Sustainable Strategy Development for the NLND Berlin

Instructor: Anett Lommatzsch 
Credits: 5 

How can NLND build a strong network for industrial innovation? 

In this course, you will develop analytical, strategic, and project-management skills by working on a real-world challenge. You will learn practical tools for market analysis, strategic positioning, sustainability, and OKRs—and apply them directly to NLND. 

The Challenge 

NLND is a 150,000 m² innovation district in Berlin-Neukölln bringing together industry, startups, and research around Industry 4.0 and deep tech. 

The leadership team is currently scoping opportunities for shared research & development projects: several companies with the same innovation challenge work together, supported by startups, research institutions, and public funding. 

What resources are required for NLND to build and maintain the network needed to make these projects successful? 

To ensure a sustainable start, the location’s positioning will be analyzed, taking NLND’s vision into account. As part of the positioning analysis, sustainable measures will be developed based on the triple bottom line theory. 

The OKR (Objectives and Key Results) framework will be used as a strategic tool. Assignment: 

Students will: 

● Take on the role of a strategy consultant.

● Learn about comparative analysis methods based on relevant criteria such as infrastructure, target groups, and services.

● Identify areas for development and priority areas of action (e.g., resource efficiency, local partnerships, work culture, social participation) 

● Derive recommendations for action to ensure a consistent, transparent, and measurable implementation of the measures developed. 

Learning Objectives: 

Upon completion of the module, students will be able to: 

● Develop and evaluate sustainability strategies from environmental, social, and economic perspectives

● Understand sustainability as an integral part of ecosystem strategy, partnerships and organizational development 

● Apply OKR as a framework 

● Define relevant sustainability metrics used to measure success 

Added Value: 

● Practical relevance: Working on a real-world business case with direct practical relevance 

● Career prospects: Building expertise in sustainability management, change processes, and stakeholder communication 

● Discussion of the challenge in a coaching format: Regularly discuss the progress of your challenge with your collaboration partners and the instructor. 

● Pitch: Present your results to representatives from NLND, Juni, and external guests, and receive direct professional feedback. 

● Professional networking: With the business community, startup incubators, and other external guests 

Course Format: Project Seminar / Case Study 

Assessment: Active participation, group project (strategy concept and presentations) 

Methods Taught 

The “Innovation Lab Toolkit” includes various tools and techniques that are important for professional practice. The following are particularly relevant for this challenge: 

● Framework OKR 

● Benchmarking as a practical comparison method 

● Strategic positioning methods (e.g., Value Proposition Canvas) 

● Theories of sustainability management 

● Impact logic 

● Structured pitch preparation 

Target Audience 

The Innovation Lab is aimed at master’s students from all disciplines who are interested in technological innovations and would like to learn, through real-world business projects, how to apply market analysis, strategic decision-making, and innovation methods in practice.

Lecture languages: Communication with & presentation in front of NLND and written report will be held in English. Seminar language may be in German and/or English.

Credits: 

The requirements for earning credits are 

• regular, active participation, 

• working on the project assignment as a team, 

• writing a reflection on the learning process (individual assignment), 

• preparing a project report (team assignment) on the solution developed, which will also be made available to the company. 

This course is funded by the Master Plan for Berlin as an Industrial City and is also part of the HU Berlin’s AI Campus 2.0 project. For this reason, you will be asked to fill out a short questionnaire after the course is finished. We would greatly appreciate your participation in this anonymous survey. 

Law students: Please use the following website exclusively to find out which courses offered by the Career Center are recognized for the BZQ I module of the law program, effective immediately: www.rewi.hu-berlin.de/de/sp/2015/anerkennungen/sq