NIERS goes out - Hochschule Niederrhein

2015

Katja Keggenhoff: "MG Bewegt - Requirements for Mönchengladbach as a place to live and work"
Keynote speech at the "Demography management" workshop organised by the CDU and SPD in Mönchengladbach on 28 August 2015

Fabian Kreutzer:"Offshoring vs. Outsourcing: What is the better alternative for SMEs in Germany?"
Lecture at the 55th European Congress of the Regional Science Association International in Lisbon on 28 August 2015

Johannes Kopper / Angelika Jäger:"Location Choice of Academic Spin-Offs - Case Study of the German Internet Sector"
Presentation at the 55th European Congress of the Regional Science Association International in Lisbon on 28/08/15

Prof Dr Rüdiger Hamm: "Soccer Clubs and Regional Image"
Lecture at the 55th European Congress of the Regional Science Association International in Lisbon on 26/08/2015

Angelika Jäger:"Determinants of location evaluation and choice of residence - an empirical analysis of the city of Moenchengladbach, Germany"
Presentation at the 55th European Congress of the Regional Science Association International in Lisbon on 26/08/15

Prof. Dr Rüdiger Hamm: "Governance structures and success factors of knowledge transfer"
Lecture at the meeting of the working group "Universities and sustainable regional development" of the Academy for Spatial Research and Planning (ARL) in Hanover on 17 July 2015

Prof Dr Rüdiger Hamm / Johannes Kopper:"The Hochschule Niederrhein and its regional transfer effects" Presentation to the Executive Board of The Hochschule Niederrhein in Krefeld on 16 June 2015

Prof Dr Rüdiger Hamm: "The role of cities as European growth engines - using the example of medium-sized cities such as Krefeld"
Lecture at an event organised by the "Europe Direct Informationszentrum Mittlerer Niederrhein" in Krefeld on 02.06.2015

Prof Dr Rüdiger Hamm: "Regional economic effects of Borussia VfL 1900 Mönchengladbach"
Lecture to excursion students from the Institute of Economic and Cultural Geography at Leibniz Universität Hannover, Mönchengladbach on 28 May 2015

Prof Dr Rüdiger Hamm / Angelika Jäger / Katja Keggenhoff: "Migration movements and their reasons. The example of Mönchengladbach"
Lecture at the 13th Regional Economic Forum of The Hochschule Niederrhein in Mönchengladbach on 28 April 2015

Katja Keggenhoff: "Determinants of location evaluation and choice of residence. An empirical analysis of the city of Moenchengladbach"
Lecture at the annual conference of the AAG (Association of American Geographers) in Chicago on 25 April 2015

Prof Dr Rüdiger Hamm / Christina Fischer: "Football clubs and regional image"
Lecture on the occasion of the 19th annual conference of the "Arbeitskreis Sportökonomie e.V." in Leipzig on 25 April 2015

Katja Keggenhoff: "Living in old age and the local economy - the example of Viersen Südstadt"
Presentation at the NRW Social City Network meeting in Essen on 2 April 2015

Christina Fischer: "Student survey 'Employer attractiveness' at The Hochschule Niederrhein"
Presentation at the 3rd EURAGA workshop in Mönchengladbach on 20 January 2015

Prof. Dr Rüdiger Hamm / Angelika Jäger: "Requirements for Mönchengladbach as a place to work and live"
Presentation at the meeting of the Mönchengladbach CDU district executive committee on 8 January 2015

2014

Prof Dr Rüdiger Hamm: The future of housing: Requirements for Mönchengladbach as a place to work and live
Lecture at the 1st Mönchengladbach housing talks on 31 October 2014

Prof Dr Rüdiger Hamm: "Success factor succession - results of a company survey in the Middle Lower Rhine region 2014"
Lecture at the IHK Mittlerer Niederrhein on 23 October 2014

Katja Keggenhoff / Leif Lüpertz: "Strengthening the local economy in Viersener Südstadt"
Presentation at the Städteetz Soziale Stadt NRW conference in Essen on 2 October 2014

Christina Fischer / Katja Keggenhoff / Fabian Kreutzer: "Regional awareness of SMEs"
Presentation at the 2nd EURAGA workshop in Mönchengladbach on 30 September 2014

Fabian Kreutzer: "Comparison of the current and predicted skills shortage between Germany and the Netherlands"
Lecture in Mönchengladbach on 28/09/2014

Prof Dr Rüdiger Hamm / Leif Lüpertz: "Local economy"
Lecture at the Initativkreis Moers on 18/09/2014

Prof Dr Rüdiger Hamm: "Third mission potential, differentiated by type of higher education institution"
Lecture at the workshop "Universities in demographic change - challenges and design options" at the Halle Institute for Economic Research on 12 September 2014

Prof Dr Rüdiger Hamm / Angelika Jäger: "The Game Lasts Longer than 90 Minutes - Empirical Analysis of the Regional Effects of a Premier League Soccer Club"
Presentation at the 54th European Congress of the Regional Science Association International in St. Petersburg on 28 August 2014

Angelika Jäger / Johannes Kopper: "Location Choice of Academic Spin-Offs - Case Study of the German Internet Industry"
Presentation at the 54th European Congress of the Regional Science Association International in St. Petersburg on 28 August 2014

Johannes Kopper / Hans Dinse: "Determinants for Spin-off Creation by German University Professors"
Presentation at the 54th European Congress of the Regional Science Association International in St. Petersburg on 28 August 2014

Prof. Dr Martin Wenke / Prof. Dr Rüdiger Hamm / Angelika Jäger / Christiane Goebel: "The Interrelations between Location Factors and Structural Change - Hypothesis and Evidence from German Middle Rhine Region"
Presentation at the 54th European Congress of the Regional Science Association International in St. Petersburg on 28/08/2014

Prof Dr Rüdiger Hamm: "Soccer Clubs and Regional Image"
Lecture at the GfR Summer Conference in Marburg on 27 June 2014

Prof Dr Rüdiger Hamm / Angelika Jäger / Christina Fischer:"Regional economic effects of Borussia VfL 1900 Mönchengladbach"
Press conference at The Hochschule Niederrhein, Mönchengladbach on 12 June 2014

Katja Keggenhoff / Leif Lüpertz: "Final presentation of the project "Promotion of the local economy in Viersener Südstadt" (01/2012 - 05/2014)"
Lecture in the council chamber of the city of Viersen on 22 May 2014

Prof Dr Rüdiger Hamm / Christina Fischer / Fabian Kreutzer: "Brainflows in the Lower Rhine region and their determinants"
Lecture and presentation at the EURAGA project kick-off meeting at The Hochschule Niederrhein, Mönchengladbach on 19 April 2014

Katja Keggenhoff: "Vacancy and accessibility in Viersener Südstadt"
Lecture at the Real Estate Working Group in Viersen on 14 April 2014

Prof Dr Rüdiger Hamm / Angelika Jäger / Johannes Kopper / Fabian Kreutzer: "Brain Flows at Lower Rhine Region"
Lecture and presentation at the German-Russian workshop at The Hochschule Niederrhein, Mönchengladbach on 18 March 2014

Fabian Kreutzer: "The effect of offshoring on innovation: A conditional differences- in difference approach for German SMEs"
Lecture at Spatial Dimensions of the labour market: The Relocation of Jobs, 2nd international IAB/RCEA/ZEW Workshop in Nuremberg on 13.03.2014

Fabian Kreutzer: "Beschäftigungseffekt von Offshoring auf deutsche KMU"
Presentation at the 51st Winter Seminar of the Society for Regional Research in Matrei (East Tyrol) on 24 February 2014

Prof. Dr Rüdiger Hamm: "Handlungskonzept Brüggen 2020"
Lecture and workshop in Brüggen on 6 February 2014

2013

Hans Dinse: "Regional economic effects of universities - differences between universities and universities of applied sciences"
Lecture on the 2013 event cycle: Development problems and prospects for rural areas, on the topic of "Rural areas in the metropolitan region of Central Germany" at the Protestant Academy of Saxony-Anhalt in Lutherstadt Wittenberg on 26 September 2013

Katja Keggenhoff / Leif Lüpertz: "Conceptual development of needs-orientated activities for the local economy in Viersener Südstadt"
Presentation at the BIWAQ 2 themed workshop organised by the Federal Ministry of Transport, Building and Urban Development (BMVBS) and the Federal Institute for Research on Building, Urban Affairs and Spatial Development (BBSR) in Berlin on 3 September 2013

Prof Dr Rüdiger Hamm: "Location Conditions of Energy-intensive Enterprises"
Lecture at the 53rd European Congress of the Regional Science Association International in Palermo on 28 August 2013

Angelika Jäger / Johannes Kopper: "Measuring the Regional 'Third-Mission-Potential' of Different Types of HEIs"
Presentation at the 53rd European Congress of the Regional Science Association International in Palermo on 26 August 2013

Prof. Dr Rüdiger Hamm: "Handlungskonzept Brüggen 2020"
Lecture at the Burggemeinde Brüggen on 08.07.2013

Prof Dr Rüdiger Hamm: "Demographic change in Krefeld and the Lower Rhine region and possible consequences for the continuing education sector"
Lecture at the adult education centre Krefeld/Neukirchen-Vluyn on 18/06/2013

Prof Dr Rüdiger Hamm / Fabian Kreutzer: "Recruiting and Binding (Graduated) Higher Educated Students to the Region - Dual study Programmes -Good Practice from Niederrhein, Germany"
Presentation at the STEP-Forward Seminar in Arnhem on 04/06/2012

Niederrhein Institute for Regional and Structural Research (NIERS) hosts 3rd ERSA International Workshop. Topic is "Higher Education Institutions and Regional Development."

