Stage program (provisionally)

EU meets Net Zero Valley Lausitz

June 26: EU-SUMMIT

A political evening with top-level decision-makers. The first day of the Decarbon Days is dedicated to a special endeavor: Lusatia is on its way to become Europe’s first Net Zero Valley – a special economic zone and hotspot for green industry. Lusatia has submitted the first official application for this in Brussels. On this evening, personalities from the EU, federal and state level will come together with local stakeholders to discuss the realization of this visionary project. Beyond that, the focus will also be on how the innovative strength and competitiveness of the EU can from now on be strengthened through regions such as Lusatia in general.

Networking in a relaxed atmosphere. Participants can socialize and get in the mood for the political evening.

„Welcome to Decarbon Days – Europe’s first Net Zero Valley initiative.“ Dr. Nora Baum introduces the event and welcomes Dr. Christian Ehler – Brandenburg’s MEP and host of the evening – to the stage. Both will open the evening with an interesting conversation. Dr. Christian Ehler is the driving force behind the concept of Net Zero Valleys as European regions of advantage. To kick off the Decarbon Days, he will report on the current progress made by both the region and the EU in this project.

It is her job to promote companies in new tech sectors. With her responsibility for start-ups, research and innovation, Bulgarian politician Ekaterina Zakharieva is centrally responsible for translating cutting-edge European research into economic value creation – particularly in the field of green technologies. She will provide insights into promoting the economy in Net Zero Valleys as European innovation centres.

How Lusatia can strengthen the innovative power of Germany and the EU as a Net Zero Valley The BMWK is coordinating the initiatives of all federal states on the Net Zero Industry Act and the possible designation of Net Zero Valleys in a federal-state exchange programme. Dr Beate Baron is the head of the industrial policy department at the BMWK – the fully qualified lawyer has been working for the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy since 2010, has already worked as its press spokesperson and has excellent insights into the work of the EU thanks to a posting abroad at the European Commission in Brussels.

How can regions contribute to the competitiveness and de-bureaucratization of the EU? Representatives from politics and business will discuss how the bottom-up process on its way to the Net Zero Valley Lusatia can be shaped into a successful blueprint for other regions in the EU through cooperation between the stakeholders.

How can the EU support the performance of German Net Zero Valleys as hotspots for green industry? European politicians provide insights into how the Net Zero Industry Act and upcoming regulations in Parliament and the Commission will lead to acceleration, better qualification of the workforce and easier investment.

Two Net Zero regions – approaches and digitalization. The responsible Ministers of Economic Affairs of the first two Net Zero Valley initiatives in Germany provide insights into their design processes – and explore opportunities for a model digitization of administration with the HPI.

Conversations, drinks and modern classical music by “Tobi Plays Piano”. At the end of the stage program, participants will have time to reflect on what they have heard. There will also be an opportunity to exchange ideas with the speakers.

Rethinking green industry together

June 27: TECH-FESTIVAL

An interactive event day with many opportunities for inspiration and exchange. The second day of the Decarbon Days will focus on the topic of green technology with a diverse stage program. Participants can look forward to experienced experts and inspiring innovators in pitches, panels, Q&As and more formats. There will also be a wide range of accompanying offers that will bring both cleantech and related technologies such as artificial intelligence, virtual reality, drones, etc. to life. Shows, quizzes, workshops, happenings and more – on this day there’s something for everyone.

We welcome a unique mix of participants! By strictly limiting the number of tickets to one third each for players from business/science/administration, founders/entrepreneurs and students/young talents, the event leads to an innovative exchange away from established formats.

Gain selected insights into the work of our partners and network. During a guided tour of the event stands, a limited number of people can look forward to unique information, background stories and personal contacts.

“Welcome to the Decarbon Days.” The stage is opened by Melanie Stein, who gives a brief overview of the agenda, welcomes the organizers for a greeting and then introduces the first thematic block of the program.

The entire day program follows a clear logic: First, we look at the opportunities associated with cleantech in general and in specific focus areas. Then we show how to successfully start up and grow in these areas. Finally, we discuss the political framework conditions required for success.

Cleantech with Jacob Beautemps aka Breaking Lab

Green industry is currently experiencing a global boom. Annual investments in this future market have risen from 929 to 2,083 million dollars between 2020 and 2024 alone. The well-known science YouTuber Breaking Lab puts this growth into context in a pitch and highlights the resulting potential for Europe.

Which green technologies will shape our future – and how will we construct buildings in the future? Renewable energies, electromobility, storage – this panel will discuss the industries in which cleantech will become economically viable in the future with a view to current developments and best practices. The challenges of reconciling the necessary infrastructure and climate targets are highlighted in the in-depth section on “Building with a future”.

