The karlsruhe.digital initiative connects stakeholders from science, business, culture and public administration aiming to foster Karlsruhe as a driver of digitalisation for a sovereign and sustainable society. Under the umbrella of the initiative, experts from over 50 institutions and companies work together. The digital aspects and success criteria of areas such as administration, science, education, culture and society, conditions that attract professionals, sovereignty, start-up culture, internationalization and innovation transfer are analyzed and developed in expert groups.
karlsruhe.digital connects expertise and promotes networking. This enables impulses from all areas – administration, business, science and society – to be addressed and processed holistically in order to actively shape the digital future of the city.
karlsruhe.digital connects all relevant stakeholders, initiates projects and provides the platform for jointly realising our vision.
On 8 April 2014, the municipal council commissioned the city administration to develop an overall concept for promoting Karlsruhe as the “internet capital”. The Science Office of Stadtmarketing Karlsruhe GmbH was commissioned to coordinate the overall concept, which was launched as “Digital Agenda Karlsruhe 300+” and subsequently communicated as “karlsruhe.digital”. The overall concept focussed on marketing and communication in order to establish a position for Karlsruhe as the Internet capital and to communicate the IT location.
As early as the first working meeting of representatives from politics, administration, science and business, the experts agreed that in times of digital change, an approach based on marketing only would not be sufficient to fulfil the task assigned by the municipal council. According to the consensus, the topic requires a holistic approach.
In a comprehensive and cooperative approach involving all relevant stakeholders from city administration, municipal companies, business clusters and networks as well as Karlsruhe’s scientific institutions and IT and high-tech companies, an overall concept was subsequently developed for Karlsruhe as an ICT (information and communication technology) location.
Since then, the initiative has connected stakeholders from science, business, culture and administration to promote Karlsruhe as a driver of digitalisation – for competitiveness, livability and sovereignty.
The initiative developed 10 theses that depict in which areas Karlsruhe is already optimally prepared – and what ought to be done to keep it that way in the future.
Karlsruhe aims at setting standards and becoming one of the world’s flagships of digitalization. Therefore, we actively address the digital transition in all its facets as it will affect more than just IT related companies and industries.
Our ICT scene is vibrant: the established ecosystem and powerful network of ICT companies of all sizes, academic institutions, public actors, non-profit and interest groups, ICT professionals, entrepreneurs and students has to be supported and enhanced collectively.
Karlsruhe is aware of the importance of excellent bandwidth and broadband networks for the development of a digital future. We aim at providing the best infrastructural standards for our citizens as well as our economy.
Uniting the heart of the German legislative with outstanding ICT security institutions in one city underlines Karlsruhe’s status as a technically and juristically leading location. We aim at actively maintaining and expanding digital sovereignty.
Karlsruhe already offers a dynamic cultural life as well as a dynamic, versatile and powerful economic sector. To preserve and expand this position in the future, we want and need high performers – so we are providing the most attractive conditions possible to current and future employees and “Karlsruher”.
Our high quality ICT education has a long tradition. We aim at lifelong learning and at raising awareness from an early age on.
Karlsruhe has a unique start-up scene in which all necessary actors work together to provide a seamless support system for founders and young businesses. By supporting entrepreneurship, we pave the way for innovation.
Karlsruhe offers a large network of research institutions, companies and start-ups engaging in R&D. The city is offering itself as a living lab and wants to integrate innovation into everyday life.
Karlsruhe sets its objectives at developing a digital identity and being attractive for its citizens. Digital citizen services facilitate our everyday lives – and the city wants to be a model for the benefits of digitalization by combining the best of administration, smart government and its citizens’ interests.
Digitalization already changes our working life. Karlsruhe targets at shaping new working environments to make the digital transition being liveable for all of us. Karlsruhe is striving to create new working environments so that the digital transformation can be lived by everyone.