2012

Prof. Dr Rüdiger Hamm: "Economic effects of a concert event in the WARSTEINER HockeyPark for the city and region of Mönchengladbach using the example of the GUNS N`ROSES concert on 8 June 2012"
Lecture at the Mönchengladbach Marketing Club in the Warsteiner HockeyPark on 27 November 2012

Angelika Jäger, M. A. / Johannes Kopper, M. A.: "RegTrans - Transfer effects of different types of higher education institutionsApproach and initial results"
Presentation at the workshop "Higher Education and Regional Development" at the University of Kassel on 2 November 2012

Prof Dr Harald Schoelen: "Cross-border economic power in AgroFood - the agribusiness value chain"
Short presentation at the final symposium in Venlo/Floriade on 27/09/2012

Dipl.-Volksw. Dipl.-Kfm. Fabian Kreutzer: "Offshoring in Germany - Special focus on SMEs"
Lecture at the Baltic Sea Summer School in International Economics in Sonderborg (Denmark) on 5 September 2012

Angelika Jäger, M. A.: "Brain Drain or Brain Gain? Graduate Migration in Old Industrial Regions - Analysis of the Central Lower Rhine Area, Germany"
Presentation at the 52nd European Congress of the Regional Science Association International in Bratislava on 24 August 2012

Prof Dr Rüdiger Hamm: "Knowledge Transfer in Lower Rhine Area"
Lecture at the STEP-forward kick-off meeting on 21/06/2012

Dipl.-Geogr. Katja Keggenhoff: "Living and working in Südstadt"
Presentation at the BIWAQ II kick-off event in Stuttgart on 12 June 2012

Angelika Jäger, M. A.: "RegTrans - Regionale Transfereffekte verschiedener Hochschulaltypen"
Lecture at the kick-off event on the economics of science at the Centre for European Economic Research (ZEW) in Mannheim on 1 June 2012

Angelika Jäger, M. A.: "Projektpräsentation RegTrans"
Presentation at the information and dialogue event on the topic of "Smart Cities" in Brussels on 22/05/2012

Prof Dr Harald Schoelen: "The generational balance - with each other - for each other. Intergenerational solidarity between aspiration and reality"
Lecture at the lecture series in the Faust guest lecture programme on 10.05.2012

Prof Dr Rüdiger Hamm / Angelika Jäger, M. A.: "BrainDrain despite a shortage of skilled labour? - Brain flows in the Lower Rhine region and their determinants"
Presentation at the 10th Regional Economic Forum of the Niederrhein Institute for Regional and Structural Research (NIERS) on 8 May 2012

Prof Dr Harald Schoelen: "Budget Krefeld 2012 - saving shore within reach!"
Lecture at the cooperative event series "Knowledge for Krefeld" with the WZ and the Krefeld Economic Development Agency on 22 March 2012

Dipl.-Volksw. Dipl.-Kfm. Fabian Kreutzer: "Paths of human capital: Where do the high potentials go? Migration behaviour and determinants of university graduates using the example of The Hochschule Niederrhein"
Lecture in Matrei (East Tyrol) on 28.02.2012

2011

Prof. Dr Rüdiger Hamm: "Sustainable industries in Mönchengladbach - a review after 10 years"
Presentation of the project results at the WFMG Mönchengladbach on 29 November 2011

Prof. Dr Rüdiger Hamm: "Socio-economic monitoring for the Rhine district of Neuss"
Presentation at the Social and Health Committee of the Rhine district of Neuss in Grevenbroich on 24 November 2011

Prof. Dr. Harald Schoelen: "Age is not a deficit - maintaining employability" - labour market and municipal policy challenges of an ageing society using the example of the city of Geldern
Lecture as part of the "Demography Day Geldern" at the Geldern Clinic on 19.11.2011

Prof. Dr Harald Schoelen & Dipl.-Ing. Christiane Goebel: "Demographic development concepts for municipalities"
Lecture at the 9th Regional Economic Forum "Municipalities 2030 - empty & old?" on 20 October 2011

Prof. Dr Rüdiger Hamm: "The Hochschule Niederrhein - a guide to coping with demographic change"
Lecture at the 9th Regional Economic Forum "Municipalities 2030 - empty & old?" on 20 October 2011

Prof. Dr Rüdiger Hamm: "Why is football an economic factor?"
Lecture as part of the "Museumsuni" at Rheydt Castle on 18 October 2011

Prof Dr Harald Schoelen: Event in the "Fraktion vor Ort" series entitled "Will we look old?" Discussion round on 6 October 2011 of the SPD parliamentary group in Kleve

Angelika Jäger, M.A: "Successful knowledge Transfer from Universities of Applied Sciences in Germany - Analysis of Best Practice Examples based on empirical analysis and expert interviews"
Presentation at the 51st European Congress of the Regional Science Association International in Barcelona on 1 September 2011

Prof Dr Rüdiger Hamm: "Creative Class as a Determinant of Economic Development - Empirical Considerations for NorthRhine-Westphalian Regions Based on Time Series Analysis"
Presentation at the 51st European Congress of the Regional Science Association International in Barcelona on 31 August 2011

Prof Dr Harald Schoelen: "Bedburg-Hau 2030 - Population in transition"
Lecture at a council meeting of the municipality of Bedburg-Hau on 20 July 2011

Prof Dr Harald Schoelen:"Moers 2030 - a labour market in demographic change"
Lecture as part of a series of lectures organised by Initiativekreis Moers e.V. on 16/06/2011

Prof Dr Harald Schoelen: "Demographic development concepts for the region"
Lecture as part of the event "Demografiefester Niederrhein? The future of work in the region." organised by the A.U.G.E. Institute on 31 May 2011

Prof Dr Harald Schoelen: "Lower Rhine municipalities under pressure to consolidate"
Lecture at the 8th Regional Economic Forum on 19 May 2011

Angelika Jäger, M.A: "Knowledge transfer from universities of applied sciences"
Lecture as part of the "Controlling Round Table" at The Hochschule Niederrhein on 5 May 2011

Prof. Dr Harald Schoelen & Dipl.-Ing. Christiane Goebel: "Demographic development concept for the city of Geldern"
Final presentation on "Geldern 2030 - Population in transition" on 14/04/2011

Prof. Dr Rüdiger Hamm: "Wege zu einer ökologischen Strukturpolitik aus Sicht der Kommunal- und Regionalforschung"
Presentation at the expert workshop "Vom blauen Himmel über der Ruhr zum blauen Planeten" of the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung in Bonn on 11 April 2011

2010

Prof. Dr Rüdiger Hamm: "Der regionalwirtschaftliche Impuls der Kreativen: Empirische Ergebnisse"
Lecture in Mönchengladbach on 9 November 2010

Johannes Kopper, M.A.: "The analysis needs of business developers - results of a survey"
Lecture in Mönchengladbach on 26 April 2010

Prof. Dr Rüdiger Hamm & Dipl.-Ing. Christiane Goebel: "Requirements for a structural and location analysis: Presentation of a concept by NIERS"
Lecture in Mönchengladbach on 26 April 2010

2009

Impulses of universities of applied sciences for the region: Equivalent, but different - or not equivalent after all? - Presentation and discussion of selected results and the recommendations for action developed from the project "Competence fields of the Hochschule Niederrhein - competence fields of the economy on the Niederrhein" at the 5th Regional Economic Forum at the Hochschule Niederrhein, Mönchengladbach on 29 October 2009 (Rüdiger Hamm)

Reflections on the better use of cooperation channels using the example of the Hochschule Niederrhein - Presentation of the results and the recommendations for action developed from the project "Kompetenzfelder der Hochschule Niederrhein - Kompetenzfelder der Wirtschaft am Niederrhein" to the Rectorate of the Hochschule Niederrhein, Krefeld on 6 October 2008 (Rüdiger Hamm)

Considerations for improving the transfer of knowledge from the Hochschule Niederrheinto the region - Presentation of the results of the project "Fields of competence of the Hochschule Niederrhein - Fields of competence of the economy on the Lower Rhine" to the economic players in the region (business promoters and representatives of the chambers) on 10 March 2009 at the Hochschule Niederrhein, Krefeld (Rüdiger Hamm)

Fields of expertise of The Hochschule Niederrhein - Fields of expertise of the economy in the Niederrhein region, considerations for improving the transfer of knowledge from the Hochschule Niederrhein to the region. Presentation at a business breakfast organised by the Marketing Club and the Wirtschaftsförderungs-Gesellschaft (WfG) Krefeld on 4 March 2009 (Rüdiger Hamm)

Improvement of image by major sports events - Presentation of the results of a study on the effects of the 2006 Hockey World Cup on/for the city of Mönchengladbach at a joint international conference of the Regional Studies Association (RSA) and NIERS on "The regeneration of image in old industrial regions: agents of change and changing agents" from 15 to 17 February 2009 at The Hochschule Niederrhein, Mönchengladbach (Christiane Goebel)

