A lot is happening in North Rhine-Westphalia right now. Following the state elections in May, there was a change in government, bringing with it significant changes—not only in the state’s structure but also in its strategic direction. The new government has already stipulated in its coalition agreement that the state should continue to build on its outstanding position in the future, particularly in the fields of nanotechnology, microtechnology, and materials science. However, this—along with the goal of increasing the state’s capacity for innovation (supported by digitalization) and the number of new business start-ups—is not only the objective of the new government but also one of the central tasks of the NMWP.NRW cluster and the NMWP association, so we look forward to a fruitful collaboration with the new state government. We are particularly pleased that we were able to secure an interview with Prof. Dr. Andreas Pinkwart, the new Minister for Economic Affairs, Innovation, Digitalization, and Energy of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia. Just like North Rhine-Westphalia’s first “Digital Minister,” we also place a strong emphasis on the topic of “digitalization” and are constantly developing new features on our NMWP portal to promote digital innovation.
The central theme of this issue of NMWP Magazine is photonics, a field in which North Rhine-Westphalia is very well positioned in the most forward-looking areas of both business and science. The great significance of this technology sector is also underscored by the VDMA’s latest “Industry Report 2017” and the “Market Research Study Photonics 2017” by Photonics21. It’s no wonder, then, that Dr. Frank Schlie, Head of the “Quantum Technology and Photonics” Division at the Federal Ministry of Education and Research, so clearly emphasized Germany’s strong position in photonics in an international comparison during his conversation with NMWP—and that he aims to achieve the same for quantum technology. North Rhine-Westphalia will play a key role here as well!