The programme is based on two workshops held last year, which saw enthusiastic participation from regional businesses and institutions. The insights gained there played a key role in identifying the topics for the ‘DialogPunkt Wirtschaft’ initiative. Julia Roelofsen, Innovation Manager for Business within the TransRegINT project at Rhein-Waal University of Applied Sciences (HSRW), led the workshops. She notes: “Changes in the world of work, shifting market and sales dynamics, and the increasing use of digital technologies and artificial intelligence (AI) are shaping strategic decisions as well as the day-to-day operations of businesses in the Lower Rhine region. These transformational processes are creating uncertainty and pressure to adapt. With ‘DialogPunkt Wirtschaft’, we aim to provide companies with a practical approach and a platform for discussion on these topics.”
Future-proof market strategies
On 18 June 2026, Prof. Dr Kathrin Weidner, Professor of Operations & Innovation Management at the HSRW, and Julia Roelofsen will provide a practical overview of the use of AI throughout the entire marketing and sales pipeline. Through interactive sessions, participants will reflect on how AI and digital tools have already transformed marketing and sales today. This will be followed by a discussion of realistic courses of action.
A tandem breakfast on 3 July will bring companies together with students from the International Business and Management degree programme. Students on Prof. Dr Marina Gregorić’s Digital Marketing course will present AI-based tools for the sales process that they have researched and tested. As well as sharing experiences and familiarising themselves with the tools, this offers companies a great opportunity to engage directly with the next generation of talent.
Change in the world
of work Prof. Dr Wögen Tadsen, Professor of General Business Administration specialising in Human Resources and Organisation at HSRW, will examine the ever-changing world of work in two sessions.
Practical tips for the SMEs of tomorrow will be the focus on 23 September 2026. How can companies reshape recruitment and onboarding in the face of demographic changes and digitalisation?
On 5 November 2026, the future of human resources management will be discussed in the context of the tension between culture and AI. The main focus will be on how collaboration, leadership and staff development can be made fit for the future in the face of diverse workforces, new generations and limited resources. The discussion will centre on digital and AI-supported HR approaches that promote knowledge transfer, motivation and staff retention.
Anchoring
the university in the region The ‘DialogPunkt Wirtschaft’ event series is the practical implementation of the cooperation agreement signed in July 2025 between HSRW and Stadtentwicklungsgesellschaft Kalkar mbH (SEG Kalkar mbH). The aim is to anchor the university in the region and bring it together with the local business community. Together, the aim is to strengthen the region’s capacity for entrepreneurial transformation in the long term. ‘DialogPunkt Wirtschaft’ can therefore also be seen as a springboard for further, long-term collaborations between businesses and HSRW.
Background
: Through the TransRegINT project (Transformation of the Lower Rhine Region: Innovation, Sustainability, Participation), 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.