The regeneration of image in old industrial regions: agents of change and changing agents - Presentation of the results of a survey on the image of the Hochschule Niederrhein as part of the project "Kompetenzfelder der Hochschule Niederrhein - Kompetenzfelder der Wirtschaft am Niederrhein". Presented at a joint international conference of the Regional Studies Association (RSA) and NIERS on "The regeneration of image in old industrial regions: agents of change and changing agents" from 15 to 17 February 2009 at The Hochschule Niederrhein, Mönchengladbach (Yasemin Schmitz)

2008

Reflections on the better use of cooperation channels using the example of the Hochschule Niederrhein - presentation at the 74th Federal Deans' Conference on Economics from 22 to 25 October 2008 at the Hochschule Niederrhein, Mönchengladbach (Rüdiger Hamm)

Identifying Regional Cluster Management Potentials - Empirical Results from Three North Rhine-Westphalian Regions - Paper presented on the 48th Congress of the European Regional Science Association, Liverpool, UK August 27th - 31st (Rüdiger Hamm)

A cross-border Technological Top euRegio: Cold feet or Real Challenge? Paper presented on the Regional Studies Association's Annual International Conference "Regions: The Dilemmas of Integration and Competition?", University of Economics Prague, Czech Republic, May 27th - 29th (Rüdiger Hamm)

2007

The Hochschule Niederrhein's significance for the Mönchengladbach campus - based on a regional economic analysis. Presentation to the Scientific Association in Mönchengladbach on 16 October 2007 (Rüdiger Hamm, Martin Wenke)

The economic importance of sport in the Lower Rhine region - presentation to the sports committee of the Rhine district of Neuss, Grevenbroich district hall, 15 October 2007 (Rüdiger Hamm).

Reflections on the economic importance of sport in the Lower Rhine region. Lecture at the event "Sport Meets Business" organised by the Rhein-Kreis Neuss Economic Development Agency at the Kreismuseum Dormagen/Zons, 28 June 2007. (Rüdiger Hamm)

Areas of expertise in Leverkusen - results of an analysis by the Niederrhein University of Applied Sciences. Lecture at the meeting of the supervisory board of the Leverkusen Economic Development Corporation, Leverkusen, 30 May 2007. (Christiane Goebel, Rüdiger Hamm)

Regional Economic Effects of a Major League Soccer Club - The case of Borussia Mönchengladbach. Paper presented on the International Conference of the Regional Studies Associati-on, University of Lisbon (Portugal), Lisbon, 4 May 2007. (Rüdiger Hamm)

Fields of Expertise in the Viersen District - Results of an Analysis by The Hochschule Niederrhein. Presentation at the meeting of the supervisory board of WFG Kreis Viersen, Schloss Krickenbeck, Nettetal, 19 March 2007 (Rüdiger Hamm)

Business start-ups in the Middle Lower Rhine region. A current stocktaking and further considerations. Lecture at the meeting of the "Gründerregion Niederrhein", IHK Mittlerer Niederrhein, Krefeld, 15 March 2007. (Rüdiger Hamm) * Regional Economic Effects of a Major League Soccer Club - The case of Borussia Möncheng-ladbach. Paper presented on the third annual conference of the "Old Industrial Knowledges" Working Group of the Regional Studies Association, University of Twente, Netherlands, 28th-30th January 2007. (Rüdiger Hamm)

2006

Economic structures and developments in the municipality of Brüggen. Presentation on a structural analysis of the university for the municipality of Brüggen to entrepreneurs from Brüggen on 27 November 2006 at Burg Brüggen. (Rüdiger Hamm)

Regional start-up behaviour in the euregio rhine-maas-north. Presentation of a research project at The Hochschule Niederrhein. Presentation to the Economic Policy Discussion Group at the Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (NRW) on 26 October 2006. (Rüdiger Hamm)

Regional economic effects of a Bundesliga football club - illustrated using the example of Borussia Mönchengladbach. Presentation of a study to representatives of the club and interested students on 19 June 2006 at The Hochschule Niederrhein, Mönchengladbach. (Rüdiger Hamm)

Economic structures and developments in the municipality of Grefrath. Presentation on a structural analysis of the university for the municipality of Grefrath to Grefrath entrepreneurs on 11 June 2006 in the town hall of Grefrath-Oedt. (Rüdiger Hamm) Download the analysis (via IHK Mittlerer Niederrhein)

Adjustment Problems of Old Industrialised Areas - Lessons from the Past. Presentation at a workshop on "The Role of 'Industrial Knowledges' in Economic Development of Post-Industrial Regions" of the Regional Studies Association at the University of Gdansk (Gdansk - Sopot - Gdynia, Poland), 19 - 21 February 2006 (Rüdiger Hamm).

Demographic development in the Middle Lower Rhine region. (PDF) Presentation at the workshop "Leben im Alter - was tun?" on 19 January 2006 in Mönchengladbach (Rüdiger Hamm, Martin Wenke). Press response to a symposium organised by The Hochschule Niederrhein on demographic change.

Consequences of demographic change for the municipality of Grefrath. Lecture followed by a discussion on 10 January 2006 in Grefrath. (Rüdiger Hamm)

2005

Development connections between industry and services. Presentation at an expert workshop "Gender Mainstream in the Promotion of Innovation and Clusters in the NRW Objective 2 Programme 2007-2013" on 17.11.2005 in Castrop-Rauxel. (Rüdiger Hamm)

Consequences of demographic change in the Middle Lower Rhine region. Presentation to the Committee for Regional Economic Policy of the IHK Mittlerer Niederrhein on 15 November 2005 in Krefeld. (Rüdiger Hamm, Martin Wenke)

The regional economic significance of Mönchengladbach Airport. Presentation and discussion as part of the hearing on the planning approval procedure for the extension of the runway at Mönchengladbach Airport on 3 June and 23 June 2005 in Borussen Park, Mönchengladbach. (Rüdiger Hamm)

2004

Regional economic effects of public infrastructure projects using selected examples. Guest lecture as part of the continuing education seminar "Theoretical Concepts of Strategic Location Analysis" held by Prof. Dr Franz-Josef Bade (Department of Spatial Economic Policy, Faculty of Spatial Planning, University of Dortmund) on 6 September 2004 in Witten. (Rüdiger Hamm)

Organisation of an expert workshop "Perspectives of the Hochschule Niederrhein as a campus university at the Krefeld South Campus", on 12 October 2004 at the Hochschule Niederrhein, Krefeld. (Rüdiger Hamm)

2003

"The living conditions of the inhabitants of Krefeld-Süd." Presentation and discussion of the results of a study on 25 November 2003 at The Hochschule Niederrhein, Krefeld. (Rüdiger Hamm, Schäfer)

"Economic structures and developments in the municipality of Korschenbroich." Lecture at the 1st Korschenbroich Entrepreneur Breakfast on 5 November 2003 at the Sparkasse Korschenbroich. (Rüdiger Hamm)

The structural and location conditions in the Middle Lower Rhine region. Presentation to the Committee for Regional Economic Policy of the IHK Mittlerer Niederrhein on 10 July 2003 in Neuss. (Rüdiger Hamm, Martin Wenke)

2002

"The living conditions of the inhabitants of Krefeld-Süd." Presentation and discussion of the results of a study on 25 November 2003 at The Hochschule Niederrhein Krefeld. (Rüdiger Hamm, Schäfer)

2001

30 years of the universities of applied sciences Niederrhein - A driving force for the region. Lecture and panel discussion at the event to mark the 30th anniversary of The Hochschule Niederrhein on 12 November 2001. (Rüdiger Hamm, Martin Wenke)

The Importance of Universities of Applied Sciences for Regional Development - Theory and Empirical Evidence for the German Middle Lower Rhine Area. Paper presented on the 41st European Congress of the European Regional Science Association, Zagreb (Croatia), 29 August to 1 September 2001. (Rüdiger Hamm, Martin Wenke)

Mönchengladbach - An old textile region. Perspectives in structural change. Lecture given on 1 March 2001 to the Otto von Bylandt Society in Mönchengladbach Rheydt. (Rüdiger Hamm)

2000

Special features of the labour market in the German part of the euregio rhein maas nord. Lecture given at the international workshop "European border regions - bridgeheads for the integration of regional labour markets?" on 25 and 26 September 2000 at the Department of Economics of the universities of applied sciences Niederrhein. (Rüdiger Hamm, Martin Wenke)

Economic Structures and Skills Mismatch as Determinants of Regional Unemployment - Some Considerations with Respect to the Middle Lower Rhine Area. Paper presented on the 40th European Congress of the Regional Science Association, Barcelona, August 29th - September 1st. (Rüdiger Hamm)

Analysis of the Regional Labour Market in the Middle Lower Rhine Area. Paper presented at the meeting of the Committee for Regional Economic Policy of the IHK Mittlerer Niederrhein on 31 May 2000 at the IHK in Mönchengladbach. (Rüdiger Hamm)

1999

The Effects of European Monetary Union for Special Regions - The Example of the Middle Lower Rhine Region. Paper presented on the 39th Congress of the "European Regional Science Association", Dublin 23-27th August 1999. (Rüdiger Hamm)

