WA L D
Dear readers,
As Lord Mayor of the University and Hanseatic City of Greifswald, I am delighted
that you are interested in our city. No matter whether you’re a holidaymaker or an
entrepreneur, you are always welcome in Greifswald.
Greifswald is young, dynamic and innovative. The city owes these inspiring quali-
ties to its inhabitants – almost 62,000 of them.
Greifswald is young. With its residents having an average age of 42.2 years,
Greifswald is one of the youngest cities in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. Greifswald
University is home to around 10,000 students: they make a substantial contribution
in this regard and lend a lively atmosphere to our city.
Greifswald is dynamic. Our city’s main asset is the people who love living and
working in Greifswald. A superb quality of life and appealing job opportunities at-
tract new residents and ensure that the population continues to grow.
Greifswald is innovative. There are over 70 research institutes and high-tech com-
panies in the vicinity of the university. One third of all the residents of Greifswald
work in the areas of research, development and university education.
In this business brochure, we would like to introduce you to some of Greifswald’s
highly successful entrepreneurs and scientists. I hope these success stories inspire
you.
We look forward to welcoming you to Greifswald.
Kind regards,
Dr. Stefan Fassbinder
Lord Mayor of the University and Hanseatic City of Greifswald
7
8 I N N OVAT I V E G R E I F S WA L D
Greifswald:
a young city
steeped in tradition
The three brick churches of St. siederei – the house where Friedrich er of ocean-going sailing vessels in
Marien, St. Nikolai and St. Jaco- was born – you can view various the world, is situated right here in
bi dominate the silhouette of the exhibitions that pay homage to this Greifswald.
University and Hanseatic City of great painter of the Romantic epoch. If you come to Greifswald from
Greifswald, welcoming travellers From the Danish Wiek, as the Baltic the southeast, you’ll be able to
from afar. This view reflects the his- bay that laps at the feet of the city see the future. The modern wave-
torical face of the city immortalised is called, you can reach the largest shaped roof of the Max Planck In-
by the painter Caspar David Fried- museum harbour in Germany and stitute for Plasma Physics (IPP) has
rich, who was born in Greifswald in the Greifswald Museum Shipyard, become a city landmark. Fusion re-
1774, in his painting ‘Die Wiesen bei both of which are situated on the search carried out at IPP aims to de-
Greifswald’ (The Greifswald Mead- banks of the River Ryck. velop a power plant that is climate
ows). World-famous paintings by Here, close to the historical city and environment-friendly. The idea
the city’s most famous son can be centre, the maritime heritage of the is to generate energy from the fu-
found in the gallery of the Pomer- old Hanseatic city still thrives. And sion of atomic nuclei, like the sun
anian State Museum. At the Caspar amidst the romantic atmosphere of does. For this purpose, scientists,
David Friedrich Centre, which is lo- historic fishing boats and sail freight- engineers and craftsmen from all
cated at the Friedrichsche Seifen- ers, boat building is in full swing using over the globe worked together to
state-of-the-art series production. build the Stellarator Wendelstein 7-X
The headquarters of HanseYachts fusion research facility in Greifswald.
Left: The yacht marina and the River Ryck AG, the second largest manufactur- This is the largest fusion facility of
G R E I F S WA L D 9
its kind in the world, and the inten-
tion is to investigate whether it is
suitable for use as a power plant.
The next phase in the step-by-step
expansion of the fusion facility is
well underway. The inner lining of
the plasma vessel is water-cooled,
which enables the system to handle
increased heating power and longer
plasma pulses. It is expected that it
will be possible to resume the plas-
ma operation by the end of 2021.
There are only six kilometres,
the city’s maximum diameter, be-
tween the salt marshes in the north
of Greifswald and the IPP in the
southeast. As a result, Greifswald is
also known as the ‘city of short dis-
tances’. A survey conducted by the
Geographical Institute of the Uni-
versity of Greifswald has revealed
Left: View of the city wall from the embank-
ments, with the Pomeranian State Museum in
the background.
Below: Greifswald market square
Greifswald is the lighthouse of the
north-east. Scientists were able to
prove that the city on the lagoon has
seen a significant influx of residents,
putting Greifswald on a par with
much bigger cities, like Dresden,
Leipzig and Jena.
10 I N N OVAT I V E G R E I F S WA L Dthat the average distance covered
in Greifswald is just two kilometres.
classical music fans flock to the city
for ‘Greifswald Bach Week’, the sa-
One in five
Almost half of all the residents of
Greifswald use a bicycle as their ev-
cred music festival in the north. In
July, some of the world’s biggest
residents of
eryday mode of transport. In fact, names in jazz perform in the unique
the Hanseatic city is regarded as the setting of the monastery ruins at Greifswald is
ideal spot for cyclists. This was con- the ‘Eldenaer Jazz Evenings’. The
firmed by the outcome of the lat- ‘Fischerfest Gaffelrigg’ also attracts between the ages
est cycling climate test by the ADFC more than 50,000 visitors to the
(German Cycling Club). Of the 98 Greifswald Wieck every year. of 18 and 30.
participating cities throughout Ger- Greifswald is the lighthouse of
many with a population of between the north-east. For many years,
50,000 and 100,000, Greifswald took it was the young people who left which affects other regions as well
6th place, and within the borders of East Germany, but this trend has as Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, is
Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, the city now been reversed, and of all the counterbalanced by increasing birth
came top of the list. cities in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, rates and the influx of new resi-
Greifswald is a lively city, brim- Greifswald has become the most dents.
