Niedersachsen.next Digitalagentur

What Niedersachsen.next Digitalagentur does

Niedersachsen.next Digitalagentur is the state-backed digital agency of Lower Saxony, operated by Niedersachsen.next GmbH — a private GmbH owned and funded by the Niedersächsisches Ministerium für Wirtschaft, Verkehr und Bauen (Ministry of Economic Affairs, Transport, Construction and Digitalization). Founded in 2019 and headquartered in Hannover (Schiffgraben 22-28), the agency consolidates several legacy digitalization support networks — including the former Netzwerk Industrie 4.0 Niedersachsen and the Digitalisierungsberatung — into a single platform that provides free, manufacturer-neutral consulting, knowledge transfer, and funding navigation to Lower Saxony's SMEs, public administration, educational institutions, and industrial firms.

The agency's offering is structured as a portfolio of portals, networks, physical spaces, and event formats rather than a single software product. Core digital assets include the Portal IT-Sicherheit, the FörderNavigator funding portal, the Low-Code Land Niedersachsen initiative, the regional DigitalHubs network, the CYBERsicher Notfallhilfe emergency service for SMEs, and the XR CAMPUS — a dedicated Extended Reality experimentation space opened in 2024. Content and community channels include the DIGITAL GEDACHT podcast, the DIGITAL VORAUS column, the annual German Low-Code Day (co-organized with the Low-Code Association e.V.), the Technologie & Croissant breakfast series, and partnerships with ZDIN (a 36-institution, 116-scientist research network), Fraunhofer IWU, DFKI, and the SCALE-MX consortium on Manufacturing-X data ecosystems. Distribution is event-driven and partnership-led, with active presences at Hannover Messe and Gamescom.

The business model is government grant-funded public service delivery, not commercial software. The agency earns no revenue from fees or licenses; all services are provided free of charge to users under state budget allocation. It is led by Managing Directors Uwe Ilgenfritz-Donné (Spokesperson of the Executive Board) and Christian Kotschy, with Björn Ungruhe chairing the Supervisory Board on behalf of the Niedersächsische Staatskanzlei. There are no subsidiaries, no external shareholders, and no venture or private equity involvement.

Name

Niedersachsen.next Digitalagentur

Legal name

Niedersachsen.next GmbH

Website

https://digitalagentur-niedersachsen.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Niedersachsen.next Digitalagentur is a state-funded digital agency in Hannover, Germany, operated by Niedersachsen.next GmbH on behalf of the Lower Saxony Ministry of Economic Affairs. It delivers free digitalization consulting, portals, hubs, and events to the region's SMEs, public administration, schools, and manufacturers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Government Digital Services

NAICS

Computer Systems Design and Related Services (54151), Other Computer Related Services (541519), Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services (5182)

SIC

Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370), Services-Computer Integrated Systems Design (7373)

akta.pro primary industry

Government Digital Service & eGovernment (Service Delivery, IDs, Portals) (BPAIAAAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Digital Development & ICT4D / GovTech Technical Assistance (BPADAEAL), Technical Enablement & Adoption Services (Change Management, Adoption, Champions) (BPAEANAC)

Keywords

• Government digital services
• Digitalization consulting SMEs
• IT security advisory
• Low-code platform support
• Knowledge transfer events

Headquarters

HQ city

Hannover

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Government-funded public service: The Digitalagentur is funded by the Niedersächsisches Ministerium für Wirtschaft, Verkehr und Bauen (Ministry of Economics, Transport, Construction and Digitalization) and operates as a public service initiative to advance digitalization in Lower Saxony. It provides free support, consulting, and knowledge transfer services rather than selling commercial products.

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Niedersachsen.next Digitalagentur is the state-owned digital agency of Lower Saxony that provides free digitalization consulting, programs, and networking services to small and medium-sized enterprises, public administration bodies, and educational institutions. It operates specialized portals (e.g., Portal IT-Sicherheit, Förderernavigator, Digitale Orte Niedersachsen), capability-building initiatives (Low-Code Land Niedersachsen, XR CAMPUS, DigitalHubs.Niedersachsen), emergency IT-security assistance (CYBERsicher Notfallhilfe), and knowledge-transfer programs (Transfer-X, ZDIN) to accelerate digital transformation across the state.