Regional economic effects of a Bundesliga football club - effects of a multifunctional arena. Paper presented on 21 January 1999 at the conference "Arena 2000 - vom Stadion zum multifunktionalen Erlebnispark" of the InWis (Institute for Housing, Real Estate, Urban and Regional Development at the Ruhr University Bochum) in Essen. (Rüdiger Hamm)

1998

Theses on the problems of old industrial regions. Lecture given on 25 September 1998 at the joint annual conference of the Academy for Spatial Research and Planning and the German Academy for Urban and Regional Planning in Esslingen. (Rüdiger Hamm)

Location "Mittlerer Niederrhein" - Structural conditions and regional competitiveness. Lecture given at the regional conference of IG Metall on 14 September 1998 in Krefeld. (Rüdiger Hamm)

Economic change - consequences for the qualification and job structure. Lecture held on 14 May 1998 before the university round table in Duisburg. (Rüdiger Hamm)

Economic effects of the European Monetary Union - An analysis from the perspective of the "Middle Lower Rhine" region. Lecture held on 4 May 1998 as part of the Europe Week at the universities of applied sciences Niederrhein. (Rüdiger Hamm)

1997

Regional Economic Effects of a Major League Soccer Club - Theoretical Considerations and Some Empirical Results for the Case of "Borussia Mönchengladbach". Paper presented on the 37th Congress of the "European Regional Science Association", Rome 26-29th August 1997. (Rüdiger Hamm)

1996

European Border Regions - Driving Force of European Integration? Paper presented on the 36th Congress of the "European Regional Science Association", ETH Zurich 26-30th August 1996. (Rüdiger Hamm)

Events

19th Regional Economic Forum (2022)

On 21/22 June 2022, NIERS hosted the 19th Regional Economic Forum in Krefeld on the topic of "Prospects and challenges of disadvantaged neighbourhoods".

18th Regional Economic Forum (2021)

On 9 June 2021, NIERS hosted the 18th Regional Economic Forum on the topic of "Structural change in the Rhenish mining area".

On the one hand, the digital forum looked at various dimensions of structural change; on the other hand, the question was raised as to how the state government of NRW intends to use "the task of the century as an opportunity of the century".

The programme of the event

Presentations:

Dimensions of a "task of the century"

The regional economic dimension (Prof. Dr Rüdiger Hamm)
The energy industry dimension (Prof Dr Manuel Frondel)
The dimension of regional acceptance and identity (Dr Sebastian Heer)

Utilising the task of the century as an opportunity of the century!
Strategic orientation of the state government and planned projects and project contexts (Alexandra Landsberg)

17th Regional Economic Forum (2020)

The 17th Regional Economic Forum took place on 9 June 2020 - virtually for the first time due to the current situation. The event was entitled "Integrated municipal reporting - why, how and for whom" and aimed to highlight the advantages of integrated reporting at municipal level and provide recommendations for the structure and implementation in the municipalities.

Dr Scheler and Ms Sahl from the Ministry for the Environment, Agriculture, Nature Conservation and Consumer Protection of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia (MULNV NRW) emphasised in their keynote speech that integrated reporting on the environment, health and social issues is an important approach for avoiding, reducing and compensating for multiple burdens in municipalities/urban districts. It therefore represents an important foundation course for integrating these aspects into municipal planning processes, as the IBE can be used to identify problem areas and the need for action.

In a pilot project (carried out by NIERS in cooperation with the RWI - Leibniz Institute for Economic Research) with the three pilot municipalities of Gelsenkirchen, Mülheim an der Ruhr and Bottrop in 2017/18, the requirements and possibilities for creating integrated, small-scale reporting were analysed and proposals were developed on how data on the environment, health and social situation can be presented in an integrated manner.

Prof Dr Rüdiger Hamm from NIERS presented the most important results from the pilot project: A survey of NRW municipalities on their interest in the introduction to an IBE showed that there is great interest in an IBE and that it should serve as an information and planning tool and facilitate interdisciplinary cooperation. The key objectives of an IBE are the identification of areas with multiple burdens, improved opportunities to pursue overarching municipal objectives and the facilitation of planning for the future use of funds.

NIERS has developed a number of recommendations for the selection of a basic set of indicators: When compiling the indicators, it makes sense to limit them to a few core indicators, a similar number of indicators should be used in the individual topic areas and no highly correlated indicators should be used. In addition, the indicators should be applicable and available on a small scale.

Anna Bogedain from NIERS presented the results of students from the "Regional Economics Research Project" master's course. In the summer semester of 2019, they had developed an integrated reporting system based on the approach used in the pilot project for the cities of Krefeld and Mönchengladbach.

Dr Fabian Kreutzer from the Office for Statistics and Elections of the state capital Düsseldorf presented an example of a municipal reporting system. There - unlike in the past - basic reports are compiled at regular intervals by the Office for Statistics and Elections, with the participation and responsibility of the various faculties. Care is taken to ensure that the various faculties are not considered in isolation. The Office for Statistics and Elections organises the cooperation and is neutral in its reporting.

In the discussion following the forum contributions, it became clear that there are essentially two problems on the way to integrated reporting: 1. the data situation: a lot of data is only available down to the municipal level (e.g. from IT.NRW); at the levels below the municipalities, data availability is difficult. While there are some approaches to providing small-scale data in the environmental sector, the main problem lies in the provision of health data. 2. the organisation of IBE in a municipality: interdisciplinary cooperation is not established in all municipalities, and in some cases there is a lack of appropriate organisational structures. Further hurdles are the lack of financial, human and technical resources.

You can find the programme for the event here...

Lectures:

Dr Irene Scheler / Ricarda Sahl: Achieving more together?! Impulse for an integrated view of environment, health and social issues

Dr Fabian Kreutzer: An example of an integrated municipal reporting system - the state capital Düsseldorf

Anna Bogedain / Prof. Dr Rüdiger Hamm: First steps in the implementation of integrated municipal reporting systems

16th Regional Economic Forum (2018)

On 19 April 2018, NIERS hosted the 16th Regional Economic Forum on the topic: Universities for sustainable regional development.
Flyer for the event

Lectures

Alex Baker-Shelley: "The Maastricht University Sustainability Curve"

Prof Dr Helga Kanning: "Universities as drivers of sustainable regional development"

Prof. Dr. Martin Wenke: "CSR competence centre Niederrhein"

Dr Ann Marie Krewer: "The BIWAQ projects of NIERS and SO.CON to strengthen local economies - regional impulses for more sustainability"

Special Session ERSA Congress (2017)

Special session on "Problems and Prospects of Slowly Growing Medium-sized Cities" at the 57th ERSA Congress "Social Progress for Resilient Regions"

With the support of colleagues from Halle (Germany), Katowice (Poland), Ostrava (Czech Republic) and Krems (Austria), Prof. Dr Rüdiger Hamm organised a special session entitled "Problems and Prospects of Slowly Growing Medium-sized Cities" at the 57th Congress of the European Regional Science Association (ERSA) from 29 August to 1 September 2017 in Groningen (Netherlands). With a total of 12 papers submitted by the above-mentioned colleagues as well as from the Netherlands, Russia, Israel and Germany, among others, the special session met with a strong response. Four time slots of the congress could thus be filled with high-quality contributions; all time slots were well received by the congress participants. NIERS itself was represented with two contributions co-authored by Rüdiger Hamm and Anna Herzog. The topics were:

"Comparison of Structural Adjustment Processes of former Textile Cities"
"Regional and Urban Decline - Theoretical Approaches, Models and Classifications in the Course of Time"

15th Regional Economic Forum (2017)

On 9 May 2017, NIERS, in cooperation with the SO.CON Institute, hosted the 15th Regional Economic Forum with the theme: Strengthening local economies beyond the boomtowns

The "Bildung, Wirtschaft, Arbeit im Quartier (BIWAQ)" programme funded by the European Social Fund (ESF) for Germany improves the opportunities of residents in disadvantaged neighbourhoods, promotes integration into work and strengthens the local economy.

On 9 May 2017, the NIERS and SO.CON institutes at The Hochschule Niederrhein invited participants to Mönchengladbach for the 15th Regional Economic Forum entitled: "Strengthening local economies away from the boom towns" in order to take an active part in the BIWAQ symposium. On the one hand, the event was aimed at all those who are active or involved in BIWAQ projects to strengthen the local economy; on the other hand, it also addressed all those people who are involved in the field of "local economy", e.g. in urban development, urban planning, neighbourhood work and science. This time, the special focus was on structurally weaker cities and municipalities. In addition to technical inputs and the presentation of several projects, there were several discussion rounds that covered the following topics as requested by the participants:

Vacant properties and how to deal with them
Local partnerships and participation strategies
Theoretical models in operational work
Success and sustainability of the projects
Social entrepreneurs as space pioneers in disadvantaged neighbourhoods

Here you will find the presentations by Prof. Dr Sebastian Henn on "Strengthening the local economy in economically and socially disadvantaged urban neighbourhoods" and by Dr Ann Marie Krewer and Prof. Dr Rüdiger Hamm on "Strengthening local economies through a transformative research approach". You will also find the posters of the BIWAQ sub-projects presented and some selected photos.

