Wissenswerkstatt Metropolregion Nordwest E.V.

What Wissenswerkstatt Metropolregion Nordwest E.V. does

Wissenswerkstatt Metropolregion Nordwest e.V. is a German non-profit registered association (eingetragener Verein) founded in March 2015 and headquartered at Bahnhofstraße 16, 49356 Diepholz, that operates hands-on STEM (MINT) learning centers serving children and youth aged 8 to 18 in the Metropolregion Nordwest. It runs two workshop locations — the founding site in Diepholz in the historic Lübkemannschule building (operational since May 2015) and a second site in Vechta opened in summer 2024 at Driverstraße 12 co-located with the Geschwister-Scholl-Oberschule — plus partner-hosted programming at BBZ Dr. Jürgen Ulderup (metalworking), PHWT campuses (MINT UNI university-preview program), and the factories of Grimme and Alfons Diekmann (Schule trifft Betrieb workshops). The Diepholz site houses dedicated woodworking, electrical engineering, and robotics rooms; the Vechta site has two state-of-the-art workshop rooms. Programming is delivered with professional-grade equipment (3D printers, laser cutters, soldering stations, woodworking and metalworking tools, LEGO Spike Essential/Prime robotics kits, and PIB robots) and includes holiday camps, after-school AGs, Mini-AGs, weekend workshops, teacher professional development, and curriculum-aligned school-class courses for grades 3 and above, with up to 16 students per workshop station and up to three parallel workshops per day.

The core technology and product is a project-based, hands-on STEM pedagogy rather than software; the catalog spans 20+ courses (e.g., Ventilator, Kerzendampfer, Magnetkarussell, LEGO robotics, 3D printing, laser cutting, electrical engineering projects) with a separately maintained digital learning resources layer (Calliope, Scratch 3.0, BASF Virtual Lab, DLR NEXT, Haus der kleinen Forscher). All courses are provided free of charge to participants, and the model is barrier-free and wheelchair accessible.

Revenue mechanics are non-commercial: the organization is funded entirely through a 30+ member coalition of corporate sponsors (ZF Friedrichshafen AG as primary multi-year funder, plus Vensys, Big Dutchman, Grimme, BASF, Pöppelmann, Stadtwerke Huntetal), foundations (Dr. Jürgen und Irmgard Ulderup Stiftung, Hans-Georg-Ring-Stiftung, Stiftung Niedersachsenmetall, VME-Stiftung), municipalities (Stadt Diepholz, Stadt Vechta, Landkreis Diepholz, Landkreis Vechta, plus all Vechta district municipalities), and public co-financing from the EU European Social Fund and the BMBF-funded MINT4YOUth cluster. It also operates a dedicated supporting association, Förderverein MINT-Bildung und Erziehung im Landkreis Vechta e.V., with 20+ additional corporate members. Go-to-market is community-led: participants are acquired through school partnerships (mornings), after-school AGs, holiday camps, parent bookings via an online registration system, and the MINT4YOUth cluster network across Cloppenburg, Diepholz, and Vechta.

Name

Wissenswerkstatt Metropolregion Nordwest E.V.

Legal name

wissenswerkstatt Metropolregion Nordwest e.V.

Website

https://wiwe-nw.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Wissenswerkstatt Metropolregion Nordwest e.V. is a German non-profit operating two hands-on STEM learning centers in Diepholz and Vechta that provide free woodworking, electrical engineering, robotics, and programming workshops for children and youth aged 8 to 18.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

STEM Education Services

NAICS

All Other Schools and Instruction (61169)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

STEM, Digital Literacy & Maker Education Nonprofits (BPAGADAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

STEM & Maker Education (Makerspaces, Coding Clubs, Robotics) (EDAAAFAL), Robotics, Engineering & Makers Camps (EDAMALAE)

Keywords

• STEM education programs
• Hands-on learning workshops
• Youth technology training
• Extracurricular education services
• Vocational orientation programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Diepholz

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Sponsorship: The organization is funded entirely through corporate sponsorships, foundation grants, and public funding. Major funders include ZF Friedrichshafen AG (primary multi-year sponsor), Vensys, Big Dutchman, Stadtwerke Huntetal, Grimme Landmaschinenfabrik, BASF, Pöppelmann, the Dr. Jürgen und Irmgard Ulderup Stiftung, Hans-Georg-Ring-Stiftung, Stiftung Niedersachsenmetall, VME-Stiftung, as well as counties and municipalities. The EU European Social Fund also co-finances the project. All courses are provided free of charge to participants.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Wissenswerkstatt Metropolregion Nordwest E.V. operates two free, hands-on STEM (MINT in German) learning centers in Diepholz and Vechta, where children and youth aged 8–18 use professional tools and equipment to build projects in woodworking, electrical engineering, electronics, robotics, 3D printing, laser cutting, and programming. The organization delivers curriculum-aligned school-class workshops during mornings, after-school study groups (AGs), holiday camps, mini-AGs, a university preview program (MINT UNI), and metalworking workshops (Erlebnis Technik), all provided free of charge and fully funded by corporate sponsors, foundations, and public grants.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• wissenswerkstatt STEM Workshops (Diepholz & Vechta) Free, hands-on STEM courses in woodworking, electrical engineering, electronics, robotics, 3D printing, laser cutting, and programming for children and youth aged 8–18, plus curriculum-aligned courses for school classes from grade 3 onward. Delivered at two fully equipped workshop locations in Diepholz and Vechta with up to three parallel workshops per day (16 students each).
• Erlebnis Technik Metalworking Workshops Hands-on metalworking and technical experimentation workshops for youth aged 11+, held at the Berufsbildungszentrum (BBZ) Dr. Jürgen Ulderup in Diepholz, including the PIB robot workshop (Roboter-AG).
• MINT UNI Summer Program

