Berlin Adlershof: Companies surpass 4 billion euros in revenue for the first time and continue to be optimistic about the future

Germany’s largest Science and Technology Park doubles its revenue in just eight years

The Science and Technology Park Berlin Adlershof continued its positive development in 2024. Revenues and budget funds rose by 3.5% to over 4.0 bn. euros (2023: 3.9 bn. euros). The number of employees grew by 1,100 to around 29,100 persons. At 6,300 (2023: 6,400), the number of students decreased slightly. The Adlershof-based facilities of Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (HU) received a total of 43 million euros in subsidies and third-party funding, with core funding at 67 million euros. The non-university research institutes reported total budgetary funds of 251 million euros and registered third-party funding of 81 million euro. The number of employees working at scientific institutions totalled 4,100.

The companies based at the Science and Technology Park are even more optimistic about business performance in 2025 than they were the previous year. Around 46% expect an increase in revenues, while approximately 43% anticipate stable figures. Only 11% of companies are expecting a decline in revenues.

Confidence as a driver of success – What factors are driving the optimism of Adlershof-based companies?

While pessimism continues to shape the mood across much of the German economy, companies at Adlershof Technology Park have remained predominantly optimistic for many years. To better understand the reasons behind this confidence, businesses were surveyed in detail about the sources of their positive economic outlook. The results show that company-specific factors play a key role. Thus, the majority of respondents cited the strengths and capabilities of their employees, as well as their company’s innovative power and vision, as primary reasons for their confidence. The second most frequently mentioned factors for the confidence of respondents were site-specific, including the development of new technology fields, networks, and collaborations. It is striking that it is predominantly company and site-specific factors that give companies an optimistic outlook. Broader external economic factors—such as political support, consumer trends, or the potential of the younger generation—were mentioned only rarely.

The site survey also examined whether Adlershof-based institutions see a sense of responsibility arising from the fact that people tend to trust their own company more than other institutions. In response, more than 90% of responding companies stated that they do, indeed, feel a sense of responsibility due to the trust placed in them. Most companies fulfil this responsibility by creating long-term jobs and achieving economic success. The second most frequently mentioned aspect was the promotion of employee health and professional development. Moreover, more than half of the responding companies see it as their responsibility to take a clear stand for democratic values in both internal and external communication.

Trust in Adlershof’s competencies

For Roland Sillmann, managing director of WISTA Management GmbH, the survey has revealed what makes the people on the site tick: “In recent years, we have repeatedly observed that the mood among companies in Adlershof is less affected by external crises or global events than the broader German economy. Adlershof is a strong location for developing solutions in the high-tech sector and many companies possess capabilities that are unique worldwide. I am pleased that we can now statistically demonstrate that the businesses on this site continue to rely on the strengths of their employees, their ideas, and the collaboration opportunities in Adlershof—even in challenging times—and that they know they can hold their ground even in times of crisis. Their economic success stems from focusing on their own strengths and those of the site.” And further: “The Technology Park Adlershof was founded in the early 1990s by the very first business founders and entrepreneurs during a time of massive personal and societal upheaval—following the fall of the Berlin Wall. Building up a business and shaping Germany’s largest technology park against this backdrop has grown into a deep trust in one’s own abilities that still shapes the site today. For us as the operating company, this means continuing to support businesses in strengthening—and ideally connecting—their core competencies. We achieve this through employee training measures, inspiring work environments, initiatives to attract skilled workers, or networking activities like the Adlershof Health Network.”

Franziska Giffey, Berlin’s Senator for Economic Affairs, Energy and Public Enterprises, views the Technology Park Adlershof as a positive example for what a forward-looking and optimistic perspective can achieve: “Last year, Berlin was one of six German federal states whose economies grew despite global crises and the national downward trend. For the eleventh consecutive year, Berlin outperformed the national average. Adlershof Technology Park is a key part and driver of this success story—our very own Silicon Valley in Germany. The figures from the past year speak for themselves. With 4 billion euros in revenue, rising employment, and many new businesses, Adlershof has become a heavyweight in Berlin’s innovation landscape and a prime example of the strength that emerges from the smart combination of research and industry—and the right spirit. The recent Adlershof-Barometer survey makes this clear: Belief in one’s own strength and an unwavering drive to innovate are part of the Technology Park’s and its companies’ DNA. We need more of the Adlershof spirit across Germany if the world’s third-largest economy is to regain a leading position in global competition.”

Prof. Dr. Emil List-Kratochvil, Dean of the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences of Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin: “High-skilled workers are at the heart of the trust placed in Adlershof’s capabilities—both from within and from the outside. Every year, young people study and earn their doctorates at Adlershof’s research institutions, going on to pursue careers in research or with one of the on-site companies. At the Adlershof-based faculties of Humboldt-Universität alone, 150 people complete their doctorates each year. To further support interdisciplinary education and the field of materials science, we are currently working on the development of an English-language Master’s programme in advanced material science at the Adlershof campus of Humboldt-Universität, among other things. In addition to talent, research infrastructure plays a second crucial role. For this reason, the far-sighted planning of future-driven projects like BESSY III is so essential to future research successes. An ideal research infrastructure that is embedded within the campus enables researchers from different institutes to work together and achieve excellent results—or even set world records. For instance, researchers at the Helmholtz-Zentrum für Materialien und Energie and the Center for the Science of Materials at Humboldt-Universität have recently developed a new thin-film solar cell that achieved an efficiency rate of 24.6% for the first time.”
 

About the Technology Park Adlershof:

The Technology Park Adlershof in Berlin’s Southeast is the largest of its kind in Germany and, with around 1,350 companies, one of the leading addresses for high-tech innovation—both nationally and internationally. The companies and scientific institutions on the site focus on the fields of photonics and optics, photovoltaics and renewable energies, microsystems and materials, information technology (IT) and media, as well as biotechnology and the environment. WISTA Management GmbH, developer and operator of the Science and Technology Park, supports technology-oriented companies and institutes in making contributions to the great challenges of our time through innovative products and services.

www.adlershof.de

Contact:

Cindy Böhme
Company spokesperson
WISTA Management GmbH
+49 30 6392-2191
cindy.boehme(at)wista.de
www.wista.de