Posters
Aachen. All Eyes on green Spots
Brandenburg. Hohenstücken neighbourhood
Bremerhaven. The mix makes the difference
Gelsenkirchen. Mobile trade
Gladbeck. Trade check
Gladbeck. Cultural and creative industries
Hamm. Creating added value in the neighbourhood
Leverkusen. RHEINDORFerLEBEN
Offenbach. Awakening South
Rostock. Promotion of companies
Solingen Nordstadt. Promotion of the local economy

Programme

We would like to thank all participants and hope that you will remember the event in the same way as we did: successful and informative.
If you have any questions or require information afterwards, please do not hesitate to contact me:

Anna Bogedain
Phone: 02161/186-6414
Email: annabogedain@hs-niederrhein.de

Special Session on "Problems and Prospects of Slowly Growing Medium-sized Cities" at the 57th ERSA Congress "Social Progress for Resilient Regions"

With the support of colleagues from Halle, Katowice (Poland), Ostrava (Czech Republic) and Krems (Austria), Prof. Dr. Rüdiger Hamm organised a special session entitled "Problems and Prospects of Slowly Growing Medium-sized Cities" at the 57th Congress of the European Regional Science Association (ERSA) from 29 August to 1 September 2017 in Groningen (Netherlands). With a total of 12 papers submitted by the above-mentioned colleagues as well as from the Netherlands, Russia, Israel and Germany, among others, the special session met with a strong response. Four time slots of the congress could thus be filled with high-quality contributions; all time slots were well received by the congress participants. NIERS itself was represented with two contributions co-authored by Rüdiger Hamm and Anna Herzog. The topics were:

"Comparison of Structural Adjustment Processes of former Textile Cities"
"Regional and Urban Decline - Theoretical Approaches, Models and Classifications in the Course of Time"

14th Regional Economic Forum (2016)

On 21 April 2016, NIERS organised the 14th Regional Economic Forum at The Hochschule Niederrhein in Mönchengladbach on the topic of "Football as a regional economic factor".

Flyer and report on the event
Flyer on the event
Report on the event

Presentations
Prof. Dr Markus Kurscheidt: "Sport and regional development"
Prof. Dr Rüdiger Hamm / Christina Fischer: "The importance of Borussia for the city of Möchengladbach"

13th Regional Economic Forum (2015)

On 28 April 2015, the 13th Regional Economic Forum of The Hochschule Niederrhein took place in Mönchengladbach with the topic "Making urban living spaces fit for the future".

We were able to bring in Frank Osterhage from the ILS - Institute for Regional and Urban Development Research as a scientific expert on this topic. Following his theoretical classification, the results of an analysis carried out at NIERS on migration movements and reasons for migration in the city of Mönchengladbach were presented. The event concluded with a look into the future of Mönchengladbach and the question of whether the MG 3.0 masterplan can be an answer to future urban planning challenges. Andree Haack from the IHK Mittlerer Niederrhein discussed the vision and Jürgen Beckmann from the City of Mönchengladbach discussed the implementation options for MG 3.0.

Presentations
Frank Osterhage: Future requirements for residential locations
Prof. Dr Rüdiger Hamm, Angelika Jäger and Katja Keggenhoff: Migration movements and their reasons. The example of Mönchengladbach
Andree Haack: Mönchengladbach's vision for the future - Masterplan Mönchengladbach MG 3.0

before 2015

12th Regional Economic Forum (2014)
German-Dutch border region - Cross-border mobility of specialists and graduates (13 May 2014)

3rd ERSA International Workshop (2013)

Niederrhein Institute for Regional and Structural Research (NIERS) hosts 3rd ERSA International Workshop. Topic is "Higher Education Institutions and Regional Development".

The event takes place at Hochschule Niederrhein - University of Applied Sciences in Mönchengladbach, 14-15 October 2013.

Conference Programme

11th Regional Economic Forum
Bringing neighbourhoods forward - strengthening the local economy!

After a welcoming address by the President of The Hochschule Niederrhein - Prof. Dr Hans-Henning von Grünberg - in which he acknowledged the local relevance of universities of applied sciences in general and the special focus of The Hochschule Niederrhein on the local economy in particular, the forum began with a presentation by Prof. Klaus Wermker, retired Head of Urban Development Essen Prof. Wermker dealt with the "Role of the local economy and ways to strengthen it". He explained his theses using a case study, the "Essen Consensus". Prof Dr Rüdiger Hamm from the NIERS institute then gave an introduction to the origins and special features of the project "Strengthening the local economy in Viersener Südstadt", which is being carried out by the NIERS and SO.CON institutes. The project was presented by Katja Keggenhoff (NIERS) and Leif Lüpertz (SO.CON). They divided their presentation into the part analysing the spatial structure and problems of Viersener Südstadt, as well as the implementation of possible improvements on site and in cooperation with those involved. A panel discussion took place at the degree of the forum.

Report on the event

Presentations:

Hamm: Strengthening the local economy in Viersener Südstadt - a special project in many respects!
Keggenhoff/Lüpertz: Strengthening the local economy in Südstadt - BIWAQ sub-project 1

10th Regional Economic Forum
Niederrhein is looking for specialists?!

The messages could not be more different: representatives of the German economy claim that companies are desperately looking for qualified employees. The German Institute for Economic Research (DIW) in Berlin counters that the current statistical evidence does not clearly show a shortage of qualified labour. This controversy was addressed and discussed at the 10th Regional Economic Forum organised by the Niederrhein Institute for Regional and Structural Research (NIERS) under the title "Niederrhein sucht Fachkräfte!?".

The first part of the forum passed two presentations, one on the situation of the shortage of skilled workers in Germany and the other on the Lower Rhine:

Are we running out of specialists? Dr Ulrich Walwei, Vice Director of the Institute for Employment Research, Nuremberg
Brain drain despite a shortage of skilled labour?-Brain flows in the Lower Rhine region and their determinants; Prof. Dr Rüdiger Hamm, Director of NIERS & Angelika Jäger, Research Associate at NIERS

The second part of the event passed with a panel discussion with the following participants:

Moderation: Prof. Dr Martin Wenke, Dean of Business Administration and Economics at The Hochschule Niederrhein; Member of NIERS

Panel participants:

Prof. Dr. Alexander Cisik, The Hochschule Niederrhein, Business, Organisational and Occupational Psychology
Dr Alexander Herzog-Stein, Head of the Labour Market and Working Time Research oral presentation at the Hans Böckler Foundation's Institute of Economic and Social Sciences
Christopher Meier, Managing Director of the Employment Agency in Krefeld
Prof Dr Hans-Hennig von Grünberg, President of The Hochschule Niederrhein
Dr Ulrich Walwei, Vice Director of the Institute for Employment Research in Nuremberg

Dr Walwei, Vice Director of the Institute for Employment Research in Nuremberg, addressed three questions in his presentation "Are we running out of specialists?".

Recruitment of specialists: are there any current indications of a shortage?
The number of unemployed people will level off at around 2.8 million in 2012, compared to almost 5 million in 2005. This figure shows that the labour market situation in Germany has improved significantly. Another indication of this trend is the number of vacancies. In 2004, there were around ten jobseekers for every vacancy in Germany. In 2011, however, there were only three jobseekers per vacancy. However, these figures vary greatly by region and occupational field. Another statistic presented by Dr Walwei related to difficulties in filling vacancies. Here it became clear that insufficient professional qualifications of the applicants and too few applicants are responsible to roughly the same extent for difficulties in filling vacancies. In conclusion, Dr Walwei came to the conclusion that there is no global shortage of skilled workers, but that there are certainly tendencies towards a regional and sector-specific shortage of skilled workers.

Demographics and the labour market: does a sustainable shortage have to occur?
Demographic change is leading to a declining supply of labour, which is taking pressure off the labour market. However, the situation does not necessarily have to lead to a sustainable shortage in the future, as economic growth can weaken due to shrinking population figures and ageing and market reactions can be expected, e.g. through the mobility of companies and employees or changes in labour productivity.

Education and personnel reserves: Where is the potential for securing skilled workers?
In addressing this question, Dr Walwei began by pointing out that the number of people without formal qualifications is on the rise. Another much-discussed potential for securing skilled labour is the labour market participation of women; here, Walwei emphasises that approximately the same number of men and women are in employment, but that there is still a significant difference in working hours, as many women only work part-time. Further potential is likely to lie in immigration: although the net migration rate (per 1,000 people) rose sharply between 1985 and 1995, it has been at 2 since 2000 and is showing a downward trend. In his conclusion, Dr Walwei addressed the changes in the labour market, whereby long-term strategies are needed to tap into personnel reserves and competition for young talent and bright minds will also increase.

In the second lecture, Prof Dr Rüdiger Hamm and Angelika Jäger presented the research results of NIERS on the topic of "Brain drain despite a shortage of skilled workers? - Brain flows in the Niederrhein region and their determinants".

This study analysed three surveys of graduates from The Hochschule Niederrhein. Angelika Jäger began by presenting the results of the analysis and pointed out that The Hochschule Niederrhein has a negative brain flow balance. This means that more local graduates leave the Niederrhein to take up employment and do not remain in the region than external students remain in the region after their studies. The most important reasons for staying or leaving the region are, on the one hand, personal or family reasons and, on the other, whether the graduates have found an adequate job. Soft location factors such as the regional image, infrastructure and leisure facilities play a subordinate role in the decision to migrate. It should be noted that around 40 per cent of the remaining graduates found their job through a connection to their studies, such as part-time jobs during their studies, internships or theses. This shows the high influence of the university on job decisions.

