Bremerhaven is the largest city on the German North Sea coast and the center of the region. The city serves as a key-city for the surrounding rural communities and part of the metropolitan area of Bremen/Oldenburg in the Northwest. Worldwide operating companies of the food industry are located in the Fishery Harbor. Also many SMEs specialize in fresh fish processing, seafood delicatessen and ambulant fish vending. The successful transformation of the Fisheries Harbour from a cargo handling and fish processing district into a centre for today’s food industry is symbolic for the changes being accomplished in the city’s economic structure. The transformation of the traditional Fishery Harbour into a center for today’s food industry is a symbol of the changes in the economic structure of the city. The food industry is also showing up in the Overseas Harbor area, where thanks to the refrigeration and logistics system, large quantities of food are stored, processed and handled. Bremerhaven now has one of the best science infrastructures in Germany. It is a well-known research environment with a focus on maritime disciplines, closely linked to the city’s economy. In 2005, Bremerhaven was honored as a science location of national relevance with the title City of Science, still vividly supported by a network of the city’s all science and research organisations (“pier of science network”). The “Magistrat” is the local administrative body of the city of Bremerhaven. Department of economic affairs is the interface between the administration and politics as well as companies and science institutions, and thus contact for policy makers, on various aspects of the local economy and R&D landscape. The operational implementation of structural measures in Bremerhaven is done by several specialised public and private companies.
Matching tasks:
The department of economic affairs is the coordination entity within a wide network of actors, e.g. the fishery harbour and the science community. It is primarily responsible for the strategic and conceptual planning of Bremerhaven’s economic and science related policies and strategies. Since the Dpt. of economic affairs is operating as the interface between the city and the science community, it works as a facilitator between administration/politics and the science community and helps to further develop a broad science infrastructure, ideally closely related to the local and regional universities and SMEs. E.G. they are currently planning a green- economy cluster, a modern industrial estate, which enables environmentally friendly, resource-saving and economically efficient work. A sustainable business park of this size, redesigned on a greenfield site – is the first and so far the only one in Germany. Bremerhaven also prepared to apply for the UNESCO creative city of gastronomy award, based on its long tradition of fresh fish and food processing which is one of Bremerhaven’s major economic pillar. The Dpt. Of economic affairs is in the process of developing a strategy for a sustainable food industry, including science, tourism and the public.
