Mayor Frank Klingebiel's assessment of the decision:

"Like our Science Minister Björn Thümler, who is very committed to this matter, I am still of the opinion that our application was and is convincing in all respects. Prof. Kwade and his team at TU Braunschweig, my staff and the state government have clearly and unmistakably highlighted the special qualities of Salzgitter as the third largest industrial location in Lower Saxony and the region as the leading science, research and mobility location in Lower Saxony," emphasized Klingebiel.

He continued: "When you consider that VW, Germany's largest car manufacturer, has been operating a pilot plant for battery cell research at its Salzgitter plant for some time and recently decided to set up the first battery cell production facility in Salzgitter by 2023, I am very surprised and taken aback by Federal Research Minister Karliczek's decision."

"I will carefully study the written reasons for our rejection and hold further talks in Hanover and Berlin. In particular, it now remains to be seen what this actually means in concrete terms, that a battery training center in Salzgitter is to be funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Science," clarifies the Lord Mayor.