Startup Labor Schwedt: Innovation driver for Brandenburg's future!

Startup Labor Schwedt: Innovation driver for Brandenburg's future!

Today, September 1, 2025, the development of the startup laboratory in Schwedt sheds light on the challenges and opportunities of promoting innovation in Brandenburg. Sascha Lademann, BTU Cottbus alumnus and current project manager, combines his academic knowledge in business administration with practical experience from various positions to advance the project.
Lademann earned both his bachelor's and master's degrees at the BTU Cottbus. In his professional career he worked in research and innovation promotion, as a research assistant at the TU Dresden and as a consultant at the Brandenburg State Chancellery. Today he leads the startup Labor Schwedt, which was created as part of a federal-state program and is significantly supported by the Federal Ministry of Economics and the State of Brandenburg.

His decision to study business administration at the BTU was influenced by the intention to understand theory and research methods in greater depth. Lademann describes his time at the BTU as consistently positive, despite the challenges that restructuring the course of study brought with it. He recommends finding a balance between all-round knowledge and specialized knowledge in economics and social sciences. This interdisciplinary training, he emphasizes, is crucial for the diverse tasks in the startup laboratory, including project management and budget management.

Startup Labor Schwedt and its mission

The Startup Labor in Schwedt's main mission is to address innovative companies from all over Germany and to offer them a platform on which they can test resource-saving technologies in an industrial environment. This project is supported not only by the Eberswalde University for Sustainable Development (HNEE), but also by partners such as PCK Raffinerie Schwedt GmbH and LEIPA Georg Leinfelder GmbH as well as other actors from science and industry. Parliamentary State Secretary Michael Kellner recently handed over the grant notice for this project, which is considered an essential part of the transformation of East German refinery locations. The state of Brandenburg is contributing more than 6 million euros as a financial contribution.

The first Startup Challenge is currently running in the laboratory, which deals with increasing energy and resource efficiency. Ten teams were selected from 40 submitted offers to develop pilot projects with contract values ​​ranging from around 25,000 euros for the concept phase to up to 300,000 euros for the realized implementation. Lademann sees these initiatives as a great opportunity to promote innovation and create a stable network in the region, even if he also addresses the limits of start-up potential and existing structural weaknesses in northeast Brandenburg.

Improve the framework conditions for startups

In the context of the German startup ecosystem, a current analysis shows that there are both strengths and weaknesses. Positive aspects include the proximity to universities, which act as incubators for innovation, as well as networks with other startup founders, which create valuable contacts and learning opportunities. However, challenges remain, particularly when it comes to access to capital, which remains perceived as the biggest hurdle for startups. The availability of affordable office properties is also problematic, which leads to high rental prices in urban regions such as Berlin, Munich and Hamburg.

With the startup laboratory in Schwedt, an important step is being taken to address these challenges and improve the framework conditions for innovation and start-ups. According to Lademann, however, there is a need for an active structural policy that not only promotes technological innovations, but also social networks. The demand for sustainable solutions and a collaborative approach is becoming increasingly important in today's working world.

He himself misses the start of the semester at the BTU, the challenges of a new academic year as well as the fascination of creating timetables and the surprises of course offerings. But his involvement in the startup laboratory shows how his studies prepared him for the diverse responsibilities that he now assumes.