The economist Prof Dr Klaus Fichter is researching how companies can contribute to dealing with the consequences of climate change. In his network, he advises interested companies, among others.

Climate change harbours risks for companies: Supply chains can break down, products can lose their quality, company sites can be at risk of flooding. How companies can adapt to the consequences of global warming is rarely discussed in political debates. Even rarer are the opportunities that arise for the economy.

"Companies are not only contributors to and affected by climate change, they can also contribute to solving the problem," Prof Dr Klaus Fichter is convinced. He heads the Department of Innovation Management and Sustainability at the University of Oldenburg. In 2013, Fichter launched the "Network Innovation and Start-ups in Climate Change" (NIK), a project that was funded by the Federal Ministry for the Environment, the Metropolitan Region Northwest and the City of Oldenburg until 2016 and has been driving the topic forward ever since.

The aim of NIK is to support newly founded and established companies from the region in developing innovative solutions for the changes brought about by climate change. Fichter advises interested companies together with his colleague Dr Karsten Hurrelmann. The Oldenburg researchers help to identify climate risks and develop strategies for the future.

One of NIK's success stories is the company Hansegrand from Selsingen in the district of Rotenburg (Wümme). The medium-sized company specialises in road surfaces and, with the support of the Oldenburg researchers, has developed a new type of overlay for cycle paths, roads and squares. This water-permeable "climate building material" heats up less than an asphalt surface and can temporarily store water in the event of heavy rainfall. The building material therefore improves the urban climate, is also durable and easy to repair. "Demand is increasing," reports Fichter.