ming with culture. Its bountiful attractive. This was confirmed by One in five residents of
calendar of events is studded with a study performed at the Berlin In- Greifswald is between the ages of
highlights with supra-regional ap- stitute of Population and Develop- 18 and 30. The city’s young image is
peal. One example is ‘Nordic Sound’, ment. The scientists were able to mostly shaped by its students, and
the annual get-together that sees prove that the city on the lagoon our city also provides an ideal en-
lovers of Scandinavian music, lit- has seen a significant influx of res- vironment for young families. Plen-
erature and art come together in idents, putting Greifswald on a par ty of day-care and nursery-school
Greifswald every May. It is the larg- with much bigger cities, like Dres- places, well-equipped schools and
est Northern European culture festi- den, Leipzig and Jena. In Greifswald, a pristine natural environment pro-
val outside of Scandinavia. In June, the problem of an aging population, vide a high quality of life for fami-
G R E I F S WA L D 11lies. Students who are attracted by
Greifswald University’s good reputa-
Greifswald provides ogie e. V. (INP), the Max Planck In-
stitute for Plasma Physics (IPP), the
tion ensure that the town continues Medical Faculty and the Institute of
to grow. an excellent setting Physics at the university, the neo-
Founded in 1456, it is one of the plas group and numerous research
oldest universities in Central Europe. for start-ups, in projects. Greifswald is committed
The elaborately restored historical to continuing to grow in this direc-
university buildings in the old city every respect. tion, the plan is to concentrate on
centre still exude the reverential research in the fields of bioeconomy
spirit of the traditional alma mater. and plasma physics at a Centre for
Today, the modern university cam- Sparkasse Vorpommern, is currently Life Science and Plasma Technology
pus, with its University Medical Cen- running three successful innovation which will be built in the direct vi-
tre, numerous scientific institutes, centres in Greifswald. Many compa- cinity of the BioTechnikum and INP
a cafeteria and a library, is located nies, ranging from small start-ups by the end of 2022.
in Berthold Beitz Platz. The univer- to internationally successful market Besides the existing research in-
sity also symbolises the unique- leaders, have become established stitutes and companies, the Univer-
ly future-oriented conditions in here, and two further locations are sity and Hanseatic City of Greifswald
Greifswald. The mission statement currently being planned. also offers other business and in-
of the University and Hanseatic City Greifswald is an outstanding cen- dustrial areas of different sizes.
emphasises how important top- tre for research, thanks to its unique These spaces are characterised by
notch research and innovative tech- concentration of scientific institutes affordable land prices and an excel-
nology are for this business hub. and companies – all networked with lent transport infrastructure.
Greifswald provides an excellent one another – that are involved in
setting for start-ups, in every re- the future-oriented subject of plas-
Right: Inside the University Library
spect. WITENO GmbH, which is fund- ma. They include the Leibniz-Institut
ed by the city, the university and the für Plasmaforschung und Technol- Below: Forum at the Museum Harbour
12 I N N OVAT I V E G R E I F S WA L DFull broadband coverage is avail-
able throughout the city.
The Technologie und Gewer-
bepark Greifswald (TE.PA) offers
the best possible conditions for
companies, where they can rub
shoulders with local companies and
partners from various industries in
every respect. The well-developed
commercial and industrial areas
can be purchased directly from the
land-owner, namely the University
and Hanseatic City of Greifswald,
at short notice, and companies
that are eligible for subsidies can
currently benefit from a maximum
subsidy rate of 40% for investments
from GRW subsidies.
So, Greifswald is not just a good
place to live: it also offers excellent
investment opportunities!
Greifswald on social media
/hansestadt_greifswald
/stadtgreifswald
The start-up scene and the research programmes at the university
symbolise the uniquely future-oriented conditions in Greifswald.
The mission statement of the University and Hanseatic City
emphasises how important top-notch research and innovative
technology are for this business hub.
G R E I F S WA L D 13H A N S E YAC H T S AG
The home
of sailing
‘Developed by sailors. Tested on the Baltic.
Sold all over the world.’
HanseYachts AG now markets six brands
under this slogan.15
Left: View of the yacht-builders’ production
line, through an open doorway
Right: CEO Dr Jens Gerhardt
Some people take the head-
quarters of HanseYachts AG in the
University and Hanseatic City of
Greifswald for granted – as though
the shipyard on the northern bank
of the River Ryck has been there
for decades. But if you believe that
HanseYachts AG is a rejuvenated
version of an old, traditional ship-
yard that was returned to private
ownership after the fall of the Berlin
wall, you’d be all at sea.
Shipbuilding has a very inter-
esting history in Greifswald. That
said, although it dates back to the
Hanseatic era, the city is of minor
significance compared to the tradi-
tional shipbuilding locations such as
Rostock, Stralsund and Wismar.
The history of HanseYachts
AG began in 1990 when Michael
Schmidt, an accomplished and ex- deal of success. In 2006, the Yachtzen- The company was renamed
perienced sailor and boat build- trum sold more than 700 boats. The HanseYachts AG and in 2007, after
er, founded the Yachtzentrum number of jobs increased constantly its initially successful IPO, competi-
Greifswald on the site of the former and its connections with other com- tion increased and the winds literally
Greifswald shipyard and repair facil- panies in the city and the region as a began to turn on the international
ity. It began producing and selling whole, in terms of suppliers and ser- markets. In the wake of the takeover
yachts in 1993. vice providers, began to develop into of the Dehler Shipyard, its product
Since then, the University and an important economic factor. portfolio was expanded once again.
Hanseatic City of Greifswald has Production was ramped up, both However, the winds of change
once again become a boat-build- in Greifswald and at the Polish loca- continued to blow, pushing
ing location that is making a name tion in Goleniów, in an attempt to HanseYachts AG into stormy wa-
for itself way beyond the borders meet demand. In 2007, the product ters, and it was no longer able to
of Germany. At the same time, the range was expanded for the first keep going under its own steam.
Yachtzentrum Greifswald has be- time, to include motor yachts from The captain left the ship, and in
come a major employer in the city. the Norwegian brand Fjord and in 2011, Aurelius Investmentholding
In the years after the company was the same year, the English brand took over the majority stake in the
founded, the shipyard enjoyed a good Moody was also added. company.
16 I N N OVAT I V E G R E I F S WA L DTogether, its workforce and tions and a sustainable approach to The successful market launch of
management, under the leadership management are only a few key- the Dehler 30 one design, which
of CEO Dr Jens Gerhardt, succeeded words that characterise the compa- was voted ‘European Yacht of the
in bringing HanseYachts AG back ny’s development. Year 2020’, is another milestone for
into safe waters over the next ten HanseYachts AG now markets six the future success of the Greifswald
years or so. Only a few years after different brands under the slogan boatyard.
