North Rhine-Westphalia is one of the world’s leading locations for research and development. Its 8,000 patent registrations per year are only one of the indicators for the region’s innovative power.

One of the essential requirements for furthering this power is also one of the federal government’s most important objectives: establishing and developing an environment that promotes creativity. North Rhine-Westphalia is, according, the only federal state to have its own Ministry for Innovation. Minister for Innovation, Prof. Dr. Andreas Pinkwart gives the reason for this: “Innovations are the motor for our economy”. 

Excellent conditions and successful scientific and financial networks distinguish North Rhine-Westphalia as a research location of world repute. A total of 64 universities, 14 Fraunhofer Institutes, twelve Max Planck Institutes and ten divisions of the Leibnitz-Gemeinschaft are based here, all of which contribute towards making the region’s research landscape one of the most dense in Europe.

Europe’s fastest computer

The town of Jülich is home to one of Europe’s largest research centers, employing a total of 4,400 people. This internationally renowned institute conducts cutting-edge interdisciplinary research in the fields of energy, environment, life sciences and information technology, paving the way for technologies of the future.

The institute is working on a new type of super computer powerful enough to break the barrier of one billion calculations per second – making it 50,000 times faster than a modern PC. This gigantic calculator is housed in 72 cupboards – each one as big as a telephone box. With this new, high-power technology, scientists from all fields can conduct extensive simulations. For example, they can use it to calculate protein folding in cells or forecast developments in climate change.

Research into space travel revolutionizes medical technology

Another, equally multi-disciplinary invention that has been awarded many international prizes was developed at the German Aerospace Center. At the German space agency’s headquarters in Cologne, scientists developed an innovative procedure to revolutionize medical technology.

Here, researchers applied the knowledge developed over many years in the field of robotics technology, to the medical field. The result was a ground-breaking new implant that could soon make heart transplants a thing of the past.

Excellent educational location

North Rhine-Westphalia’s leading position in the field of innovations is further based on first-rate education and the consistent promotion of young talent. 478,500 young people study at the region’s 64 universities and schools of higher education – more than in any other German federal state.

And with their involvement in successful networks and partnerships around the globe, these universities are driving internationalization. Reason enough for approx. 58,000 foreign students to choose the region between the Rhine and the Weser rivers as the location for their higher education course.

The number of educational institutions in the region has tripled since 1968 to a current total of 64. Half of Germany’s twelve biggest universities are to be found in North Rhine-Westphalia. Among these are institutes of international repute such as the RWTH Aachen University, which in 2007 was distinguished as an “Elite University” by the “Exzellenzinitiative der Bund und Länder” (Federal and State Governments’ Initiative for Excellence). The University of Cologne is not only the biggest in Germany, but also an internationally renowned institute of higher education and research and one of the world’s most modern, progressive universities. Founded in 1388, it simultaneously stands for advancement and tradition.

Concentration of expertise

In order to create a favorable environment for innovation and strengthen the economy’s competitiveness, North Rhine-Westphalia concentrates areas of expertise in networks. This, in turn, drives the development of future technologies with large growth potential. In 16 sector clusters – all of which have been identified as possessing a high level of future-orientation – representatives from the fields of politics, research and economy cooperate particularly closely with one another.

A prime example of successful cooperation between industry and research in North Rhine-Westphalia is the cluster “Industrial Biotechnology 2021”, within which 130 biotech companies from the Rhine and Ruhr regions drive forward the sector’s future. Members of this network, which receives 20 million euros in funding, include Bayer, Cognis, Evonik, Degussa, Henkel and LANXESS, 17 SMEs as well as nine research institutions. Thanks to the intensive networking conducted by the various stakeholders from science and industry, know-how and resources can be optimally applied and synergies utilized to the full.