Lighthouse project for young talent

Free, open and accessible to all - young people can acquire digital skills for the future at the new TUMO + MINT Center.

© LHH

Programming, designing, building robots and more - this will be possible in the heart of the city from spring 2027. The aim: to get young people interested in technical and scientific professions and thus strengthen the skilled workforce of tomorrow.

The city, business and universities are pulling together to bring the globally successful TUMO learning concept to Hannover . Together with established STEM programs at Hanover's universities, a central learning and meeting place is being created in the banking district "An der Börse 7". The special thing about it is that all offers are free of charge. This not only benefits up to 10,000 young people every year, but also the regional economy and Hannover's position as a location for education and science.

"The TUMO + MINT Center is a flagship project for equal opportunities education and digital skills for the future. Future-oriented education belongs in the city center. I am delighted that we, as the state capital, are working closely with stakeholders from business and science on this project for young people," says Belit Onay, Lord Mayor of the state capital Hannover (LHH).

Benedikt Hüppe, Managing Director of Unternehmerverbände Niedersachsen e. V. (UVN) adds: "This project is not a nice-to-have, but a strategic investment in the economic future of our state. The city, state, science and industry are assuming joint responsibility here. It is precisely alliances like this that are crucial to securing Lower Saxony as a strong industrial location in the long term."

The location in the city center makes education visible, promotes talent and strengthens Hanover's economic competitiveness. Equal opportunities create new talent - new talent strengthens the region.

One house, many possibilities

Named after the Armenian writer Hovhannes Tumanyan, the TUMO program is aimed at young people between the ages of 12 and 18. They create their own personal learning journey here: twice a week, for two hours, accompanied by trained specialist staff and supported by state-of-the-art technology.

There are ten learning fields to choose from - including programming, robotics, 3D modeling, animation, graphic design and music production. A combination of self-study, workshops and learning labs enables individual, practical learning.

"TUMO teaches digital skills with exciting, well-structured projects under professional guidance. By supporting TUMO + MINT, we at the GETEC STIFTUNG want to help our young people to better deal with the challenges of the digital world," summarizes Dr. Karl Gerhold from the GETEC STIFTUNG.

In addition to TUMO, several Hanoverian universities are helping to design the learning center:

University Hannover

With its MINT House of the Future, the Hannover University of Applied Sciences (HsH) is expanding its range of workshops for all ages and school types. Science and technology are linked to everyday issues - from smart homes and renewable energy to robotics and AI.

„Mit unseren erprobten Angeboten bringen wir ‚MINT zum Anfassen‘ im Klassenverband ein, wodurch eine einzigartige Lernumgebung geschaffen wird. Indem wir die Stärken der beteiligten Hochschulen zusammenführen, heben wir TUMO auf ein neues Niveau. Genau darin zeigt sich unser gemeinsamer Ansatz – Synergie statt Konkurrenz“, erklärt Prof. Dr.-Ing. Martin Grotjahn, Vizepräsident der HsH.

Leibniz University Hannover

Leibniz University Hannover (LUH) complements the offer with all-day learning formats in which students benefit directly from cutting-edge research - for example in the Clusters of Excellence or the PROTOYS and foeXlab laboratories. "As a university, we are already shaping a learning ecosystem with the Clusters of Excellence, the faculties and the Leibniz School of Education, in which we enable and promote participation in science with high-quality extracurricular educational opportunities. The TUMO + MINT Center now complements and expands the wide range of offers that can be found in the level system of our Leibniz4U student research center," says Prof. Dr. Julia Gillen, Vice President for Education at LUH.

Hannover Medical School

Hannover Medical School (MHH) will also get involved in a later phase of the project and expand the range of services on offer .

Reconstruction Loan Corporation

The establishment of the TUMO + MINT Center is being supported by the Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (KfW). It is supporting Hannover with experience from the TUMO programs already available in Germany. "The concept of implementing TUMO + MINT, with close coordination and interlinking of complementary educational offers in Hannover, can serve as a real model for other TUMO locations in Germany - in terms of accessibility to the target group, equal opportunities and the breadth of the educational offer," says Michael Strauß, Head of TUMO Initiative KfW.

Education as a location factor

The STEM skills shortage is also affecting Lower Saxony. The TUMO + MINT Center deliberately starts at an early stage: Pupils, universities and companies network on a long-term and practical basis.

"Our aim is to strengthen math and science skills with a strong STEM and digital offering right in the city center. We open our doors to all young people - regardless of their background and parental home. We promote talent at an early age, make modern education visible in the cityscape and create real opportunities for children and young people who are enthusiastic about STEM subjects - or are still discovering this enthusiasm," says Eva Bender, Head of Education and Culture at LHH.

The program is particularly aimed at children from non-academic families, with a history of migration or from educationally disadvantaged households. There is also a special focus on supporting girls and young women in STEM professions.

Timetable and financing

The expansion will start in 2026 and the opening is planned for spring 2027. The annual costs of around 1.8 million euros have already been largely financed for the first three years. The GETEC STIFTUNG is providing a relevant share as an anchor investor. Further partners and sponsors are being sought for the long-term continuation of the project. The support association TUMO+MINT Hannover e. V. was founded for this purpose. The TUMO+MINT Hannover gGmbH will also be founded shortly. The initial shareholders will be UVN, LHH, the GETEC Foundation and HsH, which represents the state in the gGmbH.

The project is also supported by LUH, KfW, MHH and numerous partners from business and education. Several ministries in Lower Saxony have also signaled their support.

(Published: December 11, 2026)