Aurelius had taken over the majori- ‘Developed by sailors. Tested on the
ty stake, turnover took a permanent Baltic. Sold all over the world’.
upturn. Its product range is being With the acquisition of the lux-
expanded, HanseYachts AG is now ury catamaran brand Privilège, the
represented at three different loca- multi-brand strategy of HanseYachts
tions and the number of employees AG is forging ahead, under the lead-
is around 1,500, 800 of whom are ership of CEO Dr Jens Gerhardt. Over
based in Greifswald. the next few years, it is expected
A quality-first concept, a multi- that the booming catamaran market
brand strategy, a primary focus on will generate further profits and a
the Greifswald and Goleniów loca- bigger share of the market.
H A N S E YAC H T S AG 17F R I E D R I C H LO E F F L E R I N S T I T U T
World-class
research
18 I N N OVAT I V E G R E I F S WA L DThe Federal Research Institute of Animal Health operates from
seven locations across Germany. Its headquarters are situated
on the Island of Riems, which is a suburb of the University and
Hanseatic City of Greifswald. Their work aims to provide protection
against infections, epizootic diseases and infectious diseases that
can be transmitted from animals to humans.
The Friedrich Loeffler Institut search into the pathogen that causes
provides the University and Hanse- foot-and-mouth disease, was more
atic City of Greifswald with a unique or less forced into finding a location
selling point of the very highest outside the city limits for his re-
order. Apart from the University of search, given that locals saw a direct
Greifswald, there is no other institu- link between the repeated outbreaks
tion in the city where tradition and of foot-and-mouth disease in the re-
modernity are so close-knit. gion and Loeffler’s experiments.
At the same time, the connection Therefore, following instructions,
between the city and the universi- Loeffler began his search for a suit-
ty, which is such a strong feature able location. During this search, he
of Greifswald, becomes clear, both discovered the Island of Riems. The
through Loeffler, the person, and Prussian state acquired this small,
through the history of the institute. tranquil island in the Greifswald La-
The Institute was founded in goon, which was not directly con-
1910 by Friedrich Loeffler, Professor nected to the mainland at the time.
of Hygiene and the History of Medi- The history of these events is very
cine at the University of Greifswald, interesting, but unfortunately, due to
as the first virology research insti- lack of space, we are not able to look
tute, making it the oldest virus re- at it in more detail here.
search institute in the world. Today, in its capacity as a Federal
The fact that the choice of lo- Research Institute for Animal Health,
cation on the Island of Riems was the Friedrich Loeffler Institut is a Left: Prof Mettenleiter in the corridor that con-
nects the building to the institute’s modern
probably not exactly a choice at the higher instance of the Federal Min-
laboratories
time is surely nothing more than a istry of Food and Agriculture. The in-
footnote today, but it is no less inter- stitute operates from five locations Right: Detailed genome analysis of animal
esting. Loeffler, who conducted re- across Germany, with its headquar- pathogens (next generation sequencing)
F R I E D R I C H LO E F F L E R I N ST I T U T 19ters on the Island of Riems, a sub- In the future, the institute will Below: Growing a virus on a cell culture, for
urb of the University and Hanseatic continue to expand its international further analysis
City of Greifswald. activities beyond its existing collab-
Right: Mural in the stairwell of the historical
The work done by the institute orations and activities. The way has main building of the institute, where the
mainly aims to protect food-produc- been paved for this development, institute’s management offices are located
ing animals from animal diseases with the establishment of a twelfth
and from infectious diseases that are Specialist Institute for International
transmissible between animals and Animal Health/One Health.
humans (zoonoses). Furthermore, the
institute works towards improving the
welfare of farm animals and the pro-
duction of high-quality animal feeds.
The work of the twelve special-
ist institutes is characterised by the
combination of basic research and
practical orientation. The Loeffler In-
stitut operates more than 75 nation-
al reference laboratories for declar-
able and notifiable animal diseases.
In addition to other international
tasks, they also run nine reference
laboratories for the World Organisa-
tion for Animal Health.
The location on the Island of
Riems currently employs 420 people.
Even though it is located outside
the city limits, for the reasons men-
tioned above, the Friedrich Loeffler
Institut has a diverse range of con-
nections to the city and the whole
region of Vorpommern. For example,
there is close and coordinated col-
laboration in the areas of research
and teaching, based on a coopera-
tive agreement with the University
of Greifswald. This includes bache-
lor’s, master’s and doctoral theses
by students of human biology and
biology, as well as professorships at
the university and collaboration on
international projects.
The construction of the new lab-
oratory and stable buildings, and the
renovation and extension of the office
buildings, on the Island of Riems be-
tween 2008 and 2013 made the Frie-
drich Loeffler Institut one of the most
modern, and certainly one of the saf-
est, research facilities in the world.
20 I N N OVAT I V E G R E I F S WA L DF R I E D R I C H LO E F F L E R I N ST I T U T 21
CO L D P L A S M AT EC H
Wound treatment
of the future
This Greifswald start-up has now developed a technology
that’s intended to revolutionise the healing of chronic wounds:
it’s almost like science fiction!
At Coldplasmatech, things are dif- headquarters back in 2015, he’s more Dr Mahrenholz’s response, that
ferent – beginning with its location. than happy to tell you all about the they want to give back some of the
Normally, you would expect a com- company’s relatively brief but very support they have received over the
pany with such a specialised profile varied history. years, sounds a bit stubborn. But
to be found in a modern start-up hub He makes reference to the com- the location is also ideal for med-
or innovation centre in Hamburg, pany’s origins in the Greifswald- tech companies, he says, because
Munich or Berlin. But this company based Leibniz-Institut für Plasmafor- of its proximity to research insti-
is based in Vorpommern, in an old, schung und Technologie e.V. (INP), tutes and the modern University
historical villa not far from the centre its connections to Greifswald Univer- Medical Centre.