Quantifiable outcome

• Serves children and youth aged 8-18 across the Metropolregion Nordwest with free hands-on STEM education
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• MINT4YOUth ClustercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019The wissenswerkstatt is an active partner in the MINT4YOUth cluster, one of ~50 MINT clusters in Germany. Coordinated by the University of Vechta, the Förderverein MINT-Bildung und Erziehung im Landkreis Vechta, and Landkreis Vechta, under the leadership of Prof. Dr. Michael Ewig, and funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) for a 4.5-year project. The cluster networks out-of-school STEM learning locations across Cloppenburg, Diepholz, and Vechta regions.
• Förderverein MINT-Bildung und Erziehung im Landkreis Vechta e.V.coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2015A dedicated supporting association whose purpose is to promote education and upbringing, specifically to spark interest in mathematics, computer science, natural sciences, technology, and environment among children and youth. Members include Amcor, Burwinkel, Büscherhoff, Big Dutchman, Diekmann, Enneking, Gigant, Grimme, Holthaus, Kathe, Kröger, Lamping, Nordluft, Ostendorf, Pöppelmann, Runden Group, Schickling, Tepe, Weda, and Zerhusen.
• Berufsbildungszentrum (BBZ) Dr. Jürgen UlderupcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2015The vocational school hosts the 'Erlebnis Technik' metalworking workshops and the PIB robot AG at its facility in Diepholz (Schlesierstr. 13a), enabling access to metalworking equipment and a professional training environment.
• PHWT (Private Hochschule für Wirtschaft und Technik)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2015PHWT co-hosts the MINT UNI summer program, offering youth a preview of STEM study programs at its campuses in Diepholz and Vechta.
• Firma Grimme Landmaschinenfabrik GmbH & Co. KG (Damme)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2015Grimme hosts the 'Schule trifft Betrieb – Bau eines Rübenroders' workshop at its Damme facility (Hunteburger Str. 32, 49401 Damme), where students build sugar beet harvester models with hands-on metalworking, laser cutting, and 3D printing activities.
• Alfons Diekmann GmbHminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2015Diekmann hosts the 'Schule trifft Betrieb – Der heiße Draht XXL' workshop at its facility (Holdorfer Str. 12), where students build an advanced version of the 'Hot Wire' skill game.
• Universität VechtacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2015The University of Vechta leads the MINT4YOUth cluster and partners with the wissenswerkstatt for the broader regional STEM education network.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Jugend forscht: A national youth STEM competition and supporting foundation for children/teens pursuing MINT projects. Adjacent to the wissenswerkstatt's hands-on STEM mission but structured around a competition/concept rather than a physical workshop-locations model.

Broad incumbents

• zdi (Zukunft durch Innovation.NRW): A state-wide STEM-network structure in NRW connecting ~50 MINT centers to schools and industry — broadly comparable as a regional MINT-cluster / sponsor-coalition model, though with different geography (NRW vs. Lower Saxony) and broader coordination mandate.
• MINT-EC: National network of German secondary schools with excellence in MINT education, curated by federal/industry partners. Comparable as a MINT-federation network, though anchored at the secondary-school level rather than the youth-workshop delivery model.
• Deutsches Museum (Munich): Germany's flagship science and technology museum with youth-focused hands-on exhibits and school programs. Comparable in the hands-on STEM mission but operates as a national-scale museum rather than a local free workshop non-profit.
• Phæno Wolfsburg: A major hands-on science center in Lower Saxony offering experiential STEM exhibits, workshops, and school programming. Overlaps in region and youth STEM experience but operates at a vastly larger scale and as a science center rather than a local workshop non-profit.

Regional players

• Lernort Labor (Education through Research): A German network-of-MINT-labs initiative supporting after-school student laboratory work in STEM. Comparable as a structured out-of-school STEM learning network with school partnerships, though oriented around student labs in research institutions rather than freestanding youth workshops.

Direct peers

• Junge Tüftler*innen: A Berlin/Heidelberg-based non-profit providing maker-education workshops, robotics, and digital learning materials (incl. Calliope) for children and youth. Direct overlap in age range (8-18), STEM/maker subject matter, and educational non-profit structure.
• open e.V. (jugend hackt / open lab): A German non-profit operating open maker labs and youth-focused STEM/digital education programs, including robotics, 3D printing, and coding. Operates a very similar workshop-based free STEM education model with volunteer/intern-supported capacity.
• Haus der kleinen Forscher: A national German non-profit foundation delivering hands-on STEM education programs (MINT) for children in early-childhood and primary school settings. Highly comparable in mission, target demographic (youth), and sponsorship-driven free curriculum delivery model.
• KiTec – Kinder entdecken Technik: A non-profit offering hands-on STEM workshops for children focused on understanding and building technical artifacts. Highly comparable workshop-and-curriculum operating model targeting the same youth demographic.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/wissenswerkstatt_dh_vec
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/wissenswerkstatt-metropolregion-nordwest-e.v.

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles17 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Wissenswerkstatt Metropolregion Nordwest E.V.