World Economic Forum plans international GovTech center in Berlin

View of the logo of the World Economic Forum (WEF).

The Swiss World Economic Forum (WEF) is planning a branch for digital administrations in Berlin.

A corresponding agreement was symbolically signed on Tuesday in Davos by Federal Minister of Economics Robert Habeck (Greens), WEF founder Klaus Schwab and the board member of the GovTec Campus Germany association, Lars Zimmermann, as subsequently announced by the Berlin Senate Chancellery.

Center to drive technological progress in the public sector

On the basis of the agreement, an international GovTech center is to be established in Berlin with the support of the state of Berlin and the federal government. GovTech stands for Government Technology. According to the Senate Chancellery, the new center will be a platform for networking national and international players with the aim of driving technological progress in the public sector.

"Berlin is and will remain an attractive location"

"The partnership between the World Economic Forum and GovTech Campus Deutschland e.V. is of great importance for Berlin as a location for innovation," said Berlin's Governing Mayor Kai Wegner (CDU). "Berlin is and will remain an attractive location for internationally active organizations - not only on a national, but also on an international level." The WEF is a foundation and lobbying organization headquartered in Cologny, Switzerland. The forum is best known for its annual meeting in the Swiss ski resort of Davos. This year's World Economic Forum began on Monday evening.