of the University and Hanseatic City sity and his contacts from the city Looking at the Coldplasmatech
of Greifswald. and the region as a whole. website might conjure up memories
When you ask the CEO of Cold- However, Dr Mahrenholz em- of physics and biology lessons, at
plasmatech, Dr Carsten Mahrenholz, phasises that these alone would first. But after you’ve read the first
why he and his co-founders chose not be reason enough to stay. They few lines, you’ll notice how much
Greifswald as the location for their have already received attractive of- importance is attached to explain-
fers to relocate to Munich or Berlin ing the basics in a way that even
Left: The PlasmaPatch is a wound dressing which
several times in the past. So, why a layperson can understand. This is
generates cold plasma that can even kill multi-re- Greifswald, and why Mecklen- logical, since the treatment of dif-
sistant germs. It’s almost like science fiction! burg-Vorpommern? ficult-to-heal wounds is a problem
CO L D P L A S M AT E C H 23suffered by up to four million peo- for power generation, and the Plas- a simple, safe and effective way’,
ple throughout Germany every year, maPatch, which is a silicon-based on the basis of cold plasma tech-
who have non-healing wounds as a wound dressing. The Class IIb med- nology. The objective is for the pro-
result of conditions such as diabetes. ical product was approved at the cedure that they have developed to
Basic research, in which INP beginning of 2020, and since then, become a medical standard in the
Greifswald plays a significant role, the company has enjoyed a break- future, just like X-rays or the use of
has proven that cold plasma can through in a highly competitive lasers, and it certainly represents a
significantly accelerate wound heal- market. They were recently award- minor revolution in the treatment of
ing, whilst combating multi-resis- ed the German Innovation Prize. wounds.
tant germs at the same time. The two operational founders A project like this would not be
The challenge lay, and still lies, of Coldplasmatech have taken on possible without support. It needs
in transferring this knowledge into these highly demanding but very encouragement and backing. It
a practicable medical procedure, exciting challenges. They set them- needs sponsors. And it also needs a
and developing, testing, certifying selves the goal of developing a location like Greifswald.
and finally manufacturing the re- medical product that, in their own
quired equipment. The result? The words, could ‘revolutionise’ wound
PlasmaCube, which is a control box treatment and that could be used ‘in
Their goal was to
produce a medical
product that could
revolutionise wound
treatment.
Left: CEO Carsten Mahrenholz
Right: A relaxed team meeting
24 I N N OVAT I V E G R E I F S WA L DCO L D P L A S M AT E C H 25
Welcome!
The Welcome Centre offers advice, information and, above all,
practical support for professionals who are planning to move to
the Greifswald region.
26 I N N OVAT I V E G R E I F S WA L DGreifswald is the city of short The advice it offers is divided laborations with a coordinated focus
distances. This is certainly one of into the topics of work, living and on content, oriented specifically to-
the reasons why, before long, al- housing, family, leisure and local wards each company and adapted
most every new Greifswald resident recreation. on an ongoing basis, are of benefit.
gets a bicycle. That said, the boundaries be- The Greifswald Welcome Centre
And yet, for some, the short tween categories are rather blurred is well-networked, professionally
distances that are so often spoken and are primarily oriented towards staffed and flexible enough to meet
about in the beginning remain hid- the concrete life situation of the changing needs in terms of demand,
den. This is not surprising: it is a long individual in question. Personal advice and support at short notice.
time since Greifswald had the char- consultations are free of charge This certainly helps people to
acter of a small university town on throughout the entire process. find even shorter distances, even in
the edge of a lagoon. It has devel- The staff at the Welcome Cen- the city of short distances. In turn,
oped into a regional hub, a develop- tre expend just as much effort on this can be of benefit for everyone
ment generator and a lighthouse, all working closely with local compa- involved – even if they haven’t got
at the same time. Greifswald does nies and institutes. Long-term col- a bicycle yet.
not just offer a range of diverse and
interesting jobs and educational
opportunities. It is also a pleasant
place to live – one shaped by social,
cultural and political diversity. If you
look at the ‘Situations Vacant’ page
on the websites of large and medi-
um-sized companies and institutes
in Greifswald, you will quickly notice
that they often refer to the services
offered by the Welcome Centre.
The Greifswald Welcome Centre
is one of six such institutions in our
federal state. The two centres in
the Vorpommern-Greifswald district
are run by ABS gGmbH, an experi-
enced and competent Greifswald-
based company that works on the
promotion of job opportunities, em-
ployment and structural develop-
ment. The Welcome Centre’s main
aim is to offer advice, information
and, above all, practical support to
skilled workers looking to move to
the Greifswald region.
Left: An initial consultation with advisor
Ulrike Bendt
Right: People interested in the Welcome
Centre are given specially designed cloth
bags with customised information leaflets
W E LCO M E C E N T R E 27A DVO C A D O Law made easy
The founders of the internet platform advocado.de have set
themselves a lofty goal: they are fighting for a world in which
there is justice for all.
The founders of the Internet plat- Maximilian Block knows what They also find it difficult to select
form advocado.de have set them- he is doing: he studied law in the best lawyer for the specific legal
selves a lofty goal: they are fighting Greifswald. As the son of a lawyer, matter at hand.
for a world in which there is justice he has an overview of the needs of Jacob Saß, who studied business
for all. In order to achieve this, Max- the legal profession on the one hand, administration at Greifswald Univer-
imilian Block and Jacob Saß have but he is also aware of clients’ con- sity at the same time as Maximilian
made it easier to access justice. The cerns, on the other. Many people are Block, helped him to develop and
founders of advocado guarantee that reluctant to consult a lawyer, even if implement the solution to this issue.
their website offers the best solution their rights may seem self-evident. The two young men met at a com-
for any legal matter. They are afraid of the costs, cannot petition for ideas and business, held
The concept: people seeking le- assess the prospects of success or by the university.
gal advice place a non-binding en- the risks, and are worried about long They founded advocado shortly
quiry on advocado.de. They simply waiting times. thereafter, in 2014.
describe their situation and upload
whatever documents are required.
Next, in a free initial consultation, a
lawyer who specialises in that field
will advise the client on their legal
options, opportunities, risks and pos-
sible costs. If legal advice seems ad-
visable, and only then, the person
seeking legal assistance will receive
a fixed-price quote that is specifi-
cally tailored to their needs. If they
accept the quote, the case will be
handled via the advocado system –
digitally, quickly and securely. A per-
sonal customer advisor ensures that
everything runs smoothly, until the
case is closed.
