Phenomenon … Challenge … Consequence

Economy and Science in Düsseldorf

• Ideas for Conference Planner
• Economy and Science in Germany
• Centre of Science North Rhine-Westphalia/Düsseldorf

„Science For A Better Life“ is the corporate philosophy of Bayer AG. Even 100 years after Dr. Felix Hoffmann succeeded in synthesising Acetylsalicyl acid, the medication known by its brand name Aspirin® has continued to be a synonym for analgesics for millions of people worldwide.
 
„A Brand like a Friend“ is a corporate slogan of  Henkel. Since 1907 the world’s first self-acting washing powder has been on the market: Persil (named after its principal ingredients hydrogen peroxide and natrium silicate). The company, one more North Rhine-Westphalia success story, was founded in Aachen in 1897 by Fritz Henkel, who, attracted by sales prospects and local transport infrastructure, subsequently relocated to Düsseldorf on the Rhine.

It is essentially the Big Players of the chemistry and pharmaceutical industries, such as Grunenthal - „Der Eigene Weg“, Janssen-Cilag - „Gesundheit braucht Zukunftsarbeit“ (Health calls for future-orientated work) or  Schwarz-Pharma  - “Health is our passion”, who have contributed to Germany becoming one of the world’s leading pharmaceutical centres.
 

Economy and science are closely linked in North Rhine-Westphalia. In the face of the pace of change in research and technology, successful research and development strategies can today only be realised in close cooperation with other highly specialised partners in industry and academia.

Since the mid 90s North Rhine-Westphalia has developed into one of the leading European locations of the life science industry. Around 570 life science businesses, mainly working in biotechnology, pharma and medical technology, have settled here, as well as more than twice as many suppliers and service providers in the life science environment. The basis for the success of the centre of science NRW  is formed by a wide spectrum of forces, among them 50 colleges, around 100 technology centres, technology parks and transfer centres, 27 research institutes, 14 Fraunhofer Institutes, 11 Max Planck Institutes and the Research Centre Jülich, which with its 4200 employees is Europe’s largest research centre.

With its faculties of medicine, natural sciences and technology, for instance in Aachen, Bochum, Bonn, Düsseldorf, Essen, Köln and Münster, as well as the private university Witten-Herdecke, North Rhine-Westphalia tops all federal states. With a total of around 30,000 employees and over 2 billion Euro turnover, the universities and university clinics are important economic enterprises.

Düsseldorf – knowledge takes place

Düsseldorf is the federal capital of North Rhine-Westphalia, the most densely populated state of the republic. Nevertheless, Düsseldorf is also a charming metropolis and a leading international business centre.

It is the diversity of strengths that make Düsseldorf an outstanding hub, in which networking between economy and science plays a major role.

The Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf cooperates with third parties, in line with §3 of the Hochschulfreiheitsgesetz (law for greater liberty of higher education institutions), in order to promote the transfer of knowledge and scientific findings between the higher education institution and the economy

on the basis of excellent research and education. In doing so, the university is very successful in the processing of scientific findings resulting from basic research. The company Qiagen N.V., which was founded by Professor Dr. Detlev Riesner from within Heinrich Heine University, has developed into a global enterprise listed on the US technology stock exchange NASDAQ since 1996. Rhein Biotech N.V., Evotec and NewLab BioQuality followed.

Further ground-breaking success was achieved recently in the field of medicine. The Düsseldorf Cardiologist Professor Dr. Bodo E. Strauer succeeded, using stem cell therapy, in saving the life of a patient with an acute heart attack. This case represents a world innovation, as for the first time it was possible to treat a cardiogenic shock with this therapy form.

Perhaps this is also why Düsseldorf is Europe’s most important and, after Washington, the world’s second important patent court location. The city is home to a variety of judges, solicitors and agents specialised in patent law. Further, the centre for intellectual property law Centre for Intellectual Property Law serves as a contact point for businesses and patent agents.

In the past Düsseldorf was also known as the ‘writing desk of the Ruhr area’, since it has traditionally been the seat of numerous associations. With the influx of modern communications businesses from the fields of media, advertising and information technology the city has recently become the ‘desktop of the Ruhr area’.

In a knowledge-based society, sustainable transfer of knowledge becomes increasingly important. The knowledge potential of academically educated young people, and of academic teaching and research personnel are the state’s most important raw materials.

Phenomena, ideas, methods, and consequences are made by and with people. To this end, trade fairs, congresses, conferences and symposia form the most important networking platform and are outstandingly present in North Rhine-Westphalia.

“Im Schloß zu Düsseldorf am Rhein wird Mummenschanz gehalten;
Da flimmern die Kerzen, da rauscht die Musik, da tanzen die bunten Gestalten.“
(Heinrich Heine)

(In the castle of Düsseldorf on the Rhine there is a masquerade. Candles are flickering, music is playing, and colourful figures are dancing.)