"If you don't invest today, you won't be around tomorrow."
July 2, 2025
Economic Forum of the German Economic Council INNOVATE & INVEST IN THE AGE OF AI at KÜBLER in Ludwigshafen
Ludwigshafen, July 2025 The questions have rarely been so topical: Is it worth investing in the location in times of multiple crises? Who will finance it? How future-proof are the investments in the medium and long term? And what political framework conditions are companies demanding? At the INNOVATE & INVEST IN THE AGE OF AI business forum in Ludwigshafen, experts from politics and business will answer these questions and provide insights into the possibilities, opportunities and risks of AI. The Economic Council of Germany, Rhineland-Palatinate regional association, invites you to KÜBLER for impulses, interviews and an exchange of ideas.
A group of leading minds from business and academia will discuss the innovation of the century, AI, innovations from a business perspective, from the perspective of entrepreneurs and banks and from the perspective of private investors: Prof. Dr. Oliver Thomas, leading AI scientist and entrepreneur, Prof. Dr. Rainer Völker, Scientific Director of IMI, Ludwigshafen University of Applied Sciences, Thomas Kübler, founder and CEO of KÜBLER GmbH, Frank Hüther, private investor and CEO of Abacus Alpha GmbH and Ulli Sauer, CEO of Stadtsparkasse Vorderpfalz. Thomas Kübler sums up the interplay between innovation and investment in a market economy: "If you don't invest today, you won't be around tomorrow." And Prof. Dr. Oliver Thomas sums up: "We don't need more Made in Germany, we need more Applied in Germany. The question of why the big AI models come from the USA or China is leading us in the wrong direction. Instead of dreaming after Silicon Valley, we should ensure that artificial intelligence arrives where it creates real added value - in German SMEs. Therein lies our opportunity."
Carsten Simons, CEO of LivEye GmbH, reflects on innovation versus disruption in his case study. Alexander Stöhr, Managing Director of Tool-Fuel Services GmbH, answers questions about the innovation topic of HVO in an interview. Gordon Schnieder MdL, State Chairman of the CDU Rhineland-Palatinate, and Jan Metzler, Member of the Bundestag, will bring a political perspective to the podium. Jan Metzler and Julian Brunnmüller, MTS Knobloch GmbH and state chairman of the Rhineland-Palatinate Young Economic Council, sum up the day. Jan Metzler: "A fantastic event format that I took a lot away with me. In the words of Wolfgang Schäuble: If you have nothing in the ground, you must have something in your head."
"If you don't invest today, you won't be around tomorrow."
Thomas Kübler
"Climate protection yes, but not at the expense of our economy. The economy needs the freedom to innovate. Politics sets the guard rails." Gordon Schnieder, Member of the Bundestag
"Innovation needs a strategic corporate objective."
Prof. Dr. Rainer Völker
"Innovation is a question of attitude."
Thomas Kübler
"Innovation is no longer an optional extra for SMEs, but essential for survival."
Frank Hüther
On the fringes of the Economic Forum, the draft of the Rhineland-Palatinate Climate Protection Act is causing a stir. Entrepreneur Thomas Kübler: "We have been developing hall heating technologies for the energy transition since 1989, have received numerous awards, including the Rhineland-Palatinate Innovation Award four times, and today provide unique energy-flexible solutions with our Fair.AIdH technology. We want climate neutrality. But we also want to offer people in our company secure jobs in 35 years' time."
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