Cottbus leads in the IW Consult Dynamics Ranking

The top spot does not stand for the highest economic power, but for the fastest pace of improvement within a limited period of time – and is placed by the city and study authors in the context of the ongoing structural transformation in Lusatia.

Cottbus has reached first place in the IW Consult Dynamics Ranking. The evaluation is based on which regions have improved the most in the past two years – not where the economic level is already the highest. This distinction is central to classifying the result: A dynamics winner can be a climber without already belonging to the top group in the status quo.

What first place in the Dynamics Ranking means

The study by IW Consult (a subsidiary of the employer-oriented German Economic Institute) certifies Cottbus the greatest economic progress compared to the regions examined. The dynamics ranking reflects changes – that is, the direction and speed of a development. In the logic of the IW regional ranking, this dynamic is contrasted with the “level,” which describes the current state. This allows a region to be depicted as particularly agile and effective in reforms, without automatically saying that structural problems have already been solved.

First place should therefore primarily be read as a signal for development speed. Such rankings are also naturally sensitive to “base effects”: Where a starting level is lower or a structural break was particularly strong, individual investment or settlement impulses can make changes visible more quickly than in already very stable, highly developed regions. Conversely, a dynamic value says little about whether the progress achieved will be sustainable – that only becomes clear over several years.

Mayor Tobias Schick interpreted the result as confirmation of the chosen course. He said: “First place in the dynamics ranking, that’s quite something.”

Why structural change in Cottbus is seen as a driver

Schick explicitly links the top spot to the structural change in the city. As examples, he mentioned the railway plant and the Carl Thiem Medical University of Lusatia. In this way, the city leadership does not describe the finding as a statistical coincidence, but as the result of decisions intended to attract jobs, qualifications, and new value creation to the region.

IW Consult also classifies Cottbus in this sense. Managing Director Hanno Kempermann described the city as an urban center of knowledge and innovation with a central anchor function in Lusatia – connected with the only technical university in Brandenburg. In practice, this classification means more than just the presence of scientific institutions: What matters is whether research, transfer, and companies interact in such a way that know-how actually leads to start-ups, settlements, product development, and retention of skilled workers. It is precisely at this point that it is decided whether structural change becomes measurable – not just in funding commitments, but in employment, business dynamics, and investments.

Kempermann also pointed out that economic activities are aligned with ecological key topics such as hydrogen, electrification, and renewable energies. This is relevant for classifying the ranking, because such priorities typically target new industrial and supplier chains – but at the same time bring high demands on infrastructure, land, permits, and qualifications. The top spot in the dynamics ranking can therefore be read as an indication that the transformation in Cottbus is already reflected in indicators – but it does not replace the examination of whether the projects will bring long-term economic substance and stable employment.

What role Cottbus plays in Lusatia

The assessment gains additional weight from the regional context: Lusatia has been shaped by structural change for years, especially against the background of the lignite phase-out and the task of establishing new economic pillars. In this transformation situation, Cottbus is described by IW Consult as a central urban hub that bundles functions that are often more difficult to organize in rural regions:

• Education
• Research
• Administrative capacities
• Business networks
• Attractiveness for skilled workers

Kempermann said that regions like Cottbus show how structural change can succeed. The finding is thus to be understood as a snapshot of a development that is politically and economically aimed at continuity – but whose success is measured by its sustainability: whether investments follow, whether new industries actually retain value creation in the region, and whether the transformation is resilient enough to withstand economic and funding cycles.

The top spot is therefore primarily a signal of recent development, not a completed target image.

The available material shows above all one thing: In Cottbus, structural change is visible as a particularly dynamic movement in a nationwide regional comparison.