Together with Rostocker Versorgungs- und Verkehrs-Holding GmbH (RVV), Rostock Business, the city’s economic development agency, successfully mediated between Fraunhofer and the property owner, Rostocker Fracht- und Fischereihafen GmbH. As a result, Fraunhofer is acquiring the area around building complexes 323–325 of the former salting facility in the Rostock fishing harbor. Through the sale of the property to the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, Rostocker Fracht- und Fischereihafen GmbH is laying the strategic foundation for the development of the Ocean Technology Campus, according to Steffen Knispel, Managing Director of Rostocker Fracht- und Fischereihafen GmbH.

The new institute building planned for the site will offer optimal conditions for applied research in visual computing in the areas of Industry 4.0, health, and the maritime economy for the employees of the Fraunhofer Institute for Computer Graphics Research IGD. Up to 100 jobs will be created there, also providing students with the opportunity to work directly in project teams. With its laboratories, direct access to the harbor basin, and planned conference rooms, the new building will also be a central element of the Ocean Technology Campus (OTC), which is currently under development.

“The campus is intended to provide important innovation impulses for the maritime industry,” emphasizes Prof. Uwe Freiherr von Lukas, site manager of Fraunhofer IGD and future “host” of the new premises. “We will not conduct research in an ivory tower, but will work closely with partners from practice: good ideas are to become innovative products for the sustainable use of the seas.”

The Fraunhofer research group Smart Ocean Technologies also relies on the advantages for all involved—short distances, synergy effects, and a high level of networking. The interdisciplinary research group bundles the expertise of four Fraunhofer institutes and has already been working at the OTC Basecamp on the SAB Marina site since autumn 2020. This Europe-wide unique research alliance in underwater technology conducts research on complex system solutions for underwater applications.

These future and technology topics also play an important role in urban development for the Lord Mayor of the Hanseatic and University City of Rostock, Claus Ruhe Madsen, and reflect the performance and development capacity of the location and its partners, such as Fraunhofer:

“We are proud of the ‘Cluster4Future’ award for the Ocean Technology Campus as a globally competitive underwater technology location in Rostock. With Fraunhofer IGD, we have found an exceptionally strong partner for this future vision. The excellent cooperation between Fraunhofer, Rostock Business, RVV, and the fishing harbor has made this project progress possible and shows that our city is capable and resilient, even in challenging times.”