Launch your career in Bremen!

Launch your career in Bremen! 

 As an economic hub with over 600.000 inhabitants, the state of Bremen is a powerful, dynamic motor for Northwest Germany. With excellent aeronautic and space degree programmes and industry, it also offers outstanding opportunities for career launch and development.  

Bremen: A shining star in aeronautics and space 

Bremen is perhaps best known as one of the leading industrial hubs for aeronautics and space industries. More than 12,000 employees in the industry generate revenues of more than 4 billion Euros per year at more than 140 enterprises. Leading companies such as the Airbus Group, ArianeGroup, Rheinmetall Electronics, OHB, and their suppliers contribute significantly to this success.  

Industry 

With satellites and carrier rockets for space having been developed and manufactured in the state for more than 50 years, Bremen plays a leading role in shaping the national and European space programs. Airbus, based in Bremen, built the Columbus science laboratory and the ATV cargo spacecraft, which were Europe’s contribution to the International Space Station ISS. The European Service Module (ESM) for NASA’s Artemis-1 lunar rocket was also integrated at Airbus Defence and Space in Bremen. Further examples include Ariane rockets with parts built by ArianeGroup in Bremen and OHB SE with its Space Systems division was the prime contractor for the satellite navigation system GALILEO. 

Daniel Pika works at ArianeGroup, developing rocket propulsion systems. He is standing in front of a mock-up of the Columbus Laboratory (©WFB / Jonas Ginter)

Bremen is home to outstanding research institutes and universities which specifically prepare graduates to enter the aeronautics and space industry and help to retain talented young prospects in the state. Experts call this the “space spirit”. Specialist programmes at City University of Applied Sciences, University of Bremen, Jacobs University Bremen and Bremerhaven University of Applied Sciences focus on subjects such as materials sciences, manufacturing technologies, space systems engineering / research and space applications, remote sensing, bionics, and robotics. Qualified graduates from these programmes power the many highly renowned international tech companies based in Bremen and Bremerhaven which contribute towards its reputation as a leading industrial location.  

The combination of both academia and industry is extremely attractive to space researchers. The scientists welcome the opportunity to carry out research in an outstanding academic environment and in addition the chance to implement and develop their research in a commercial setting. Prithvi Shukla from ZARM puts it in a nutshell: “Professionally speaking Bremen is one of a kind of a city, if you want to work in space research.”

Students and the flight simulator they programmed and built (© Ingo Wagner)

 Flying high with Airbus 

There is no company more well established in the aeronautics industry than Airbus and Bremen is proud to host the second-largest Airbus plant in Germany. With approximately 4,500 employees, this site manufactures the high-lift systems common to all Airbus programs. The entire process chain, from the design to manufacture and integration through to testing, is based here. Airbus experts in the field of materials and process development research new technologies and develop these through to series production in Bremen.  

However it is not just the incredible output and development work which makes Airbus special, but its commitment to Bremen and its people: “People that visit us at Airbus see that the site offers not only aircraft, not only space, but the network we have here is something that made Bremen what it is today: an extraordinary city for space”, said Hagen Witte, Head of Production at Airbus Defence and Space.  

Ensuring independent access to space with ArianeGroup  

ArianeGroup is a world leader in shaping the future access to space and Europe’s strategic independence. The first complete upper stage of Europe’s new Ariane 6 launcher was built and integrated at the ArianeGroup factory in Bremen. Cornelia Lux, Ariane Group: “Bremen is the perfect place for the space and aerospace industry and for businesses that are producing big parts. Not only because we have the airport infrastructure close to our Bremen site, but we also have the Bremen harbour close by. So, for the products we are producing we can transport them via plane or via ship on the Weser.” 

Creating space with OHB  

With its steady, primarily organic growth and technological leadership, OHB has made a name for itself in the space community and particularly also in the European satellite market. The Environmental Mapping and Analysis Program (EnMAP) is the latest earth observation programme that OHB built for the DLR. EnMap monitors the impacts of climate change. But also in the exploration field (moon, mars). OHB is actively involved attracting aerospace graduated to Bremen: Timo Rühl, OHB: “And seeing this [job] opportunity that came up [at OHB]…to be working on science exploration missions was exactly what I studied and what I aspire to work on. So [Bremen] was an obvious choice.”

A wide variety of study and training courses ensure training and development (© Ingo Wagner)

SMEs and Startups in Bremen 

Bremen boasts many small and medium-sized companies, most of which achieve great things far away from the public eye. Companies such as AES Aircraft Elektro/Elektronik System GmbH, Hanseatic Aviation Solutions GmbH, b.r.m. and their activities at the Oldenburg-Hatten airfield, DSI Aerospace, ZARM Technik, BK Werkstofftechnik, Eickworth and Ilsemann Carbon (just to name a few). DSI Aerospace Technologie GmbH (DSI-AS), for example, is a SME which provides high-speed electronics for airborne and space applications. Their employee Daniel Smith moved to Bremen to work at DSI: “The city is really, really, beautiful. I think from the very first moment I came here, when I first saw it at IAC in 2018, it was just a fantastic, liveable place to be.” 

Bremen is also home to an active thriving startup scene. The space incubator ESA BIC Northern Germany is set up to support startups from Bremen and Schleswig-Holstein with zero equity funding, shared workspaces, access to space industry and user community and close technical and business support. All that is needed is a viable business idea with a space connection. 

A great place to live and work 

Life in the city of Bremen is characterised by tradition and innovation. Once a trading town and port, now a modern city filled with the quality of life an urban centre has to offer, its residents appreciate the cosmopolitan atmosphere combined with the city’s smaller size which makes it a very liveable place to reside: not too big, not too small. And in return, newcomers to Bremen find residents friendly and welcoming. Residents of Bremerhaven appreciate the city’s smaller size, its maritime flair and attractive real estate prices. 

Find out more about what aeronautics and space professionals have to say about working and living in Bremen. In this video series you can witness testimonials of aerospace professionals and students who launched their career in Bremen (ZARM, OHB, ArianeGroup, DHI, DFKI, Airbus Defence and Space, Bremen University, Humans on Mars). 

In short, the state of Bremen has it all: a strong industrial hub leading in space and aeronautics powered by top academic programmes and a great place to live and work. A fantastic place to launch your career!