Lower Saxony

Presentation of the Region

Lower Saxony is situated in north-western Germany right in the centre of Europe. It is the second-largest state by land area. Lower Saxony has a lot to offer. Not only does Germany’s second-largest state have cultural, scenic and traditional appeal, it has proven itself as a successful location for innovation and technology industry.

The world’s largest and most beautiful cruise ships are built here; components for the world’s biggest airliner, the A380, are produced in Lower Saxony; and Volkswagen, Europe’s leading automaker, has its base here as well. The Wolfsburg-Hannover-Brunswick economic area is one of Europe’s leading regions in terms of its clustering of expertise in the auto industry. Brunswick-Wolfsburg Research Airport is, after Toulouse, Europe’s most important research centre specializing in traffic control systems and air safety. CFK-Valley Stade is home to concentrated German know-how in carbon fibre-reinforced plastics, materials which enable lighter, fuel-saving and lower-maintenance aircraft to be constructed.

Lower Saxony also heads the field when it comes to energy. Around one-third of Germany’s oil and just over 90 % of its natural gas is produced here. Lower Saxony is Germany’s frontrunner in renewable energies such as wind power, and as a region for biogas. It intends to further consolidate this position by rigorously harnessing offshore wind power.

RIS3 Priorities

1. Mobility (individual mobility and logistical concepts, vehicle construction and maintenance, autonomous systems, alternative drives and synthetic fuels)
2. Life Science (systematic and individual medicine, regenerative medicine, medical products – intelligent implants and prostheses, health services – e-health solutions)
3. Energy technologies and –systems (flexible energy systems, offshore wind energy, bioenergy, synthetic fuels (power-to-X), energy storage)
4. Agro-food economy (sustainable and innovative agriculture, smart farming, food technology and production)
5. New materials (lightweight construction, nanomaterials, biobased materials)
6. Production technologies (additive manufacturing, cross-linked production systems, materials and resource efficiency – new recycling approaches)
7. Maritime economy (modern shipbuilding, Green shipping, autonomous shipping, logistics)
8. Digital Economy (digitalisation and crosslinking technology, robotic, artificial intelligence)