Product overview

Niedersachsen.next Digitalagentur is a government digital agency operated by Niedersachsen.next GmbH on behalf of the Lower Saxony Ministry for Economic Affairs, Transport, Construction and Digitalization. The organization serves as a central point of contact for digitalization support, offering a portfolio of interconnected services organized as portals, initiatives, networks, and event programs. The core offerings include the Portal IT-Sicherheit (IT Security portal), Digitale Orte Niedersachsen (Digital Locations initiative), Low-Code Land Niedersachsen (Low-Code initiative), DigitalHubs.Niedersachsen (hub network), Fördernavigator (funding navigator), and the XR CAMPUS (Extended Reality experience space). These are complemented by content programs such as the DIGITAL GEDACHT podcast and DIGITAL VORAUS column, event formats including the German Low-Code Day conference and Technologie & Croissant series, and specialized services like CYBERsicher Notfallhilfe. The agency also coordinates with research networks like ZDIN and supports manufacturing data ecosystem initiatives through Transfer-X and SCALE-MX. The portfolio functions as a unified digitalization support ecosystem rather than a single software product, designed to help businesses and public administration in Lower Saxony navigate digital transformation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Digital GEDACHT Podcast: The Digitalagentur's own podcast covering topics of digitalization
• DIGITAL VORAUS Kolumne
• XR CAMPUS
• Low-Code Land Niedersachsen
• DigitalHubs.Niedersachsen
• Fördernavigator

