Habeck calls for cooperation

High-ranking representatives from politics, business and research came together under the guiding theme of "Data-driven Industry - Shaping a New Era". In three panels, they discussed how digital technologies and data-driven value creation networks are shaping the industrial future.

Digital competitiveness in a global context

In the opening panel "Call for Action: How to Ensure Digital Competitiveness?", decisive impulses for strengthening the competitiveness of the industry were discussed. The focus was on data-driven business models and their potential to increase global competitiveness. Federal Minister Dr. Robert Habeck emphasized the importance of European cooperation with simultaneous data sovereignty: "We must cooperate! Cooperation is [...] the keyword in times like these, the counter-model to isolationism and protectionism!" With a view to the networking power of the trade fair, he concluded his impulse with the rhetorical question "Where could be a better place than at the international Hannover Messe to advance this internationalization of data sharing?"

In addition to the Federal Minister, the other panel participants also presented their "Calls for Action" - including State Secretary Claudia Müller (BMBF), Philip Jennings (Deputy Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, Canada), Peter Leibinger (BDI President), Dr. Tanja Rückert (Bosch), Catherine Jestin (Airbus SE), Tim Meyerjürgens (TenneT) and Cedrik Neike (Siemens).

The latter called for the development of data ecosystems and on behalf of the industry: "We need to achieve [the] scaling required to implement this." Neike also thanked the German government for taking the lead, especially with regard to SMEs: "We have to implement these topics, Catena-X and Manufacturing-X, this standardization of data for all small and medium-sized enterprises! Because not everyone is an ASML or an Airbus."

Europe's position in the AI competition

The second program item "Is Europe Keeping Up in the Race for Industrial AI?" examined Europe's current position in the global AI competition. Specifically, the panelists addressed the following key questions: How can Europe use its industrial base and expertise to take a leading role in AI applications?

In response to these questions, the participants put together a large toolbox of proposed solutions in a dynamic and sometimes controversial discussion: Dominik Metzger (SAP) stated that Europe needs a sovereign infrastructure. He also called for applications to be built on an open source basis and emphasized the importance of quantum computing as a future technology. Bernd Wagner (STACKIT, Schwarz Digits) and Dr. Christine Knackfuß-Nikolic (T-Systems) emphasized the importance of investment in research. Prof. Holger Hanselka (Fraunhofer) explained that "simple tools" are needed to raise existing data treasures to a higher level of data readiness. Dr. Yasser Jadidi (Aleph Alpha Research) closed the panel with a clear appeal: "We need a mindset and flexibility - that's the key."

How industrial innovations can be scaled up successfully

The final panel discussion "Are Our Solutions Creating Enough Value to Scale Fast?" focused on the scaling potential of industrial innovations. In this round, concrete examples of successful scaling models were presented and the obstacles that need to be overcome in order to implement data-driven innovations faster and more broadly in the industry were discussed.

In this context, Klaus Bröhl (Integrated Worlds GmbH) called for the benefits of the solutions for SMEs to be clearly emphasized: "We have to start thinking in blueprints" and "just do it."

The Leaders' Dialogue as a central stage for the data-driven industry

This year's Leaders' Dialogue 2025 once again provided a central platform for international exchange on the future of the industry with these high-profile panels and important messages. The event showed that cooperation between politics, business and research is crucial to driving forward the digital transformation of industry and strengthening Europe in the global competitive arena.