Left: Founders Maximilian Block and Jacob Saß
in their spacious office in Greifswald
Right: Stephan Jahrling, CTO, working on the
proprietary software that enables digital case
management
A DVO C A D O 29Left: advocado has 50 employees across two More than 350 specialised partner selves. The entrepreneurs are parti-
locations. lawyers from all over Germany use cularly proud of their award-winning
the platform to provide their clients service. They were awarded the spe-
Right: Playing table football in the boardroom
provides a welcome break from routine day- with digital support. advocado itself cial prize ‘Digital regional verwurzelt’
to-day work. currently employs 50 team mem- (‘Local, digital roots’) in 2019, as part
bers, and this figure is also increas- of the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern En-
Now (as at early 2020), the platform ing. The founders see their proxim- trepreneurs Award.
has gained more than 90,000 satisfied ity to the universities of Greifswald Their most recent coup? In De-
users – with more joining every day. and Stralsund as a clear advantage cember 2019, they launched a free
Most of them are private customers, but of their location: changing the site of app that allows users to solve minor
business customers also use advocado the company’s headquarters is out of legal issues themselves – for exam-
as an outsourced legal department. the question. ple, in travel and tenancy law, or in
The recommendation rate is The Greifswald team not only of- matters relating to data protection.
more than 90 percent, and turnover fer excellent legal advice – they have If the issue cannot be resolved with
is rising by 300% per annum. also received several awards them- the advocado app, the Greifswald
30 I N N OVAT I V E G R E I F S WA L Dteam will provide a specialised law- Over the coming years, advoca-
yer to help the user in question. do wants to become people’s first
Meanwhile, the Since the beginning of 2020, advoca- port of call for legal issues: anyone
do has also had a presence in Austria with a legal concern should not hes-
platform has over at www.advocado.at, and they are itate to seek help from the team in
going to enter the Swiss market, too, Greifswald. To ensure this, they will
90,000 satisfied at the end of the year. continue to simplify access to legal
users – with more And even though advocado has
been dubbed the ‘Zalando of legal
assistance, expand their app to cover
all areas of life and create more jobs
joining every day. services’, Jacob Saß and Maximilian
Block now take it with a smile. They
in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.
are more concerned with formulat-
(as at early 2020) ing new corporate goals and raising
the bar once again.
A DVO C A D O 3132 I N N OVAT I V E G R E I F S WA L D
K ATA P U LT
The world is
as you see it
‘Katapult – the magazine for cartography and social sciences‘
– that’s the name of this quarterly magazine.
It is the first of its kind and aims to popularise (social) science,
using maps and graphics to make it easy to understand.
33Benjamin Fredrich is the person which is the exception rather than the Previous page: An open copy of the
latest Katapult book, ‘102 green maps
in front of and behind the Greifswald rule today: he speaks openly about his
to save the world‘
magazine ‘Katapult’, even if he sees plans, concepts and ideas.
the situation a little differently – name- The name of the quarterly pub- Left: A small group of the 23-strong editorial
ly, that he is part of its editorial team. lication is ‘Katapult – Magazin für team at ‘Katapult’ (editor-in-chief
But, when all is said and done, he is Kartografik und Sozialwissenschaft’. Benjamin Fredrich centre)
the editor-in-chief of this magazine, It is the first of its kind, and aims
and somebody has to call the shots. to popularise (social) science, using tent, from donations. As a non-profit
In this role, Benjamin Fredrich maps and graphics to make it easy organisation, it does not make any
views the future with confidence. Not to understand. profit, and the income received is
everyone in his line of work does so. The magazine finances itself only used to pay salaries. Benjamin
Quite the opposite. And there’s some- through sales, particularly in the form Fredrich reports on what has been
thing else that Benjamin Fredrich does of subscriptions, and to a small ex- achieved with obvious pride, he re-
34 I N N OVAT I V E G R E I F S WA L DBenjamin Fredrich is proud to
point out, over and over again, that
‘Katapult’ is the only print magazine
in many households, alongside dig-
ital media. And that’s how it should
stay. The prospects are good: the
number of subscribers is impressive
and constantly on the rise.
Like so much in this city, this
magazine originated at the univer-
sity. Benjamin Fredrich founded the
magazine together with Tim Ehlers
and other students while studying
politics. The motto ‘Just do it’ has
guided the magazine ever since.
They brushed aside suggestions of
leaving Greifswald and abandoning
the concept of a print magazine.
Not all of the founders are still in-
volved, but that’s normal.
Benjamin Fredrich has nev-
er doubted the significance of the
Greifswald location, a fact that is
only partly because he was born
here. Fredrich refers to the close ties
with the university, the numerous
start-ups in the city, its low unem-
ployment rate, and its geographical
location on the shores of the Baltic
Sea, too.
And where is the journey head-
ing for the ‘Katapult’ team? Benja-
min Fredrich is full of plans. They
will definitely begin to set up their
own social media space in 2020,
they are going to hire more staff,
ferences his co-founder Tim Ehlers include special large-format map they are going to plant a ‘Katapult’
and his comrades-in-arms in the publications under the name ‘Knick- forest and their search for a plot
editorial team and he presents the er’, and also posters, books and card of land in Greifswald where they
current figures. And he looks straight games. can build a large ‘Katapult’ editorial
ahead. He does that lot. Just a few years ago, hardly any- building is ongoing.
Of course, besides the content, one would have believed that a
circulation figures, costs, sales strat- new magazine from Greifswald, in
egies and much more are the order print form, would even be able to
of the day. But the magazine is al- gain a foothold in the turbulent Ger-
ways at the forefront of Fredrich’s man-language magazine market.
mind. As a result, the only new Another thing that makes it special
projects underway are ones that is that ‘Katapult’ is only available in
complement the magazine. They print. That’s part of the concept.
K ATA P U LT 3536 I N N OVAT I V E G R E I F S WA L D
COWO R K G R E I F S WA L D
Teamwork makes the
dream work
Getting people together is a good thing.
Getting them to work together is even better.
