By signing the cooperation agreement, Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences (HSRW) and Stadtentwicklungsgesellschaft Kalkar mbH (SEG Kalkar) have taken a further step towards embedding the university in the region and linking it to the local economy. Prof. Dr Oliver Locker-Grütjen, President of HSRW, Dr Britta Schulz, Mayor of Kalkar and Managing Director of SEG Kalkar, and Dr Bruno Ketteler, authorised signatory at SEG Kalkar, were delighted at the signing to see this new hub established between the university’s two campuses in Kleve and Kamp-Lintfort.
During the various phases of the project, the ‘DialogPunkt Wirtschaft’ will use workshops and innovation sprints to identify key challenges and opportunities for the regional economy, thereby defining topics for a follow-up programme at the ‘DialogPunkt Wirtschaft’ in Kalkar. This will result in a bespoke programme featuring specific formats such as consultation hours, expert insights and practice-oriented research, tailored specifically to the needs of the local economy. Representatives from the university and the Kalkar Urban Development Agency emphasised that the ‘DialogPunkt Wirtschaft’ in Kalkar would thus forge a genuine link between businesses and the university. They also stressed that such collaboration is not confined by municipal boundaries.
Facilitating
access to the university There was agreement that, despite the
HSRW having been in existence for 16 years now, many businesses in the region still face a significant barrier to contacting the university to explore collaboration. The ‘DialogPunkt Wirtschaft’ is intended to help facilitate easier access to academic research and collaboration. This was welcomed by Robert Beinio, Managing Director of bb med. product GmbH and First Chairman of the Friends of Rhein-Waal University of Applied Sciences – Cleve Campus e.V. In his role as Managing Director, he reported that his company enjoys good access to the HSRW, including in the context of research projects. However, from his involvement with the Friends’ Association, he knows that there are varying levels of interest amongst local businesses in collaborating with the university, coupled with the question “Who do I approach for what?”, as the university offers a wide range of points of contact.
It shouldn’t come
down to a lack of contact. With the ‘DialogPunkt Wirtschaft’ in Kalkar, the university is sending a clear message: “We’re here, we’re approachable and we want to engage in dialogue.” Leading the initiative is Julia Roelofsen, Business Innovation Manager in the TransRegINT project (Transformation of the Lower Rhine Region: Innovation, Sustainability, Participation). Guided by the motto ‘Business meets Science’, she coordinates collaboration between businesses and the HSRW and supports companies as they engage with the university. Her aim is to work with the business community to develop ways in which companies can benefit from the university and the university can benefit from companies.
Technology Meets Application
Although the shortage of skilled workers is also affecting the Lower Rhine region, it is the wish of all those involved that cooperation between regional companies and the HSRW should go beyond traditional forms of collaboration, such as student placements or final-year dissertations. “As a university of applied sciences, we want to do more than simply supply the market with qualified graduates,” said Dr Gerhard Heusipp, Head of the Centre for Research, Innovation and Transfer (ZFIT) and Deputy Project Manager for TransRegINT at HSRW, summarising the university’s expectations of the ‘DialogPunkt Wirtschaft’ initiative. “Our task is transformation: the exchange of knowledge and insights in all directions between the university, business and society is an important contribution against the backdrop of sustainability goals and the implementation of sustainability in the region. We want to work with companies to answer specific questions – in the university’s laboratories and on-site at the companies’ premises.” All those involved reaffirmed their intention to establish the ‘DialogPunkt Wirtschaft’ in Kalkar as a platform for actively and jointly shaping a sustainable future for the economy in the Lower Rhine region.
Background
With the aim of strengthening cooperation between regional businesses and the university, the TransRegINT project (Transformation of the Lower Rhine Region: Innovation, Sustainability, Participation) aims to establish the ‘DialogPunkt Wirtschaft’ at the Kalkar Business and Start-up Centre as a platform for shaping a sustainable future for the economy in the Lower Rhine region. Through the TransRegINT project, Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences has set itself the goal of helping to shape sustainable change in the region on a science-based foundation. The project is funded by the ‘Innovative University’ programme of the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space. This funding initiative supports universities in finding creative solutions to the pressing challenges of our time based on research findings. ‘TransRegINT’ will receive funding totalling just under ten million euros until the end of 2027. This will enable the development of solutions to shape the region’s future in line with the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals.