Prof. Hamm then went on to assess these results and discussed possible reasons for the migration of graduates. He emphasised that the Lower Rhine is not unattractive for graduates, as many of those who left would have stayed in the region if there had been a better job offer. In order to find out whether the region simply needs fewer academics, NIERS used a shift-share analysis to examine the skilled labour situation in the Middle Lower Rhine region and found that the region is "under-academised". On the one hand, the Lower Rhine region is particularly well represented in sectors that make do with fewer academics. In addition, significantly fewer academics work in these regional economic structures than the national average. As the Middle Lower Rhine region needs more academics, but graduates still decide to start their careers in other regions due to a lack of or unsuitable professional opportunities, Prof Hamm sees a possible explanation in the combination of both sides. According to this, graduates show only limited knowledge of the relevant entrepreneurial landscape in the Lower Rhine region. Here it is important that the mutual flow of information is improved in order to keep graduates who are willing to move to the region.

In the following panel discussion , practical orientations for responding to the skilled labour situation were discussed.

Dr Walwei pointed out that internships during studies have positive "bonding effects" and that companies and students should be brought together more and, above all, earlier. Against this backdrop, Prof. Dr von Grünberg emphasised the importance of closely dovetailing studies and work - e.g. through the dual study system - in order to provide application-oriented and practical training. Dr Herzog-Stein also pointed out the importance of a good apprenticeship against the background of the discussion about a shortage of skilled workers. Christopher Meier, Head of the Krefeld Employment Agency, supported this thesis and criticised the fact that a third of apprentices in the skilled trades sector, for example, drop out of their apprenticeship. Prof Dr Cisik then focused on the profiling of companies and applicants and explained: "No applicant has to write more than ten to twenty applications." Both sides should ask themselves the questions: Who am I? What can I do? What do I want? Potential diagnostics play an increasingly important role for applications, while employer branding plays an increasingly important role for companies. Companies need to present themselves as attractive to applications. It is also important to advise students and discover their talent. To this end, Prof. Dr von Grünberg called for greater involvement of Student Degree Programme Counsellors who support the organisation and progression of studies. Christopher Meier starts even earlier and calls for targeted counselling while students are still at school. Information should be provided about the variety of professions and study programmes. However, pupils should not get the feeling that only studies can lead to success in a career - it is important that non-academic professions are recognised.

9th Regional Economic Forum
Municipalities 2030 - empty & old?
How we should deal with demographic change

Demographic change is a dominant topic in terms of its consequences for every age group. Since the early 1970s, Germany has been experiencing growing annual birth deficits. In addition, the continuing rise in life expectancy is placing massively increasing demands on the social security systems. The net positive migration exchange with other countries will not be able to alleviate the pressure for social and economic policy reform: Germany is getting fewer, older and more colourful - what answers do we have?
Under the title "Municipalities 2030 - empty and old? How we should deal with demographic change", the topic was addressed at the 9th Regional Economic Forum organised by the Niederrhein Institute for Regional and Structural Research (NIERS). The following contributions were presented for discussion:

Greetings by the President of The Hochschule Niederrhein (Prof Dr Hans-Hennig von Grünberg)
Challenges of demographic change for local authorities from the perspective of the state government (Heike Weiß, Ministry of Health, Emancipation, Care and Ageing of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia)
The Hochschule Niederrhein - a guide to coping with demographic change (Prof. Dr Rüdiger Hamm, Hochschule Niederrhein, NIERS)
Demographic development concepts for municipalities (Prof. Dr Harald Schoelen; Christiane Goebel, The Hochschule Niederrhein, NIERS)
The demographic development concept for Geldern - field report (Ulrich Janssen, Mayor of Geldern)
Assistance systems as aids for living in old age (Prof. Dr. Gudrun Stockmanns, Hochschule Niederrhein, FAST competence centre)
Conclusion by the President of The Hochschule Niederrhein (Prof Dr Hans-Hennig von Grünberg)

The President of The Hochschule Niederrhein, Prof Dr von Grünberg, opened the 9th Regional Economic Forum and pointed out right at the beginning that demographic change affects everyone, especially local authorities and institutions such as the Hochschule Niederrhein (HSNR). From the perspective of The Hochschule Niederrhein, the question therefore arises: Will HSNR also be empty and old in 2030? Prof Dr von Grünberg began by pointing out the difficult situation facing universities in general. On the one hand, long-term planning is difficult, as an increase in student numbers is initially to be expected due to the double A-levels and the suspension of compulsory military service, but there will then be a sharp drop in the predicted student numbers. Secondly, an indebted federal state such as North Rhine-Westphalia, which has committed itself to a debt brake, will reduce rather than increase the inflow of funds to universities. Both developments make it difficult to plan long-term infrastructure facilities for universities. As a result, public universities in particular would have to increasingly look for private funding. According to Prof. Dr. von Grünberg, this should happen on the one hand in the area of research through the university's research institutes, and on the other hand the HSNR wants to break new ground and introduce offers for private continuing education.
lateral entrants are becoming increasingly important for the future of the HSNR. The HSNR attracts around 3000 new students a year. In the future, the student population will change significantly, including being older (on average). According to Prof Dr von Grünberg, if we succeed in keeping many of them in the region after their degree, the graduates could help to mitigate the effects of demographic change in the region - so the university will not be empty in 2030!

Prof Dr Hamm, Director of NIERS and moderator of the forum, pointed out that competition for students will intensify in the future. The more innovative the "products" a university offers, the easier it will be for it to attract students. The HSNR was well positioned here in the past, according to Prof Dr Hamm. It was the first university in Germany to introduce dual degree programmes, which are now known as the "Krefeld Model". Prof. Dr Hamm moved on to Ms Weiß, who represented Mr Lessmann from the Ministry of Health, Emancipation, Care and Ageing of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia.

Ms Weiß emphasised the effects of demographic change with impressive figures. The number of younger residents will fall by 15% by 2030. The proportion of older people, on the other hand, will increase, especially those over 80 years of age. Today, 3% of the population in North Rhine-Westphalia are in need of care, 70% of whom are cared for at home, and there are also around 2,000 care services. By 2050, the number of people in need of care will roughly double.
According to Ms Weiß, the state of North Rhine-Westphalia in particular has special challenges to overcome due to the heterogeneity of its municipalities. The ministry's guiding theme is to enable age-appropriate neighbourhood development. Older people should be given the opportunity to actively live together and lead a self-determined life in a society based on solidarity. For many older people, moving into a home is out of the question, so it is important to create a suitable living environment to enable them to live in familiar surroundings. This requires a certain structure in the neighbourhoods. For example, shopping facilities, doctors, restaurants and cafés must be located in the immediate vicinity and sufficient mobility must be provided.
The state government is offering its help in planning age-appropriate neighbourhood development. The state ministry has developed the "Neighbourhood" master plan for this purpose. Local authorities are provided with a "construction kit" in which they can access expertise. In a first step, the municipalities would have to analyse their current situation. In a second step, the municipalities should develop strategies for action together with the citizens. The modules for this could be customised. There is no fixed plan, as the municipalities have to act individually due to their great differences.
The ministry wants to coordinate with the interest groups in the planned amendment of the State Care Act and the Housing and Participation Act. Ms Weiß pointed out that the Federal Statistical Office is warning of a shortage of nursing staff. There would be a shortage of around 150,000 carers in 2025. Even last year, it is estimated that 3,000 nursing staff were not trained enough. In order to reduce the permanent shortage of nursing staff, the ministry wants to create a training levy and promote the academisation of the nursing professions. To this end, the universities in North Rhine-Westphalia would have to offer more health-oriented degree programmes in order to improve the image of the nursing professions. In addition, the professional recognition procedure for migrants should be made easier, according to Ms Weiß, in order to be able to employ more specialists according to their apprenticeship.
In the subsequent discussion, Prof. Dr. von Grünberg pointed out that the academisation of the healthcare professions at the HSNR was already very advanced with three degree programmes on offer.

In his presentation, Prof Dr Hamm pointed out that local authorities would have to renew their infrastructure due to demographic change. This appears problematic in view of the tight financial situation. Although the population is declining, the demand for housing will increase, especially in terms of quality. The demand for housing will also change, as the number of single-person households will continue to rise in the coming years. Consumer behaviour and purchasing power will also change, as the savings rate of young people, for example, is significantly higher than that of older people. As a result of these developments, the income of local authorities would also change. Prof Dr Hamm pointed out that demographic change, like so many problems in the economy, is interdependent and therefore affects almost all areas.
Following his remarks on the effects of demographic change, Prof Dr Hamm gave an overview of who at The Hochschule Niederrhein can help with which "problems". It became clear that many issues can be covered by researchers at The Hochschule Niederrhein. The Hochschule Niederrhein can provide support with analyses, action plans and application-oriented research in the following areas:
1.Affectedness of a municipality
2.Consequences for the labour market and personnel deployment in companies
3. Municipal action plans
4. Changing consumption structures
5. Municipal income and expenditure effects
6. Need for adaptation in the neighbourhood/residential area
7. Older people (including living and housing, speech recognition, education in old age)
8. Nutrition
9. Infrastructure needs
10. Health Care

The areas listed should not be regarded as exhaustive, but are intended to provide a (partial) overview of what The Hochschule Niederrhein can offer in this very broad range of topics.