Getting people together is a tion, users of cowork Greifswald can will be transformed into a point of
good thing. Getting them to work connect with like-minded people, contact for anyone interested in set-
together is even better. One way to engage in discussions or develop ting up their own company, whether
put this into practice is coworking. and execute joint projects. Regular they are founders, start-ups, creative
The concept behind this is a brand discussion sessions, workshops, lec- minds, IT entrepreneurs or even es-
new form of work. It lets people rent tures and a range of meetings for tablished companies.
workspaces and office infrastructure creatives also take place there. As a low-threshold product, co-
for a set period of time, enabling As a result, cowork Greifswald working plays a fundamental role
independent, digitally oriented cre- has become an integral part of in this concept. Furthermore, per-
ative minds, freelancers, and small the economic development of manent office space and opportuni-
start-ups, too, to be brought under Greifswald and the surrounding ties for creative workshops are also
one roof. area. Interested parties can take envisaged. And just like in the ‘old’
Once again, it was WITENO GmbH, advantage of WITENO GmbH’s wide cowork Greifswald, the Digital In-
the operator of the two start-up and range of consulting services in the novation Centre will also focus on
technology centres in Greifswald, field of business start-ups and sub- networking and the promotion of re-
who got the ball rolling with this sidy consulting. gional collaboration.
idea. Previously, it had only been The next step for coworking in
put into practice in large cities. This Greifswald has already been taken:
resulted in the establishment of the cowork Greifswald will soon move
first coworking space in Greifswald to the former Mensa am Wall, which
in 2011. In a prime downtown loca- will become the nucleus of the
emerging Digital Innovation Centre.
Left: Project manager Annelie Bänsch in front In line with the concept shared
of the ‘Alte Mensa’, which will soon be conver- by the university, the city and WITE-
ted into a roomy coworking space NO, this centrally located building
COWO R K G R E I F S WA L D 37C E N T R E F O R L I F E S C I E N C E & P L A S M A T EC H N O LO G Y
Keep at it...
Good things come to those who wait.
This is especially true for the project originally named
Plasmatechnikum.
38 I N N OVAT I V E G R E I F S WA L DLeft: View of the Centre for Life Science and Plasma Technology
Above: Symbolic ground-breaking ceremony with German Chancellor Dr Angela Merkel and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern’s Minister of Economics,
Labour and Health, Harry Glawe, at the laying of the foundation stone on 4 February 2020
Good things come to those who tor of the Leibniz Institute of Plasma foundation stone for the Centre for
wait. Fabian Feldt, Municipal Busi- Research and Technology (INP), and Life Science and Plasma Technolo-
ness Development Manager and Dr Wolfgang Blank, CEO of Witeno gy in February 2020. The Chancellor
project manager, has been following GmbH directly. They are considered described Greifswald as a pioneer in
this motto since he started working to be the people who instigated the fields of pharmacology, life sci-
for the administration of the City this ambitious and, at around EUR ences and plasma technology. The
of Greifswald. Business develop- 38 million, very expensive, project interaction between the bio and
ers often need patience, endurance in Greifswald in 2006. The two sci- plasma technology fields, research
and staying power. However, this is entists are also the inventors of the and production, and the blend of
particularly true for the project that ‘denglish’ abbreviation Z4LP for this small and medium-sized enterprises
was originally named ‘Plasmatechni- centre, in the inner courtyard of their (SMEs) on the flourishing university
kum’. If you want to know where the existing facilities. campus offers a good deal of poten-
idea of establishing a Centre for Life The German Chancellor, Dr Angela tial for an influx of newcomers.
Science and Plasma Technology in Merkel, together with Harry Glawe, The central location makes it eas-
Greifswald came from, you would be Federal Minister of Economics in ier to collaborate with the Business
well-advised to contact the experts, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, and Lord Administration Faculty at the Uni-
Prof Klaus-Dieter Weltmann, direc- Mayor, Dr Stefan Fassbinder, laid the versity when it comes to the devel-
C E N T R E FO R L I F E S C I E N C E & P L A S M A T E C H N O LO GY 39opment of new business models. In
this context, academics love talking
Witeno GmbH The WITENO team’s support for
tenants and interested parties fo-
about the ‘cluster effect’. About 240
new high-skilled jobs bring positive
will manage cuses in large part on advising and
coaching technology-oriented and
economic effects to both the city and knowledge-based start-ups. Fur-
the region, directly and indirectly. the facility thermore, the idea is also to attract
This is certainly a sustainable invest- companies from outside Greifswald
ment in the future, and it will pay off centre, the BTG is specifically de- who wish to cooperate with the re-
for Greifswald and Mecklenburg-Vor- signed for start-ups and new busi- search and science community at
pommern in the long term. nesses in the fields of biotechnology the Greifswald location.
Besides plasma technology, the and biomedicine. The project, which will be oper-
centre will also focus on the bio- The BioTechnikum, which boasts ated in the form of a research, ser-
based business sector. This includes over 4,000m² of laboratory and of- vice and start-up centre encompass-
every area that produces, process- fice space, has been at full capacity ing an area of around 5,500 square
es and uses renewable biological for many years, and it has a large se- metres, is seamlessly linked to pro-
resources, including agriculture and lection of shared equipment for its jects carried out by the University
forestry, fisheries and aquaculture, tenants, such as cold storage rooms, Medical Centre and other companies
the food industry, industrial biotech- a scullery and special autoclaves. that have become established in
nology and environmental protec-
tion. It will focus on closely linking
lab-based research and development
with technical rooms that are specifi-
cally geared towards pilot production
and the necessary processing facili-
ties. This makes it possible to bridge
an aspect of the value chain that
has previously been missing, i.e. the
step from developing something in a
test tube to producing it in minimal
or very small quantities.
The fact that a single building
contains a combination of labora-
tory and technical rooms for the
bio-economy and plasma technology
will be of particular interest, giving
the centre a unique position in Eu-
rope. Synergies exist, for example, in
treating surfaces for enzyme coating
or treating food to reduce contami-
nation with germs.
WITENO GmbH, a joint subsidiary
of the City of Greifswald, the Uni-
versity of Greifswald and the Spar-
kasse Vorpommern, will manage the
facility. Besides the BioTechnikum
Greifswald (BTG), WITENO also runs
the Technology Centre Vorpommern
(TZV) and cowork Greifswald. While
the TZV is an open-industry business
40 I N N OVAT I V E G R E I F S WA L DThe Leibniz Institute
for Plasma Science
and Technology
(INP) will be the
most important
partner and
stakeholder.
