Fabian Mehring, Bavaria’s Minister for Digital Affairs, outlines a bold vision for Bavaria as the “digital powerhouses of Europe.”
Embracing disruptive change is key, Mehring argues, and Bavaria must actively shape the future amid global technological and geopolitical shifts. “We don’t want to stand on the sidelines and watch actors from the U.S. or actors from China or Asia redistributing the global wealth of the future amongst each other”, he says.
Mehring highlights Bavaria’s investments in innovation, including €7 billion dedicated to future technologies, 1,000 new professorships, and a €1 billion venture capital fund to support startups.
These efforts, he notes, have elevated Bavaria to rank among the top 20 of global tech ecosystems, attracting major players like Google, Microsoft, and OpenAI. “Every second euro invested in German startups is invested in Bavaria”, Mehring emphasizes.
Mehring also champions the concept of “digital sovereignty” to reduce dependence on external powers in critical technologies and urges a cultural shift from pessimism to optimism.
