The exhibition for the MAKER CHALLENGE Hamburg 2026 showcases what happens when an idea becomes a tangible product. It traces the journey from the initial designs through development, prototyping, and manufacturing. The focus is not only on the end result but also on the process leading up to it: materials, manufacturing, reuse, and repairability are all taken into account from the very beginning. As part of the dtec.bw Fab City closing event on September 10, 2026, all participants in the MAKER CHALLENGE will be honored during an awards ceremony.

At InnoTech 2026 in Beijing, our colleague Jan Peuckert presented the latest research findings from the Value Creation Radar project on AI-supported identification of strategic future signals. The conference also offered a wide range of international perspectives on innovation research, open innovation, and the role of AI in strategic foresight.

Experience circular design – How are products created that are designed to be circular from the outset? At the MAKER CHALLENGE 2026 meetup, experts from design for human nature, Indeed Innovation, and the Cradle to Cradle NGO Hamburg showed how physical prototyping, systemic thinking, and principle-based circular economy shape innovative product ideas.

In the new episode of Tech Affair – Industry for Future, Dr. Manuel Moritz from the New Production Institute and Dr. Susanne Vernim from the software company Tulip Interfaces talk about pop-up factories – how flexible, mobile production structures are becoming a reality, what opportunities they offer for industry and society, and why they could change the future of production.

The dtec.bw Annual Conference 2025 at Helmut Schmidt University focused on research with added value for all dimensions. Topics discussed included digitalization, future technologies, and local production concepts such as Fab City. Interactive exhibits and live demonstrations offered practical insights into the circular economy, resilience, and innovative production approaches.

Newly published: The Fab City Hamburg Playbook is here - a practice-oriented guide to local, digital and circular production in cities. The result of a four-year transdisciplinary research project shows how urban value creation can be designed sustainably.