Greifswald, such as Vilua Healthcare
GmbH and Coldplasmatech GmbH.
Five successful spin-off com-
panies from the INP are delighted
with the new space, and are looking
forward to building new production
capacities for plasma-based prod-
ucts on site. The Centre for Life Sci-
ence and Plasma Technology opens
up opportunities for the INP to give
new momentum to expanding re-
search through regional, national Two current research projects are used to successfully treat chron-
and international partnerships, un- demonstrate the institute’s great ically infected wounds and infec-
der practical conditions. innovative power. Together with al- tious skin diseases. Furthermore,
At the Leibniz Institute for Plas- liance partners, the institute is cur- the scientific groundwork is being
ma Science and Technology, which is rently developing both new energy laid here for this technology to be
the largest non-university research conversion and storage technolo- used in cancer treatment. Initial
facility for low-temperature plasmas gies in the field of hydrogen tech- clinical studies confirm its potential.
in Europe, more than 200 employees nology and environment-friendly, The INP conducts application-orient-
are currently researching physical physical processes to improve the ed basic research and provides cus-
plasmas. They are mainly used in the germination capacity, resistance tomer-specific solutions, feasibility
areas of materials and energy, and and growth of agricultural plants studies, and consulting services for
environment and health. within the framework of the WIR! the industry, true to the institute’s
Among other things, this technolo- funding programme. motto: from ideas to prototypes.
gy is used for coating surfaces, decon- The institute has also attained a
taminating air and liquids, and disin- world-leading position in the field
fecting food, as well as in the medical of plasma medicine. Since 2008,
sector and in electrical engineering. physicists, biologists, physicians and
pharmacists have been researching
Left: WITENO GmbH’s CEO Dr Wolfgang Blank the interactions between plasmas
Above: Prof Klaus-Dieter Weltmann, Chairman and cells. The plasma devices in-
and scientific director of the INP vented and developed at the INP
C E N T R E FO R L I F E S C I E N C E & P L A S M A T E C H N O LO GY 4142 I N N OVAT I V E G R E I F S WA L D
V I LUA H E A LT H C A R E
Data for a better life
‘We want to become one of the leading health maintenance
providers, and we aim to develop cutting-edge recommendation
systems, based on AI.’
Vilua Healthcare GmbH is a new- Härtel with confidence. And rightly health promotion, occupational med-
comer to the University and Hanse- so, because together with his part- icine and health management, as
atic City of Greifswald and the Meck- ner and co-CEO, the engineer Claus- well as personal and digital health
lenburg-Vorpommern region. Some Peter Röhr, he can draw on a wealth coaching for insurance policyholders
people have never heard the name of experience. In recent years, Vilua and patients.
Vilua, but that is set to change. Healthcare GmbH has already had Vilua Healthcare GmbH regards
‘For our company, these are the great success at its other two loca- itself as a pioneer in the health main-
perfect conditions for developing and tions in Berlin and Munich. tenance industry. With its commit-
applying innovative health mainte- Under the motto of ‘Mission: Stay ment to our federal state, Vilua is con-
nance solutions,’ says CEO Dr Jens Healthy’, Vilua offers companies da- sciously taking up one of the state’s
ta-supported health maintenance most important development goals
Left: The Preventiometer services in the fields of occupational – to become the number one federal
V I LU A H E A LT H C A R E 43state when it comes to healthcare –
and is expanding it at the same time.
The master plan, ‘Mecklenburg-Vorpo-
mmern Health Economy’, provides a
basis for this that is both technically
sound and binding alike.
When it came to expanding the
company’s activities in the north,
a resolute decision was made in
favour of the University and Han-
seatic City of Greifswald. The com-
bination of science, research and
technology in Greifswald played a
key role in this decision. Besides
its modern university, the presence
of potential partners, such as the
Max Planck Institute, the Leibniz
Institute and the Friedrich Loeffler
Institut, as well as other scientific
and technology-oriented compa-
nies and institutes, were crucial
deciding factors.
Vilua has been active in Meck-
lenburg-Vorpommern since 2017 and
has been working successfully with
the Greifswald University Medical
Centre for several years. For exam-
ple, Vilua is one of the most impor-
tant partners in the PAKt-MV Mobil
project. This project tests the effec-
tiveness of mobile health checks in
conjunction with subsequent health
coaching. The objective is to enable
companies and employees, even in
rural areas, to benefit from modern,
comprehensive healthcare services. Vilua’s company headquarters are Left: Employee Alexander Gätke
The results of the project will be very conveniently located in terms assembling a Preventiometer
evaluated in cooperation with the of transport and logistics. Vilua is
Right: CEO Dr Jens Härtel hard at work
University Medical Centre to assess currently building a new facility in
their effectiveness. Salinenstraße so it can gain further
Vilua will have about 100 em- visibility in the city centre, too. This a dozen different examinations to be
ployees in Greifswald. Their move will be an attractive company show- carried out within a manageable pe-
is both a great challenge and an ex- case which will present and enhance riod of time. They form the basis for
cellent opportunity. The company’s the concept of the Vilua+CareCenter, individually tailored health coaching.
management has deliberately used alongside other things, and offer an In the next two to three years,
the slogan ‘Back to sea’ to recruit opportunity to take a closer look at Vilua Healthcare will further devel-
employees. In this regard, the results the Preventiometer. op its artificial intelligence for health
so far have also given the managing The device, which was also de- maintenance and expand its perso-
directors great confidence. veloped by Vilua, enables more than nal health coaching in Greifswald.
44 I N N OVAT I V E G R E I F S WA L DVilua is becoming ‘We want to become one of
the leading providers in the field
Vilua is becoming a strong partner
for health insurance firms and com-
of healthcare and to develop cut- panies in Germany, and increasingly,
a strong partner for ting-edge recommendation sys- internationally, too. Digital op-
tems, based on AI. The short dis- portunities for health maintenance
health insurance tances and the collaboration with can help people to adopt healthi-
scientific institutions in Greifswald er behaviour, strengthen their im-
firms and compa- are an important foundation for this,’ mune systems and develop fewer
says Jens Härtel. ‘We see a strong behaviour-induced chronic diseases.
nies in Germany, potential for growth, both national- In turn, this will help companies to
ly and internationally, as economies reduce sickness rates and motivate
and increasingly, and companies will focus more and employees to perform their work in a
more on preserving good health.’ healthy and productive manner.
internationally, too.