In his presentation, Mr Janssen, Mayor of Geldern, pointed out that for many forecasts, such as those on demographic change, a starting point and an end point are selected and the model is then calculated, but often without including people's actions in the meantime in the model. Mr Jansen recommended that his colleagues first examine what the respective city/municipality could do on its own, without its neighbours, without the district and without the state. As an easy-to-implement example, he cited sockets for e-bikes, which were installed in Geldern. Cities could also independently carry out a needs assessment for local public transport and organise shared buses or shared taxis, for example. Mr Janssen emphasised how satisfied he was with the report that NIERS had prepared for the city of Geldern. This report was not only a great technical help, but also served as a scientific concept that facilitated democratic decision-making.

Following Mr Janssen's presentation, Prof. Dr Schoelen and Ms Christiane Goebel from NIERS presented the demographic development concept that was created for the town of Geldern. Prof. Dr. Schoelen first gave an overview of the population development in Germany over the past decades and briefly outlined the consequences for household development, consumer structures and the labour market, among other things. Prof Dr Schoelen also presented the modular consulting approach used to create the demographic development concept for Geldern:

1. firstly, a strengths and weaknesses analysis was presented, in which key figures on population, economy, labour market, household development etc. for Geldern and neighbouring municipalities were compiled and analysed retrospectively. In addition, the results of the population survey for the town centre of Geldern and the districts were briefly presented, which can provide indications of where action may be needed first in the future.

2) In the second step, the interdependence analysis was presented, in which the interdependence of Geldern with the surrounding municipalities was explained in more detail with regard to education and the labour market.

3) Thirdly, the population forecast for Geldern and neighbouring municipalities was presented. The projections were carried out for different age cohorts ("infant", "kindergarten", "primary school", "family formation", etc.) in order to be able to outline the potential development of the population in the different phases of life with their different needs. A traffic light system was used to visualise the options and needs for action for all age groups.

4. in the next step, the restriction model - a new socio-geographical model - was presented, which was used to develop and derive action approaches for various areas of the labour market and the area of "living in old age" for Geldern.

5. other activities incorporated into the demographic development concept included conducting a survey of the population and passers-by with a coordinated questionnaire, visits to schools and a survey of pupils as well as discussions in municipal boards and committees (council, specialist committees, working groups)
Finally, Prof. Dr Schoelen presented some examples of the recommendations for action that were developed as part of the workshop on the labour market. Overarching approaches for action included maintaining the performance and employability of older people, the reorganisation of local public transport and the further development of inter-municipal cooperation. Mrs Christiane Goebel also presented a number of recommendations for action in the area of "Living in old age". As overarching approaches to action, for example, the facilitation of age-appropriate housing and age-appropriate care, the upgrading and age-appropriate conversion of housing stock as well as the availability of means of transport and the existence of attractive local public transport were discussed.

In a concluding presentation, Prof. Dr Stockmanns from the FAST competence centre presented various technical aids that can make life easier in old age. These include electronic assistance systems in particular. The competence centre is working on the further development and market launch of these systems. The aim of these systems is to enable people to live in their own homes for longer. The assistance systems are suitable for inpatient and outpatient care and create more freedom for care staff. During the forum, Prof Dr Stockmanns presented two systems as examples. Firstly, she explained the function of an awareness assistant as an example of an electronic assistance system. Secondly, she presented the so-called "just-in-time assistance" as another area of research.
As an example from a current cooperation with the Fraunhofer Institute, Prof Dr Stockmanns presented an awareness assistant. It is designed to help remember important everyday things such as taking medication, drinking and eating. It can also determine whether soap, toothbrush or toilet have been used. The awareness assistant is embedded as inconspicuously as possible in the environment, for example in the bathroom mirror. It reacts when something is not happening and is therefore suitable for people with mild disorientation. It can also be equipped with additional features (or installations), such as a weather map or a small TV screen. In the medium term, it may be possible to integrate these systems into the everyday lives of younger people and adapt them accordingly if necessary (in old age), i.e. to convert them from an entertainment system to an electronic assistant.
Another area of research was "just-in-time assistance". This involves trying to find out what needs to be installed in an age-appropriate home and where sensors could be used. The aim is not only to research what is technically feasible, but also to consider how the systems can be integrated into the normal environment. One of the aims is to reduce costs so that carers only have to come when they are really needed.
However, these services only work if all partners are coordinated. However, there is always the problem of funding. One advantage is that Germany already has a very well-developed infrastructure, residents are considered to be tech-savvy and, according to surveys, are willing to pay up to a third of the costs of electronic assistance systems themselves.

In conclusion, Prof. Dr Hans-Hennig von Grünberg summarised the content of the forum once again in a short statement.

8th Regional Economic Forum
Municipal finances in crisis-
Need for action and options

Many local authorities in North Rhine-Westphalia are on the brink of financial collapse. Almost 40 per cent of municipalities and associations of municipalities were in a state of budget protection last year - 80 per cent of which were even in a state of emergency.

If the budget is not balanced, the local authorities have to submit a plan to the district government, setting out how and when they can get out of the crisis. Only eight local authorities managed to achieve a real balance in 2010. If the notional budget balance is achieved, it is usually only through the consumption of equity. In the most serious cases, balance sheet over-indebtedness threatens to eliminate even the last remaining room for manoeuvre for an increasing number of local authorities. Cities and municipalities must take action - there is no alternative to consolidation. The effects are visible and tangible for everyone.

The 8th Regional Economic Forum on 19 May 2011, organised by the Niederrhein Institute for Regional and Structural Research (NIERS), took up the topic of "Indebted municipalities" and presented the following contributions for discussion:

Ways out of the municipal debt trap (Prof Dr Martin Junkernheinrich)
Lower Rhine municipalities under pressure to consolidate (Prof Dr Harald Schoelen)
Municipal financial situation and alternative courses of action from a municipal perspective (Gabriele C. Klug)

Prof Dr Martin Junkernheinrich, holder of the Chair of Urban, Regional and Environmental Economics at the Technical University of Kaiserslautern with a special focus on financial aspects, presented a political solution concept for reducing local authority debt in his lecture.

The problem lies in the misguided development of many municipal budgets, which is reflected in structural deficits and massive cash loans. The interest incurred as a result represents an enormous additional burden for the budgets of many local authorities. The cash credit volume of German local authorities totalled more than 20 billion euros in 2009. The concentration of problems, particularly in western Germany, is led by the crisis trio of Saarland, Rhineland-Palatinate and North Rhine-Westphalia. The cities with the highest cash borrowing are Oberhausen, Hagen and Remscheid; Mönchengladbach is in seventh place. The structural deficit comprises the part of the total deficit of public budgets that exceeds the accepted level of state credit financing. In Germany, this amounts to more than 2.1 billion euros per year. The problem concept is based on three scenarios that include a forecast of the expected level of debt up to 2020.

Prof Dr Junkernheinrich concluded the scenario presentation with a call for swift action to slow down the further increase in debt and bring about a rethink. He indicated that banks will also exert a considerable influence in future through their lending practices.

The main objective is the sustainable restoration of the local authority's ability to act, which was explained using the example of North Rhine-Westphalia. On the one hand, this objective includes the restoration of sustainable budget management, which provides for municipal budget balancing in all municipalities and relief for municipalities in emergency situations. Secondly, with the help of measures to increase revenue and reduce tasks, the aim is to permanently secure a level of funding commensurate with the tasks. The aim is to balance the budget in all municipalities as quickly as possible, repay cash advances and reduce debt by 50% in 10 years.

The ideal consolidation path for achieving the target envisages a six-year plan with the support of the state and the contribution of the municipal solidarity community. The main part of the consolidation is achieved through the recipients' own efforts by means of streamlined measures.

The financial contribution from the federal government, recipients, the state and the municipal family is distributed as follows:

Federal government: higher participation in municipal social benefits (basic security, integration assistance)
Recipients: Tax increase, budget consolidation and own loan repayments
State: Debt relief aid and increased municipal financial equalisation
Municipal family: solidarity contribution plus updating of the social burden approach

Four consolidation models were presented for a lasting structural improvement in the financial resources, which provide for different levels of participation by the funding bodies.

Due to the fact that municipal budgets are over-indebted as a result of cash advances and the structural deficit, Prof. Dr Junkernheinrich concludes that rapid and joint action is urgently required, which should be geared towards the common good and sustainable.

The second lecture "Lower Rhine municipalities under pressure to consolidate" by Prof. Dr Harald Schoelen, professor of economics, in particular finance and economic development, and deputy director of the Niers Institute, focused on the current financial situation of municipalities in the Lower Rhine region. At the beginning, a five-stage escalation process of the general budget principles was presented, which signals the threat of a budget protection concept (hereinafter HSK), with the consequence of not being approvable:

Stage 1: real budget balance
Level 2: fictitious budget balance
Level 3: authorised reduction in the general reserve
Level 4: HSK not eligible for approval without overindebtedness
Stage 5: HSK with over-indebtedness that cannot be approved

It should be noted that the financial situation of local authorities in NRW is characterised by increasing debt. In 2010, only nine out of 430 local authorities achieved a genuine budget balance, while 138 HSCs were not approved.

