By Aylin Krieger
14 Sep 2026
At the summer reception of the Bremen State Representation in Berlin on September 9, 2026, around 600 guests from politics, business, academia, and society came together. Under the motto “Moin Berlin – Moin Bremen,” the Free Hanseatic City of Bremen showcased the strengths of the state. The U Bremen Research Alliance presented itself together with the Northwest Alliance and the University of Bremen’s new Cluster of Excellence The Martian Mindset, “Die Marsperspektive.”
For the U Bremen Research Alliance, the evening was an opportunity to raise the visibility of Bremen-based research in the political sphere and to strengthen exchange with representatives from politics, business, academia, and society.
The event was hosted by President of the Bundesrat and Mayor Dr. Andreas Bovenschulte, Bremen’s Representative to the Federal Government and for Europe, State Councilor Nancy Böhning, and Weserbrücke e.V.
The summer reception highlighted Bremen’s presidency of the Bundesrat and also served as a preview of German Unity Day, which will be celebrated in Bremen in 2026.
According to a press release from the Senate Chancellery, Mayor Dr. Andreas Bovenschulte stated:
"Our presidency of the Bundesrat gives us a special opportunity this year to promote Bremen and Bremerhaven — here in Berlin and far beyond. The summer reception provides a good insight into the many strengths of our two-city state — from science, research, and space, to industry, ports, and many innovative companies, to culture and way of life.”
Exchange on Security and Defense
The evening opened with the panel discussion “Rethinking Security and Defense: Politics, Armed Forces, and Industry in Dialogue.” The focus was on how Germany and Europe can strengthen their security and defense capabilities in light of the changing global situation, and what role politics, the armed forces, and industry play in this context.
The discussion made clear that issues of security and defense policy cannot be viewed in isolation. It also showed the role that Bremen and Bremerhaven can play in current security and defense matters with their expertise in aerospace, maritime security, industry, and their strong universities and research institutions.
The panelists were Dr. Andreas Bovenschulte; Dr. Jan Stöß, State Secretary at the Federal Ministry of Defense; Thomas Röwekamp, Member of the German Bundestag and Chair of the Defense Committee in the German Bundestag; Sabine von der Recke, member of the Executive Board of OHB System AG; and Dr. Klaus Michel, Managing Director of Airbus Defence and Space GmbH.
According to the Senate Chancellery’s press release, State Councilor Nancy Böhning also emphasized the role of the Bremen State Representation as a showcase for Bremen and Bremerhaven:
“Moin Berlin – Moin Bremen – that describes quite well what we do here at the State Representation every day: We bring Bremen to Berlin. And we bring people into conversation with one another. That is exactly what our ‘Bremen Embassy’ is here for,” said Böhning. “We want to show what defines Bremen and Bremerhaven: our companies, our science, our ports, our culture, and above all, our people.”
Research, Collaboration, and The Martian Mindset
Following the panel discussion, numerous companies, institutions, and organizations presented the diversity of Bremen and Bremerhaven in the garden of the State Representation. Together with the Northwest Alliance and The Martian Mindset, the U Bremen Research Alliance showed how research in Bremen addresses key challenges for the future and what opportunities arise from close collaboration among the university, non-university research institutions, and partners.
At the event, Prof. Dr. Mandy Böhnke, Prof. Dr.-Ing. Rainer Fechte-Heinen, Conny Ladenthin, advisor to the President, and Derk Schönfeld, Managing Director of the U Bremen Research Alliance, provided insights into research projects in Bremen, the U Bremen Research Alliance, and the Northwest Alliance. Wiebke Hahn and Paul Zabel from the German Aerospace Center introduced the Cluster of Excellence The Martian Mindset.
The Martian Mindset, the University of Bremen’s new Cluster of Excellence “Die Marsperspektive,” is funded from 2026 to 2032 by the German Research Foundation (DFG) as part of the Excellence Strategy of the German Federal and State Governments. The cluster uses the extreme conditions on Mars as a conceptual model for sustainable production under conditions of resource scarcity. This gives rise to new approaches to material extraction, low-energy process chains, robotics, and space technology.
The conversations at the State Representation made clear how strongly research in Bremen is connected to key issues for the future: space, sustainable production, and resource scarcity. At the same time, the evening showed how important exchange among academia, politics, and industry is for addressing these topics together.
