Wirtschaftsregion Lausitz GmbH

What Wirtschaftsregion Lausitz GmbH does

Wirtschaftsregion Lausitz GmbH (WRL) is a public-sector regional development corporation (Wirtschaftsfördergesellschaft) established in 2020 in Cottbus, Brandenburg, to coordinate the structural transformation of the Lausitz coal-mining region. The company operates a bottom-up workshop process (Werkstattprozess) comprising five thematic workshops — Economy, Digitalization, Infrastructure, Quality of Life, and Climate/Energy — in which municipalities, businesses, science institutions, and civil society develop and qualify project ideas for federal and state structural transformation funding. Projects approved in the workshops are forwarded to the Investitionsbank des Landes Brandenburg (ILB) for funding disbursement under the Strukturstärkungsgesetz and the Lausitzprogramm 2038, which together channel approximately €17 billion of federal and state investment into the region. By the end of the first workshop cycle, roughly 50 projects with a combined volume of nearly €1 billion had been initiated, and 72 projects (€1.8 billion) representing 72% of planned Arm 1 projects have since been approved.

WRL's core offerings are service-based programs rather than products: the Werkstattprozess coordination function, the Teilhabefonds Brandenburg (a civil-society grant scheme of up to €50,000 per project with an annual budget of approximately €1 million through 2027), the federal STARK program for corporate innovation, and the Innovationskorridor Berlin-Lausitz network initiative. The organization does not develop proprietary technology; its digital footprint consists of an interactive project map and Matomo-based web analytics used for communication. Revenue is exclusively non-commercial, derived from government grants — primarily a €4 million Zuwendungsbescheid from the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action issued in February 2025, with co-financing from the State of Brandenburg. There is no SaaS or transaction-based pricing model; the entity operates as a public coordination body.

Name

Wirtschaftsregion Lausitz GmbH

Legal name

Wirtschaftsregion Lausitz GmbH

Website

https://wirtschaftsregion-lausitz.de

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Wirtschaftsregion Lausitz GmbH is a public-sector regional development corporation in Cottbus, Germany, that coordinates the structural transformation of the Lausitz coal region by running a multi-stakeholder workshop process that qualifies projects for federal and state funding.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Regional Economic Development Services

NAICS

Environmental Consulting Services (54162), Administration of Environmental Quality Programs (9241)

akta.pro primary industry

Environmental & Climate Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAM)

akta.pro secondary industry

Infrastructure, Engineering & Public Works Technical Assistance (WASH/Transport/Energy) (BPADAEAF)

Keywords

• Regional economic development
• Structural transformation coordination
• Coal phase-out transition
• Public funding administration
• Stakeholder workshop facilitation

Headquarters

HQ city

Cottbus/ Chóśebuz

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, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Government Funding - Federal Ministry of Economics and Climate Protection: The organization receives ongoing funding from the Bundesministerium für Wirtschaft und Klimaschutz (Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action) due to a resolution of the German Bundestag. This federal funding supports the workshop process and structural transformation coordination activities. A funding approval (Zuwendungsbescheid) of approximately 4 million euros was granted in February 2025 to continue the workshop process.
2. State of Brandenburg Co-Financing: The State of Brandenburg provides co-financing for structural development projects. The WRL administers funding programs including the Teilhabefonds Brandenburg (up to 1 million euros annually for civil society projects) and coordinates the regional application process for the federal 'Unternehmen Revier' program.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Wirtschaftsregion Lausitz GmbH coordinates the structural transformation of the Lausitz coal-mining region through a bottom-up workshop process (Werkstattprozess) where regional stakeholders develop and qualify project ideas for federal and state funding. The organization administers funding programs including the Teilhabefonds Brandenburg (up to 50,000 EUR per civil society project) and coordinates project submissions to the Investitionsbank des Landes Brandenburg (ILB) for funding approval under the Strukturstärkungsgesetz framework.

Product overview

Wirtschaftsregion Lausitz GmbH is a regional development organization, not a traditional software product company. It offers service-based programs for structural transformation coordination, including the Werkstattprozess (workshop process) for bottom-up project development, the Teilhabefonds Brandenburg grant program for civil society projects, the STARK federal funding program for corporate innovation, and the Innovationskorridor Berlin-Lausitz network initiative. These programs work together to coordinate the Lausitz region's transition from coal mining to a sustainable future.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Werkstattprozess (Workshop Process)

Quantifiable outcome

• 50 projects with nearly 1 billion EUR initiated in first year of workshop operation
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 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 strategic, core and secondary.