Products and services

• Portal IT-Sicherheit Web-based portal that provides IT-security guidance, best practices, and resources to SMEs, public administration, and educational institutions in Lower Saxony.
• CYBERsicher Notfallhilfe Emergency response service for IT-security incidents affecting SMEs and institutions in Lower Saxony, providing rapid first-line assistance and guidance.
• Förderernavigator Online funding navigator that helps SMEs, public administration, and educational institutions in Lower Saxony identify and access relevant public funding programs for digitalization projects.
• Digitalisierungsberatung (Digitalization Consulting) Free state-funded digitalization consulting service advising SMEs, public administration, and educational institutions in Lower Saxony on their digital transformation initiatives.
• DigitalHubs.Niedersachsen Networking and innovation program connecting regional DigitalHubs across Lower Saxony to support SMEs and institutions in their digitalization journey.
• Low-Code Land Niedersachsen Initiative introducing and enabling low-code application development for SMEs, administration, and educational institutions in Lower Saxony.
• XR CAMPUS Training and capability-building program in Extended Reality (XR) technologies for SMEs, public administration, and educational institutions in Lower Saxony.
• Transfer-X Knowledge-transfer initiative supporting cross-sector collaboration and exchange between research, administration, and industry in Lower Saxony.
• Digitale Orte Niedersachsen Digital showcase mapping digitalization locations, innovation sites, and exemplary digitalization projects across Lower Saxony.
• ZDIN (Zentrum für Digitale Innovationen Niedersachsen) Center for Digital Innovation in Lower Saxony (ZDIN) that supports applied research and innovation transfer to SMEs and public organizations.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 200 attendees at German Low-Code Day 2025
• +2 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• SCALE-MX Consortium (VDMA, ZVEI, Bayern Innovativ, DIHK Service GmbH, WIK)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSCALE-MX is a BMWE-funded consortium led by VDMA and ZVEI focused on scaling Manufacturing-X projects. Niedersachsen.next participates to help transfer data ecosystem concepts to SMEs through multipliers. The consortium works on data sovereignty, data spaces, and industrial digitalization.
• Niedersächsisches Ministerium für Wirtschaft, Verkehr und BauencoreOthersThe Digitalagentur operates on behalf of the state ministry as an official initiative to advance digitalization in Lower Saxony. The ministry provides funding and strategic direction.
• Zentrum für digitale Innovationen Niedersachsen (ZDIN)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerZDIN is a research network of 36 research institutions with 116 scientists and 126 practice partners. The Digitalagentur collaborates with ZDIN to transfer research results to businesses and supports the network's events and publications.
• Low-Code Association e.V.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-organizer of the German Low-Code Day conference. The association and Digitalagentur work together to promote Low-Code/No-Code technologies in Lower Saxony.
• nordmedia Film- und Mediengesellschaft Niedersachsen/BremenminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOrganizes joint exhibition stands at Gamescom and Hannover Messe for Lower Saxony companies in the gaming and digital sectors.
• DigitalHubs.NiedersachsencoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNetwork of regional digital hubs across Lower Saxony providing physical locations for digitalization consultation and support. Part of the portal structure at digitalagentur-niedersachsen.de.
• Transfer-X / Transferstelle CybersicherheitminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTransfer-X provides a knowledge platform with learning modules and partner network for data spaces and digital transformation. Associated with CYBERsicher Notfallhilfe for cybersecurity support.
• Mittelstand Digitalzentrum HannoverminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOperates the Mobile Factory (Mobile Fabrik) demonstrating digital twins and data sharing concepts for digital product passports and carbon footprint tracking.
• Fraunhofer-Institut für Werkzeugmaschinen und Umformtechnik IWUminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerContributes to transfer formats for data space technologies and XR experiences at the XR CAMPUS.
• Netzwerk Industrie 4.0 NiedersachsencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIntegrated network that was merged into the Digitalagentur initiative, providing industry 4.0 expertise and connections.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Bayern Innovativ: Bavarian state innovation and technology transfer agency running digitalization initiatives, networks, and events for SMEs. Comparable as a state-backed digitalization intermediary with similar consulting, event, and network offerings.
• IHK (Industrie- und Handelskammer) Digitalization Services: German Chambers of Commerce operate digitalization consulting, training, and funding navigation services for SMEs. Directly comparable target customers and free/subsidized service model, with overlapping events and consulting offerings.
• European Digital Innovation Hubs (EDIH): EU-co-funded network of regional digital innovation hubs providing digitalization services to SMEs and public administration. Strongly comparable in mandate, free-service model, and regional concentration, with multiple EDIHs active across German states.
• Mittelstand-Digital Zentren: BMWK-funded network of SME digitalization centers offering free consulting, events, and demonstration spaces across Germany. Directly comparable mandate to Niedersachsen.next Digitalagentur in serving SMEs with digitalization support, with overlapping event formats and consulting services.
• VDI/VDE Innovation + Technik GmbH: German technology consulting and project management organization executing federal/state digitalization programs. Comparable as a delivery vehicle for government-funded digitalization projects serving SMEs, research institutions, and public administration.
• go-digital (Bundesministerium für Wirtschaft): Federal consulting program that subsidizes external consultants to advise SMEs on digitalization. Operates as a competing free/subsidized delivery channel for SME digitalization support in the same customer segments as the Digitalagentur.

Broad incumbents

• Bitkom Servicegesellschaft: Germany's largest digital industry association providing research, consulting, and SME digitalization support. Overlaps with Digitalagentur's mission to advance digital transformation among SMEs and public administration, but operates at a national scale and as an industry association rather than a state agency.

Emerging players

• Fraunhofer IAO / Institut für Arbeitswirtschaft und Organisation: Fraunhofer institute running applied research and digitalization transfer programs for SMEs and public administration. Overlaps in research-to-practice transfer, event programming, and ecosystem convening activities.

Regional players

• Smart Industry (Netherlands): Dutch national program for SME digitalization focused on Industry 4.0, data sharing, and field labs. Comparable as a government-backed digitalization intermediary, but operating in the Netherlands rather than Germany.
• Catapult UK (Connected Places / Digital): UK government-backed innovation network operating technology and demonstration centers with SME engagement. Comparable as publicly funded digitalization intermediaries with physical innovation spaces and ecosystem-building missions, but serving the UK market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses6 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/digitalagentur-niedersachsen

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Niedersachsen.next Digitalagentur