Does that mean it will be like a typical start-up, with office space looking more like lounges, furnished with palettes and beanbag chairs?
That doesn't go far enough. We need working spaces of every type in use today – from individual offices to coworking spaces, but also "maker spaces" for building and testing prototypes. And of course showrooms where new models can be presented. I envision surroundings that radiate a colorful, lively and above all urban atmosphere.
What role will the Munich Airport Group play in LabCampus?
We will finance, build and operate LabCampus. But we will also play the role of a curator,bringing together the right partners, setting the focal points for innovation and ensuring that the pipeline of ideas is always full. In our role as the airport we also want to be directly involved in innovations like the recently opened Information Security Hub p. 02 Check-In. We launched the hub in cooperation with partners from the IT industry to work on new solutions in the fight against cybercrime.
What do our neighbors have to say about LabCampus?
Tobias Eschenbacher, the mayor of Freising, was informed at an early stage. He supported the LabCampus idea right from the start. I'm convinced that the region will greatly benefit. LabCampus is not going to create competition. On the contrary, it will be an ideal, networked complement to the existing innovation clusters and to start-up campuses and the many other initiatives in Bavaria.
Do you have specific partners in mind at this point?
Over the past two years we have talked with more than 300 companies from all kinds of industries and with research institutions and universities. The partners now include such companies as Siemens, SAP and MunichRe as well as research institutions such as the Fraunhofer Institute and the Friedrich Alexander Universität Erlangen-Nuremberg.
When is the project going to start and what is the timetable for the coming years?
We will start at the western end of the campus on the 120,000 square meter site to the east of the Agip gas station. After construction is completed, around 5,000 people will work here. The first buildings will be ready for occupancy in around two years and the entire cluster is scheduled for completion in 2025.