Industrial Policy Dialogue: Kiel focuses on growth, innovation and networking

For eleven years now, the initiative has stood for reliable and strategic cooperation between the city, the business community, professional bodies and trade unions. The IPD reflects the importance of industry in the city’s economic and political priorities.

Since its launch in 2015, the Industrial Policy Dialogue has developed into a key platform for exchange, networking and the development of industrial policy strategies. The figures highlight the positive development of Kiel as a business location:

• A 5% increase in industrial jobs by 2024 – alongside a nationwide decline of around 120,000 jobs
• Above-average growth in the manufacturing sector (2014–2023):
  • Kiel: +16% from 10,602 to 12,299
  • Schleswig-Holstein: +11%, from 122,086 to 135,942
  • Germany: +3.5% from 5.3 million to 5.5 million
• 10% increase in industrial companies between 2014 and 2023, from 73 to 80

These figures demonstrate Kiel’s economic dynamism and the effectiveness of ongoing cooperation on industrial policy. Furthermore, the IPD has championed the significant development of industrial sites, particularly in the StrandOrt area, and the preservation of the Lindenau industrial site. Mobility via the motorway and the airport were also policy priorities for the IPD. Furthermore, numerous conferences on the defence industry and railway technology have taken place over the years. The IPD has also championed the establishment of a new civil engineering degree programme at Kiel University of Applied Sciences.

Particularly in difficult situations, such as those involving Caterpillar and the foundry in Friedrichsort, the industrial policy dialogue has demonstrated that jobs could be secured and expanded through a social partnership approach. Industrial jobs covered by collective agreements and subject to co-determination are the key factors for success in this regard.

The focus is firmly on the future. Three key themes will shape the future development of the industrial hub:

1. New Mobility:
The integration of maritime expertise with digital control, autonomous systems and electrification is strengthening innovation across sectors.

2. Transport Technology & Energy
From smart production to green energy: projects such as CAPTN underscore Kiel’s role as a model region for climate-friendly technologies.

3. Security
Maritime security, defence technologies and specialised sensor technology form a growing field of the future with high relevance.

The 22nd Industrial Policy Dialogue marks not an end, but the beginning of a new phase of development. The focus is on:

• the creation of additional modern commercial sites
• expanding knowledge and technology transfer
• strengthening the skilled workforce
• closer links between industry and academia
• improving working conditions through greater employee participation and collective bargaining

With this clear direction, Kiel is consolidating its role as the industrial powerhouse of northern Germany – well-connected and forward-looking.

For a decade now, the Industrial Policy Dialogue has served as a key platform for communication and exchange within Kiel’s industrial sector. Within this framework, the organisers meet regularly: the City of Kiel, the Kiel Chamber of Industry and Commerce, the Kiel Business Association, the trade unions IG Metall Kiel-Neumünster, DGB Kiel Region and IGBCE Schleswig-Holstein District, as well as KiWi, which has taken on the coordinating role for the Industrial Policy Dialogue and, together with its partners, invites representatives from Kiel’s most significant industrial companies and universities.

Through this dialogue, the most pressing future issues and challenges facing local industry are examined, joint solutions are developed and concrete measures are agreed upon, with the aim of sustainably strengthening and further developing industrial value creation in Kiel.