Sea Tech Week in Brest: A new impetus for Kiel as a business hub

The town twinning between Kiel and Brest has been in place since 1964. Both cities have much in common: they are port cities, centres of maritime industry and innovation, are home to renowned scientific institutions for ocean research, and are naval bases. This year, Brest and Kiel (together with Split in Croatia) are also linked by the European project ‘Science Comes To Town’, and both cities have had a new mayor since spring 2026. 

These factors led to the decision to organise a visit to Sea Tech Week for stakeholders from Kiel’s business and scientific communities. In parallel, there was an official municipal delegation trip led by Kiel’s Lord Mayor, Dr Samet Yilmaz.

For the past 25 years, Sea Tech Week has been bringing the international maritime community together in Brest every two years to discuss the latest scientific and technological developments. High-profile presentations and panel discussions, workshops, an exhibition and plenty of time for networking round off the three-day event at the Le Quartz conference centre.

The Kiel delegation showcased itself to French and international guests with an exhibition stand, thereby attracting a great deal of attention. Members of the delegation also played an active role in various panel discussions. The feedback from the participating start-ups and researchers was consistently positive. Everyone was able to make important new contacts and establish new project consortia.

Alongside the maritime and defence sectors, the healthcare sector, the digital economy, tourism, agri-food, banking and insurance, as well as trade and skilled trades, are key sectors of Brest’s economy. The economic priorities are, on the whole, very similar to those of the state capital, Kiel.

Furthermore, Brest is currently positioning itself in the following future-oriented fields: cybersecurity, drones in the maritime sector, space, marine renewable energy, health tech, the circular economy, deep-sea exploration, artificial intelligence, the cultural and creative industries, and the ‘silver society’ (ageing population). These areas are also being actively pursued in Kiel and offer a wide range of opportunities for future collaboration with French partners.

Christian-Albrechts-Universität Kiel has maintained an exchange programme with the Université de Bretagne Occidentale (UBO) in Brest for many years. Kiel University of Applied Sciences (HAW Kiel) cooperates with the École Nationale d’Ingénieurs de Brest (ENIB), whilst GEOMAR collaborates with the French marine research institute Ifremer in Brest. There are also academic links between the Muthesius University of the Arts and the École des beaux-arts de Bretagne (EESAB).

These existing links demonstrate just how diverse the scientific and academic exchange between the two cities already is. At the same time, the town twinning offers the potential to further develop this cooperation and to initiate new joint projects.

Brest’s cityscape is strongly characterised by the shipbuilding industry and the port. As a naval base, the city was heavily damaged during the Second World War. These are further similarities between Kiel and Brest. Surprisingly, however, Brest has managed to transform former industrial sites into public spaces. Les Ateliers des Capucins is now the largest public square in Europe. Built in 1695 as a Capuchin monastery, the site was used as barracks by the navy a century later. Following the Industrial Revolution, the site was expanded to house foundries, boiler-making workshops, mechanical engineering facilities, and assembly, fitting-out and electrical workshops for the construction and repair of French Navy vessels. Since 2016, Les Ateliers des Capucins has been a 16-hectare so-called ‘third place’. 

In 2023, La PAM opened as another ‘third place’ in a former printing works in the city centre: an open-plan dining area, shops and creative spaces invite the public into this hub.

Although Brest, with a population of around 140,000, is considerably smaller than Kiel, a light rail line was inaugurated in both 2012 and 2026 and has been part of Brest’s cityscape ever since. Another particular highlight is Océanopolis, France’s largest aquarium, which serves as a scientific and cultural centre dedicated to the ocean.