With its high energy requirements, aviation is one of the most difficult sectors to decarbonize. This makes it a technological challenge – but also an opportunity to realize revolutionary innovations, which is why the cleantech complex is concentrated here with an impulse on this focus topic.

What is the solution for the decarbonization of aviation? Whether biofuels or synthetic and e-fuels – industry representatives and experts will discuss sustainable aviation fuels and other currently promising technologies that could make Net Zero Aviation possible.

Start-up curated by the Energy Innovation Center (EIZ)

Start-ups from the green industry sector will each present themselves in a 10-minute pitch. They will highlight the potential of companies with a green business approach, discuss the expansion of markets related to decarbonization and talk about innovations that are currently in demand.

“Unicorns” are start-ups that reach at least one billion US dollars in the company valuation by investors. CARBON13 has already supported around 1,000 founders with programs – with each CARBON13 project expected to save 10 million tons of CO2 annually. An impulse about the scalability of green start-ups and what vision they need to bring to the table to stand out from the multitude of start-ups.

Start-up and growth made easy for green start-ups? A panel with founders and fintech partners full of impulses for entrepreneurs, founders and start-ups that have already set out on their journey.

The FE Award is a new prize that honors inspiring female innovators in the field of green energy and industry in East Germany. This prize, which will be awarded annually for the first time at Decarbon Days in future, highlights women with outstanding achievements in green technologies of the future. Curated by Lucie Töpfer, herself a model founder in the cleantech sector, the award is preceded by a pitch from the three finalists.

Exchange ideas on green business in interactive formats. Entrepreneurs and start-ups will have the opportunity to exchange ideas personally with the participants and other experts in a range of formats and can take advantage of various offers, including an innovation check. In addition to inspiration, tangible results can be created here for your own business start-up.

Politics curated by the Center for Sustainable Transformation (zNT)

“Net Zero” is not a fashion, it will and must come. In a lively panel discussion, politicians and policy experts will discuss how politics can accelerate and secure the decarbonization of the respective sectors and generate opportunities for the companies in these sectors and how investors are looking at the trend.

“Net Zero” can contribute to the sustainable strengthening of regional locations. Following on from the previous program item, a look will be taken at the local level and how regions can tap into new added value by promoting the green industry and ensure more growth with equally increasing stability.

An outlook on the future of the event and the region. At the end of the stage program, the organizers give feedback in a speech, a brief outlook on the next steps for the Decarbon Days and look at the development of Lusatia into Net Zero Valley – the trigger for the idea of the “Decarbon Days” event.

Relaxed conversations with easy-going music to round up the day. After the end of the stage program, you can either network in a relaxed atmosphere or continue to take part in the many other activities beside the stage.

Future prospects in the green industry

June 28: TALENT-DAY

Inspiring activities and career tips for young people. The third day of the Decarbon Days is dedicated to the 50th anniversary of the Cottbus – Zielona Góra town twinning and will be an international meeting day full of knowledge input. In cooperation with the universities of the two cities – BTU Cottbus-Senftenberg and the University of Zielona Góra – the stage program is dedicated to exciting solutions for challenges in the field of cleantech. With free admission, students, trainees and school leavers will gain insights into the future of the job market. In addition to the attractive supporting program, the final of the Climathon is the central highlight of the day. Admission on this day is free for everyone. Admission on this day is free for everyone.

Born in Nigeria, she helped young people find the right career path early on in her home country. As an entrepreneur and speaker, she knows the challenges for both graduates and companies in an increasingly internationalized job market. In the “Start up your Career in Brandenburg” project of the BTU Cottbus-Senftenberg Career Center, she now places “internationals” in the Brandenburg economy. The moderation will be done in English.

Admission on this day is free for everyone. In addition, shuttle buses will run regularly between BTU Cottbus-Senftenberg, the train station and the event site – for a smooth and climate-friendly journey for participants from all over the world.

Labor markets are becoming increasingly diverse – how does this impact graduates and companies? Representatives from the two cooperating universities and the business world will discuss this question – and give young people tips on how they can make a name for themselves with companies and what skills they will need in the future.

Experience politics up close. To combat frustration with politics, young politicians get into conversation with participants and discuss current issues at an equal footing. An interactive format ensures that the discussion partners can really engage with each other instead of talking past each other.

Teams tackle real-life challenges in the green industry and compete for €1,000 in prize money. Inspired by the popular hackathon format, the Climathon begins in the forefront of the event, and will have its final on Talent-Day with the presentation of the teams and the award ceremony by a selected jury and the audience.

Institutions and companies from the region introduce themselves. Participants will have the opportunity to find out more about job offers and the work of various local companies related to the green industry in personal discussions.

Activities from drone flights to scavenger hunts to quizzes

AI ● VR ● drones ● cleantech quiz ● paper airplane contest ● flight simulator ● Science Park tours ● and much more

Side program