Ministry of Science and Culture of Lower Saxony and the Province of Groningen sign Letter of Intent along with Hyperloop Development Program
– Participants indicated support for the creation of an open innovation environment for hyperloop research and development, the collaboration will be focused in the cross-border region and is open to organizations from around the world to participate
– Forthcoming European Hyperloop Center will play a central role in research, through testing and demonstrating the hyperloop system as well as its manufacturing and construction processes
– Public sector parties confirm intent to contribute to potential route development through feasibility studies
Rotterdam, 16 September 2022 – On Friday, 16 September, a landmark moment on the road to hyperloop development took place in Emden, Germany, as the Ministry of Science and Culture of Lower Saxony and the Province of Groningen signed a Letter of Intent, along with public-private organization Hyperloop Development Program (HDP). The parties acknowledge hyperloop as the next step forward in improving the network of international mobility and transport, and intend to promote research and development in various ways. The event initiated the first cross-border collaboration of parties from two different countries aimed at the advancement of hyperloop. While initial collaboration will be focused in the cross-border region of North West Germany and the Northern Netherlands, the institutions support the creation of an open innovation environment for hyperloop research and development, and are open to organizations from around the world to participate.
Ideally Positioned
The institutions in the region are well-placed to play a leading role in hyperloop development; the State of Lower Saxony is home to the Emsland Maglev Test Facility and contributes to Germany’s strong presence in transport and logistics industries, as well as within innovation of smart materials and development of battery technology. The Province of Groningen has fully embraced hyperloop development by their strong support for the realization of the European Hyperloop Center (EHC), an initiative of the HDP, to break ground and begin testing in 2023. The HDP is one of the leading ecosystems that promotes development of hyperloop technology across Europe and globally, and has strong interest in the region from members EHC, Hardt Hyperloop, Hochschule Emden/Leer, and INTIS.
Björn Thümler, Lower Saxony Minister of Science and Culture, stated: “With today’s signing of the Letter of Intent, we as the Ministry of Science of Lower Saxony are therefore very glad and fully convinced of our intention to strengthen and expand the cooperation for research and technical development of hyperloop technology with our partners in the province of Groningen. In my view, this Letter of Intent is only one step in the intensification of cooperation, which can and will certainly be followed by others. The cross-border cooperation agreed upon today will be a central point for future jointly coordinated activities and third-party funding acquisition at the European level.” “Our province is committed to fostering innovation and groundbreaking research across all sectors to support the economic power and vitality of the region. By working together with our neighbors in Lower Saxony, we can strengthen the joint region’s position as a global leader in technology research and development, in particular when it comes to hyperloop development,” said Ijzebrand Rijzebol, Deputy for Economic Affairs and Finance for the Province of Groningen.
Copyright photo: University of Applied Sciences Emden/Leer