Karlsruhe as a Driving Force for Greater Digital Sovereignty
Manifesto: Businesses, academia, government, and the cultural sector are pooling their expertise and demonstrating their contribution to Europe’s digital sovereignty through concrete solutions—ranging from sovereign payments and data portability to open software architectures.
You can download this press release, along with all attachments and images, at: https://kacloud.karlsruhe.de/index.php/s/enmJZWqamg8r22x
Karlsruhe, October 12, 2026: The digital hub aims to become the driving force behind digital self-determination in Europe. With the manifesto “Karlsruhe—The Hub of Digital Sovereignty,” stakeholders from business, academia, government, and culture who are involved in the karlsruhe.digital initiative are pooling their expertise and outlining twelve areas of action. These outline how digital sovereignty can be achieved and highlight Karlsruhe’s strengths in this regard. These include, among other things, IT security, data sovereignty, open standards and the ability to exit, transparent and verifiable systems, as well as digital education and knowledge transfer. The complete Karlsruhe Manifesto on Digital Sovereignty is available for download via the link above.
Why now?
The digital world is characterized by growing dependence on individual platforms and providers, opaque AI systems, and geopolitical uncertainties. This raises the increasingly pressing question of how companies, public institutions, and society as a whole can remain capable of taking action. Digital sovereignty is thus becoming a central issue for the future.
Why Karlsruhe?
Karlsruhe brings together unique strengths in this regard: strong expertise in computer science and IT security, expertise in law and data protection, and close networks between research, business, government, and culture.
From Idea to Application
The experts working on digital sovereignty as part of the karlsruhe.digital initiative signed the manifesto on Friday, October 9, 2026, at the Media Theater of the ZKM | Center for Art and Media. An overview of the experts is available for download via the link above.
The fact that digital sovereignty is being put into practice in Karlsruhe is also demonstrated by the 13 presentations from Karlsruhe’s ecosystem—spanning business, academia, and local government—that were given following the presentation of the manifesto. Topics included sovereign payments at dmTECH, data portability and provider switching at audriga, open standards and sovereign software architectures at inovex, the City of Karlsruhe’s path toward greater sovereignty using the smart city as an example, scientific perspectives on trustworthy digital systems, and digital sovereignty in municipal mobility at raumobil. An overview of the presentations and speakers is available for download via the link provided above.
A regional topic with economic significance
The goal of the manifesto is to develop Karlsruhe into a living laboratory for digital sovereignty. The initiative defines digital sovereignty as the ability of citizens, businesses, the research and academic communities, and public institutions to carry out their tasks in the digital world in a self-determined and secure manner. At the same time, the manifesto highlights existing dependencies: digital platforms and infrastructures are often concentrated among just a few providers. It is therefore crucial to be aware of these dependencies, to be able to assess their consequences, and to create alternatives where they are relevant to one’s own capacity to act.
Voices from the karlsruhe.digital initiative
“Karlsruhe is exceptionally well-positioned to play an active role in shaping digital sovereignty: We are a city of law, a hub for digital issues, and a center of excellence for IT security research. Above all, however, academia, business, government, and culture collaborate closely here. We want to leverage these strengths together to further develop Karlsruhe as a center of excellence for digital sovereignty and thereby contribute to a digitally sovereign Europe,” said Gabriele Luczak-Schwarz, mayor and chair of the karlsruhe.digital initiative. “Karlsruhe can contribute its extensive expertise and demonstrate how digital self-determination works at the local level.”
“Digital sovereignty determines the future viability of companies. Those who prioritize data sovereignty, security, and fair options for switching providers will remain resilient in the face of crises and capable of taking action. Our manifesto therefore also views digital sovereignty as a driver of growth for Karlsruhe as a business location and a catalyst for a digital economic miracle in Europe,” explains Martin Hubschneider, Executive Director of CyberForum e.V., member of the Executive Board of CAS Software AG, Chairman of the karlsruhe.digital initiative, and member of the “Digital Sovereignty” expert group.
“Karlsruhe brings a broad range of expertise to the table in several fields,” emphasizes Jan Wiesenberger, Executive Director of the FZI Research Center for Information Technology and also a member of the “Digital Sovereignty” expert group. IT security is one of the location’s established core competencies. In addition, Wiesenberger points out, there is expertise in law and data protection, as well as approaches that prioritize fairness and traceability in digital systems. Instead of unverifiable “black boxes,” the manifesto advocates for transparent and trustworthy solutions such as Trusted Source and Open Source, verifiable systems, and open standards.
For Karlsruhe, as a city of law, this topic takes on a very special dimension. Digital sovereignty concerns not only technical capabilities, but also freedom, legal certainty, data protection, and fair rules in the digital space. The commitment to safeguarding and further developing the concept of freedom in the digital age is one of the core principles of the manifesto. This also applies to the transfer of knowledge. Karlsruhe boasts an excellent network of universities, research institutions, companies, startups, government agencies, and cultural organizations that collaborate within the karlsruhe.digital initiative. New insights can thus be quickly translated into applications, services, and business models.
The manifesto is not intended to be a conclusion, but rather a starting point for further collaborative work and a contribution to the European debate on digital sovereignty. In the coming months, this will give rise to collaborations, projects, and events within Karlsruhe’s digital sovereignty ecosystem. Those interested can stay informed about news regarding the Center of Excellence for Digital Sovereignty via the channel in the Karlsruhe.App.
For more information on the Center of Excellence for Digital Sovereignty:
souveraen.karlsruhe.digital
About karlsruhe.digital
The karlsruhe.digital initiative brings together stakeholders from academia, business, culture, and government with the goal of positioning Karlsruhe as a driving force behind the digital transformation of a sovereign and sustainable society. Expert groups analyze and further develop the digital aspects and success criteria of areas such as public administration, academia, education, culture, and society, as well as location factors for skilled workers, sovereignty, startup culture, internationalization, and innovation transfer.
karlsruhe.digital brings together expertise and fosters networking. This allows ideas from all sectors to be identified and addressed holistically in order to actively shape the city’s digital future.
Press Contact
Patricia Bonaudo
City of Karlsruhe | Economic Development – Science Office
Zähringerstraße 65a
76133 Karlsruhe
Tel.: +49 721 133 7382
Cell: +49 151 25 20 95 12
Email: patricia.bonaudo@wissenschaftsbuero.karlsruhe.de