Just under a year ago, North Rhine-Westphalia’s Minister of Economic Affairs, Andreas Pinkwart, announced his plan to consolidate the cities in the Rhineland into a major startup hub. “If the startup scene in Aachen, Bonn, Cologne, and Düsseldorf is perceived by investors and customers as a single region, then Berlin and Munich had better watch out,” said the FDP politician. Since then, numerous initiatives have been launched throughout North Rhine-Westphalia to improve the framework conditions for startups and entrepreneurs and to support the growth of existing companies, especially small and medium-sized businesses. It is therefore not surprising that the idea of striking out on one’s own with an innovative concept—whether a product or a service—is being embraced and put into practice by more and more people.
This positive trend in North Rhine-Westphalia has prompted us to dedicate an issue of our NMWP magazine to the topic “Starting and Growing Businesses in Key Technologies in North Rhine-Westphalia,” ultimately for two reasons:
The key technologies—nanotechnology, microsystems engineering, and, above all, photonics and the field of new materials—form the technological foundation for many innovative products and are thus among the most important drivers of progress and prosperity in our society—and of our state’s competitiveness—even though they are, admittedly, often overlooked by the general public.
The second reason for addressing this topic is that “university spin-offs,” startups, and the growth of technology sectors in North Rhine-Westphalia are a central focus of the NanoMikroWerkstoffePhotonik.NRW cluster, which we have been engaged with for a long time. This is because spin-offs and startups are essential for technology transfer from academia to industry and, consequently, for value creation in our state. NMWP.NRW has been supporting and advising startups in the field of key technologies—from the initial idea all the way to market entry—for quite some time now and is increasingly becoming the go-to partner for startups in these relevant fields. With our technology and market expertise and our extensive network, we clearly distinguish ourselves from existing cross-industry and cross-technology offerings. We deliberately choose not to advise on questions such as “Which business structure should I choose?” or “How do I write a business plan?” We provide strategic guidance to startups and open doors to their first potential customers. This is one of the added benefits that stems from NMWP.NRW’s extensive network.
In this NMWP magazine, we provide an overview of startups in the field of key technologies. In summary, it can be said that North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) offers an excellent environment for startups and new businesses, thanks to its outstanding research landscape and diverse economy—which includes countless small and medium-sized enterprises, as well as several global players, numerous corporate ventures, NRW.BANK, the High-Tech Gründerfonds, various funding programs, and technical infrastructure such as incubators. In addition, NMWP.NRW supports startups in the field of key technologies and provides guidance on the path to a successful market launch.