V I LU A H E A LT H C A R E 45CHEPL APHARM
Success only has
two letters: DO
46 I N N OVAT I V E G R E I F S WA L DIn a publication like this, it is basically impossible to give
an up-to-date picture of Cheplapharm Arzneimittel GmbH’s
development: it is simply happening far too fast.
This is a clear, and unique, demonstration of the character of this
family-run company from Greifswald.
Left: CEO Sebastian Braun in the lobby of the
newly built headquarters
Below: Part of the company’s own order
picking line in Mesekenhagen, Greifswald
Cheplapharm combines clear
economic strategies with modern
management and the traditional
characteristics of a medium-sized
family enterprise, such as reliability,
speed and pragmatism. The com-
pany’s owners, siblings Sebastian
Braun and Bianca Juha, are particu-
larly proud of this.
Over the past 15 years, this has
helped Cheplapharm Arzneimittel
GmbH to become a global supplier in
the field of established brand-name
and niche pharmaceutical products,
after their patents have expired.
It is admittedly difficult for lay-
men to describe the complex field
of activity that a company like Che-
plapharm Arzneimittel GmbH oper-
ates in, but let’s give it a try: Che-
plapharm acquires drug approvals on
an international level. This involves
worldwide rights to brand and niche
products which are no longer under
patent. The companies that sell them
are usually global players in the
pharmaceutical industry. The result-
CHEPLAPHARM 47ing company portfolio thus includes
selected brands and indications with
Cheplapharm is represented in more than
exclusively first-class products. Ge-
nerics are expressly not included.
120 countries. Less than 10% of its sales
The quality of these products
is assured and they are distributed are generated in Germany.
worldwide within the international
manufacturing and distribution net-
work established by Cheplapharm Back to the actual experience on ful and reliable employer. More than
Arzneimittel GmbH over the years. The site in the University and Hanseatic half of the management positions
underlying strategy of ‘buy and build’ City of Greifswald. You couldn’t find a are occupied by women, and the
has proven itself since the Braun fam- more modern company location than average age of the workforce is un-
ily took over the company, offering a the complex in the Greifswald Ziegel- der 40. More than two thirds of its
solid foundation for the growth of the hof Industrial Park. Cheplapharm ex- employees are university graduates,
company and its successful activities pects to employ around 400 people who are offered excellent opportu-
on the international market. by the end of 2020. All told, its staff nities for personal and professional
Cheplapharm is represented in hold a total of 19 nationalities, due development in a growing company.
more than 120 countries. Less than to its international fields of business The owners and the management
10% of its sales are generated in and its cooperating and network team attach great importance to a
Germany. partners. Cheplapharm is a success- good working atmosphere.
48 I N N OVAT I V E G R E I F S WA L DTop left: The owners of the company, Sebastian
Braun and Dr Bianca Juha, in the connecting
bridge at HQ
Top Right: The exterior view of the head-
quarters in the Ziegelhof Industrial Park in
Greifswald
Below: Employees in one of the spacious
recreational areas within the new building
In spite of its international ori-
entation, the company is well net-
worked regionally and locally, as
well. This applies not only to its
connections to the Universities of
Greifswald and Rostock: Chepla-
pharm also collaborates with the
service sector, primarily with local
small and medium-sized companies.
Cheplapharm Arzneimittel GmbH
is committed to its Greifswald loca-
tion for the future, as well, thanks
to its strong growth trajectory. The
company makes it its business to
continue to making an important
contribution to the health of our so-
ciety by maintaining the diversity of
drugs on the global market.
CHEPLAPHARM 49Contact details for the people in this issue
ADVOCADO GMBH FRIEDRICH-LOEFFLER-INSTITUT VILUA IT SOLUTION
Wolgaster Straße 146 Südufer 10 GMBH & CO KGAA
17489 Greifswald 17493 Greifswald-Insel Riems Gützkower Landstraße 36-40
Tel. 03834 8383550 Tel. 038351 7-0 17489 Greifswald
info@advocado.de internetredaktion@fli.de Tel. 030 343 49 190
www.advocado.de www.fli.de kontakt@vilua.de
www.vilua.de
CHEPLAPHARM HANSEYACHTS AG
ARZNEIMITTEL GMBH Ladebower Chaussee 11 WELCOME CENTRE
Ziegelhof 24 17493 Greifswald GREIFSWALD REGION
17489 Greifswald Tel. 03834 5792 200 Schuhhagen 1
Tel. 03834 3914-0 info@hanseyachtsag.com 17489 Greifswald
info@cheplapharm.com www.hanseyachtsag.com Tel. 03834 855 26 35
www.cheplapharm.com welcomecenter@abs-greifswald.de
KATAPULT GUG www.welcome-vg.de
COLDPLASMATECH GMBH Walther-Rathenau-Straße 49A
Bahnhofstraße 31/32, 17489 Greifswald WITENO GMBH
17489 Greifswald Tel. 0176 56 99 89 44 Walther-Rathenau-Str. 49a
Tel. 03834 7714 700 redaktion@katapult-magazin.de 17489 Greifswald
info@coldplasmatech.de www.katapult-magazin.de Tel. 03834 515-0
www.coldplasmatech.de info@witeno.de
LEIBNIZ INSTITUTE FOR www.witeno.de
COWORK GREIFSWALD PLASMA SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Schuhhagen 1 Felix-Hausdorff-Str. 2 CENTRE FOR LIFE SCIENCE
17489 Greifswald 17489 Greifswald AND PLASMA TECHNOLOGY
Tel. 03834 550 103 Tel. 03834 554-300 (Z4LP)
info@cowork-greifswald.de welcome@inp-greifswald.de c/o Universitäts- und Hansestadt Greifswald
www.cowork-greifswald.de www.leibnitz-inp.de Abteilung Wirtschaft und Tourismus
Goethestr. 2a
17489 Greifswald
Tel. 03834 85362121
wirtschaft@greifswald.de
www.z4lp.de
Looking for
CREATIVITY?
We’ve got tons of it. K R
50 www.kreativhafen-greifswald.de
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