• Regionalentwicklungsagentur Konin (Regional Development Agency Konin, Poland)strategicStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 July 2025Partnership between Ost-Großpolen (Greater Poland) and the Lausitz for sustainable cross-border development. A cooperation agreement was signed in Konin in July 2025. Both regions face similar coal phase-out challenges, enabling shared learning and joint initiatives. Polish delegation visited Lausitz in February 2026 for continued exchange.
• Siemens HealthineersstrategicStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 December 2024Brandenburg and Siemens Healthineers signed a letter of intent (Absichtserklärung) in December 2024 for cooperation on building the Modellregion Gesundheit (Model Health Region) Lausitz, supporting the development of digital healthcare and telemedicine initiatives.
• Regionalentwicklungsagentur Konin (Poland delegation visit)strategicStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 March 2024Polish delegation led by Maciej Sytek, President of the Regional Development Agency in Konin, conducted two-day visit to Lausitz to exchange experiences on structural transformation and sustainable energy transition. Both regions are coal-dependent and share common challenges.
• Staatskanzlei Brandenburg (Brandenburg State Chancellery)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerClose operational partnership in the Haus des Strukturwandels. The WRL moderates the workshop process under the framework of the Lausitzprogramm 2038, with Ministerin Kathrin Schneider (Chief of State Chancellery) overseeing the structural transformation. The partnership coordinates all Arm 1 funding decisions and interministerial project approvals.
• Lausitz-Beauftragter des Ministerpräsidenten (Lausitz Commissioner - Dr. Klaus Freytag)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Lausitz Commissioner serves as part of the Brandenburg state government and works hand-in-hand with WRL in the Haus des Strukturwandels to coordinate and oversee structural transformation projects, including handing over funding approvals (Zuwendungsbescheide) directly to project initiators.
• Investitionsbank des Landes Brandenburg (ILB)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerILB is the implementing bank for structural transformation funding in Brandenburg. Project initiators who receive workshop approval submit their funding applications to ILB for final disbursement. ILB staff participate in the Haus des Strukturwandels coordination structure.
• Brandenburgische Technische Universität Cottbus-Senftenberg (BTU)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBTU is the central academic partner for structural transformation in Lausitz. The university hosts key research initiatives (chesco, Lausitz Science Park) and participates in the workshop process. President Prof. Gesine Grande is a recognized Lausitz figure contributing to regional development.
• IHK Cottbus (Chamber of Industry and Commerce)secondaryChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorIHK Cottbus participates in structural transformation initiatives including the Lausitzer Praktikumsplattform (internship platform) launched in June 2025, supporting workforce development and skilled labor attraction to the region.
• Handwerkskammer Cottbus (Craft Chamber)secondaryChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCo-partner in the Lausitzer Praktikumsplattform initiative, supporting small and medium-sized trades businesses in accessing internship opportunities and workforce development programs.
• Innovationskorridor Berlin-Lausitz PartnersstrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork of over 16 municipalities developing the Innovationskorridor Berlin-Lausitz to attract Berlin-based investors and companies to the Lausitz region. Partners collaborate on joint brochure development and investor promotion.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Investitionsbank des Landes Brandenburg (ILB): Brandenburg's state development bank and the implementing institution for WRL's workshop-approved funding. Comparable as a publicly-owned financial institution managing structural transformation funding flows.
• Wirtschaftsförderung Sachsen GmbH (WFS): Saxony's statewide economic development corporation, coordinating regional economic development for the southern Lausitz and broader Saxony. Comparable as a regional Wirtschaftsfördergesellschaft operating under state oversight.
• Wirtschaftsförderung Land Brandenburg GmbH (WFBB): Brandenburg's statewide economic development agency, which works alongside WRL on enterprise and investment promotion. Comparable as a regional development corporation with overlapping stakeholder relationships and funding programs.
• Investitionsbank Sachsen-Anhalt: State development bank of Saxony-Anhalt that implements regional and structural funding programs, including in the Helmstedt coal region. Comparable to ILB as a state implementing bank for transformation funding flowing from federal sources.

Direct peers

• Metropolregion Mitteldeutschland Management GmbH: Regional development coordination entity for the Central German coal region (Mitteldeutsches Revier), one of the four German coal regions alongside Lausitz. Comparable in coordinating structural transformation funding and stakeholder processes.
• Zukunftsagentur Rheinisches Revier GmbH: The designated development agency for the Rhineland coal region (Rheinisches Revier) under the same Strukturstärkungsgesetz framework. Directly comparable as a parallel German coal-region transformation coordinator with a similar workshop and project qualification mandate.

Others

• Staatskanzlei Brandenburg – Lausitz-Beauftragter: The Brandenburg State Chancellery's Lausitz Commissioner office, co-located with WRL in the 'Haus des Strukturwandels'. Comparable as a state-level political coordinator of the structural transformation mandate.
• Europäische Kommission – Just Transition Fund / DG REGIO: EU-level institution channeling Just Transition Fund resources into European coal regions including Lausitz. Comparable as the upper-tier funder and policy framework that anchors WRL's transformation mandate.
• Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) – Projektträger Karlsruhe: Federal project management organization that administers BMWK funding programs including STARK in coal regions. Comparable as an entity operating the funding qualification and disbursement interface for German structural transformation.

Regional players

• Agencja Rozwoju Regionalnego w Koninie: Regional Development Agency in Konin, Poland — WRL's formal cooperation partner under the 2025 cross-border agreement. Comparable as a regional development entity managing coal phase-out in the Greater Poland region.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/wrlausitz
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/wirtschaftsregion-lausitz-gmbh
• Instagraminstagram.com/wrlausitz

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Wirtschaftsregion Lausitz GmbH