PSP Conference 2020 – read it now!

The PSP Conference has once again shown that the business potential in the research-related environment of the Potsdam Science Park is immense and the interest in innovation topics and start-ups is great. With over 220 registrations, participants from many parts of the country were connected to the online conference.

The program was opened by Hendrik Fischer, State Secretary in the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Labor and Energy of the State of Brandenburg, and Prof. Oliver Günther, Ph.D., President of the University of Potsdam. State Secretary Fischer emphasised the relevance of the PSP Conference as a forum for cross-sector dialogue, and the importance of networks and exchange for the adaptability and resilience of companies to crises. University President Oliver Günther emphasized the continuous promotion of entrepreneurship and the transfer of ideas from research to society as the driving force behind the growth of the Potsdam Science Park.

In an opening discussion, Agnes von Matuschka, Managing Director of Standortmanagement Golm GmbH in the Potsdam Science Park, and Sascha Thormann, Managing Director of Potsdam Transfer, explained the special features of Potsdam-Golm as an innovation location. Those interested in founding a company will find a continuous transfer offer in the Potsdam Science Park, from support in the development of initial ideas, to funding opportunities at the university, to settling in the GO:IN Golm Innovation Center and other startup spaces, as well as networking in the Potsdam-Golm community.

PSP Conference 2020 – Graphic Recording – 30 Years of Potsdam-Golm: From Greenfield to Cutting-Edge Research, Copyright: Dr. Franziska W. Schwarz (SciVisTo)

With the focus on the topic “30 years of Golm – from greenfield to cutting-edge research”, the focus this year was particularly on the development of Potsdam’s research and innovation location. Prof. Dr. Dr. h. c. Mark Stitt, Managing Director of the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology, long-time scientist and advocate of the Potsdam Science Park, reported in personal anecdotes and visual impressions on the beginnings of the Potsdam research location and initially bumpy paths to becoming an influential research and innovation location.

PSP Conference 2020 – Kooperationen zwischen Forschung und Wirtschaft, Graphic Recording, Copyright: Dr. Franziska W. Schwarz (SciVisTo)

More than 35 stakeholders took part in the subsequent seven panels on the topics “30 Years of Potsdam-Golm – From Greenfield to Cutting-Edge Research”, “Patents and Property Rights”, “Cooperation between Research and Business”, “Successfully Founded – Companies and Investors in Conversation”. As part of the main program and in four virtual theme rooms, in-depth exchanges were possible as video conferences. Experts led the discussions on current research, findings from cooperations, questions of current patenting processes or prerequisites for successful start-ups. The program of the PSP Conference 2020 was moderated by Gerald Meyer.

PSP Conference 2020 – Erfolgreich gegründet: Unternehmen und Investoren im Gespräch, Graphic Recording, Copyright: Dr. Franziska W. Schwarz (SciVisTo)

Thank you very much!

We would like to thank all participants in the diverse program of the PSP Conference 2020, all scientists, entrepreneurs, founders and business promoters and our partners. Due to the existing contact and travel restrictions, the hybrid event concept was quickly redesigned into a purely online conference – admittedly with one or two technical challenges due to the different technical connections and spatial separation of all participants.

About the PSP Conference

The PSP Conference 2020 is an event organized by Standortmanagement Golm GmbH (co-financed by the European Union with ERDF funds) in cooperation with Potsdam Transfer (University of Potsdam) and in cooperation with the Fraunhofer High Performance Center for Functional Integration, the Brandenburg Economic Development Corporation (WFBB), the HealthCapital Berlin-Brandenburg Cluster, the Potsdam Chamber of Industry and Commerce and the City of Potsdam.