Lunch Pitch at the Buhck Group in Reinbek

Making artificial intelligence tangible for SMEs

On 1 July 2025, we joined almost 40 company representatives at the lunch pitch in Reinbek to experience how digital and sustainable transformations can become tangible for SMEs in the Stormarn district.

In a compact knowledge snack, experts from Lübeck University of Applied Sciences and the University of Lübeck provided practical insights into how artificial intelligence can be used sensibly and securely in everyday business life - without fear of technology or losing control of your own data.

What we took away:

• AI can help to use company data in a structured way and optimise processes. Prof Dr Niklas Beuter gave an impressive demonstration of how modern semantic search systems can make information from scattered documents usable - and thus turn unused knowledge into a real competitive advantage.
• Initial steps are possible even without programming knowledge. Sven Ole Schmidt presented low-threshold no-code tools and used a practical example to demonstrate how companies can start their own AI projects today - without any prior technical knowledge.
• Data protection and explainability are key points that need to be considered from the outset. Prof. Dr André Calero Valdez emphasised the importance of secure AI applications - for example through local language models that function without data outflow and thus retain knowledge within the company.

In addition to the keynote speeches, the focus was on networking over lunch. Many participants emphasised how valuable it was to be able to ask questions directly and to see how other companies in the Stormarn district are approaching the topic of AI and digital transformation.

Thanks to all participants for their openness and active dialogue!
The event made it clear how the WAS Innovation Centre - with Transfer Manager Kerstin Rönick - is successfully networking science and business in Stormarn together with the Hanse Innovation Campus Lübeck (HIC).

Many thanks also to the Buhck Group for their hospitality and to the speakers for their practical input.

We look forward to continuing along this path together with the SMEs in Stormarn - because digital transformation is best achieved in cooperation.

Interested in working with the HIC? You can find more information about our innovation centres here: Innovation centres - contact points for the HIC Lübeck

Your contact at WAS is our colleague Stephan Zechner | zechner@was-stormarn.de | +49 4531 1272-23