In the Lower Rhine region, no local authority had a genuine budget balance and an approved HSC as at 31 December 2010. The municipalities of Mönchengladbach, Viersen, Krefeld and Neuss were analysed and compared in detail. The cities of Mönchengladbach and Viersen are categorised as level five in the escalation process. Neuss corresponds to the notional budget equalisation of level two. The HSC of the city of Krefeld is currently in the approval process, but is likely to be assigned to level four.

The following developments can be seen when comparing the ordinary income, taxes, grants, levies and expenses (personnel, transfer, material and service expenses) of the individual municipalities in the Lower Rhine region:

Unsteady development of trade tax during the economic cycle
Redefinition of the notional assessment rates leads to higher increases in property tax B and moderate increases in trade tax (competitive and locational disadvantage as consequences)
Personnel and transfer expenses as Damocles swords for a structurally balanced budget

To summarise, it should be noted that the municipal financial situation has deteriorated significantly over the last two years, taking into account the New Municipal Financial Management (NKF) regulations to be applied from 2009. The negative development of financial results and equity means that only a few municipalities have good prospects. Overall, the debt situation in the Lower Rhine region will most likely worsen.

In the third presentation, the treasurer of the City of Cologne, Gabriele C. Klug, presented the "Municipal financial situation and alternative courses of action from a municipal perspective" using Cologne as a case study.

The city of Cologne is struggling with an unbalanced budget, high asset depletion, constantly rising social benefits and unrefinanced transfers of tasks from the federal and state governments. As a result of the deficits, the City of Cologne is drawing up a ten-year reorganisation concept with the aim of balancing the budget and the voluntary obligation to increase assets. The high debt burden (long-term liabilities € 2.5 billion, cash loans: € 41 million) has negative consequences for the quality of the location, as the municipality's room for manoeuvre is severely restricted. Nevertheless, there is important potential for the city, which is seen in the region's reurbanisation and concentration processes.

In order to achieve effective and sustainable budget consolidation as a strategic goal, the City of Cologne is planning measures to reduce expenditure, e.g. by strengthening cooperation, and to increase income, e.g. by raising the trade tax rate. At this point, the political feasibility and the effect on citizens should be scrutinised. Here too, the consolidation project aims to restore the local authority's ability to act in the long term. However, this can only be achieved in co-operation with the state and federal government and the massive efforts of the municipalities themselves.

The integration of a comprehensive "controlling" management and coordination concept into the municipal processes is necessary for the successful consolidation and reorganisation of the budget. This would make it possible to identify potential, develop key figures and analyse their effects, which would make the consolidation process more transparent.

To summarise, many local authorities in NRW are heavily indebted and only a few are still in a good financial position. The causes of the worsening municipal financial situation are seen in particular in the decline in tax revenues and the simultaneous increase in social expenditure by the cities and municipalities - for example for social welfare and accommodation for Hartz IV recipients - as well as in the use of cash loans to finance debt. As a result, these burdens enormously restrict the room for manoeuvre at local political level and have a particular impact on a municipality's investment activities.

Presentations
Prof. Dr Martin Junkernheinrich (Kaiserslautern University of Technology):
Ways out of the municipal debt trap
Prof. Dr Harald Schoelen (Deputy Director of NIERS, The Hochschule Niederrhein):
Lower Rhine municipalities under pressure to consolidate
Gabriele C. Klug (Treasurer of the City of Cologne):
Municipal financial situations and alternative courses of action from a municipal perspective

7th Regional Economic Forum
Creative class and creative economy - drivers of regional economic development?

With the publication of his theoretical approaches, Richard Florida has provoked a broad response in politics, the public and among regional economists - there has been much discussion in recent years about the potential of the creative class and the creative industries. In a broad-based research project, the Niederrhein Institute for Regional and Structural Research (NIERS) analysed Florida's theories for the regions of North Rhine-Westphalia. To conclude the project, NIERS organised the 7th Regional Economic Forum on 9 November 2010 at The Hochschule Niederrhein (Mönchengladbach) on the topic of "Creative class and creative industries - drivers of regional economic development?". In addition to selected specialist presentations, over 40 economic development experts, regional economists and researchers discussed the content, consequences and application of Florida's theoretical approaches in a regional economic context during the forum. The contents of the presentations are briefly presented below - by arrangement with the speakers, the presentations are also available as downloads, if available as PowerPoint presentations.

Prof Dr Haselbach gave a general introduction to the topics of cultural industries, creative industries and the creative class. He focussed in particular on the definition of terms and systematic, conceptual models of the creative industries. For example, he discussed a model describing the music industry and used this example to emphasise the high cyclical dependency of the cultural and creative industries. The lecture was concluded with concrete recommendations for supporting and promoting the cultural industries. Contact with Prof Dr Haselbach and further information on the cultural and creative industries can be found on the Infora Consulting Group homepage at

Professor Dr Hamm began by explaining Florida's theoretical approaches. He then went on to discuss the regional economic significance of the creative class and the creative industries; in this regard, his lecture was supplemented by a short presentation of a Bachelor's thesis on the subject (Scholz, A. 2010). Hamm then presented the results of the NIERS research project "Significance of the creative class for the North Rhine-Westphalian regions". The presentation included empirically based results and comparisons with human capital theory.

In the ensuing discussion, Ms Landsberg from the consulting and planning company agiplan enriched the presentation by pointing out the possibility of expanding the indicators to include the "gay index" proposed by Florida as a measure of tolerance, which agiplan created in a similar research project based on a Germany-wide dating portal.

As a representative of politics, Mr Noll began his presentation by addressing the basic political conviction that creative people should be supported, and that promoting innovation in particular is already a high priority in the political sphere. Accordingly, Florida's model approaches met with a broad response from the ministry, which led, among other things, to the funding of the research project at NIERS. According to Noll, it is not yet clear to what extent funding for creative professionals will be realised under the influence of the new state government. The presentation therefore focussed on possible political fields of activity that Noll sees in the context of application-oriented support for the creative industries. Here, he looked at possibilities in connection with the current discussions on the subject of the shortage of skilled workers and securing them, integration policy and activities in the field of urban development (e.g. setting up research centres, studios, etc.). Other points he mentioned were the sponsorship of cultural events and specific, industry-orientated cluster funding, with which smaller cities can also promote certain creative industries.

Mr Preen presented the city of Krefeld's economic development department and its industry-oriented activities; a scientific study on the city's areas of expertise and growth industries served as an empirical foundation course. This shows, among other things, that only 266 companies in Krefeld (approx. 8% of all companies in Krefeld) can be categorised as belonging to the creative industries. On this basis, Preen pointed out that in Krefeld, with 34% of employees subject to social insurance contributions in the manufacturing sector, the creative industries do not have the highest priority. He then presented the activities promoting the cultural and creative industries: important points are the promotion of regional networks (e.g. texellence), cooperation with city marketing, the cultural office and the marketing club (e.g. "Business Breakfast"), the real estate industry (creation and promotion of lofts, studio and rehearsal rooms, etc.) and the promotion of culture-oriented events (e.g. "Krefelds Kreative" 24 - 25 February 2011). The presentation warned of the potential for conflict and the danger of misinvestment in the promotion of creative people: the cultural policy regarding the Gängeviertel in Hamburg was cited as an example. In the ensuing discussion, forum participant Mark Nerlich (TU Hamburg-Harburg) was able to address this point directly.

Mr Lippert emphasised his conviction right from the start: Yes, creative people need cluster management. The activities within the framework of cluster management, which he also presented as goals for Creative.NRW, included - Supporting creatives, e.g. by offering assistance (seminars, workshops, etc.) - Supporting a kind of "umbrella brand" of creatives, "mouthpiece" and mediator between creatives and politics or the public - Supporting cross-disciplinary networking and active exchange between creatives Mr Lippert ended his presentation with clear demands: Cultural and creative promotion should be seen as an investment rather than a subsidy. The public, politicians and business development organisations should increasingly view creativity as a hard factor and treat it accordingly. Subsequently, the main issues discussed were the sustainability of cluster management and the possibility of self-financing that is not dependent on public funding. In this context, an economic categorisation of the creative industries was suggested; this raises the question of the measurability of the social added value and external effects of the cultural and creative industries.

In addition to his role as moderator of the forum, Mr Wenke concluded the event with a summary. The much-noticed theories on the promotion of the creative class and creative industries centre on the idea that the promotion of creative professionals has a positive influence on investors, companies and also the region's "non-creative" employees who are subject to social security contributions. Accordingly, the conviction ran through the forum: Yes, the creative industries and the creative class can be seen as drivers of regional economic development. However, when applying and implementing Florida's theoretical approaches against the background of regional economics, fundamental questions arise, such as: Who is creative, who is not? Is categorisation according to occupational groups the right approach to clarifying this question? What can an application-orientated implementation of the theoretical approaches look like in detail, in a regional and cross-regional context? What is the social and economic added value of the cultural and creative industries and how can this be calculated? Does the funding have a sustainable effect? The specialist presentations and discussions were able to answer some of these questions, but not all of them - the topics of the creative industries and the creative class therefore offer further potential for discussion and research.

Presentation and lectures
Event report
Prof. Dr Hamm: The regional economic impulse of the creative class - empirical results
Prof. Dr Haselbach: The regional economic impulse of the creative class
Eckard Preen: The role of creatives from the perspective of economic development in a regional centre (on application)

Final Report Creative Class: Part 1
Final Report Creative Class: Appendix

6th Regional Economic Forum
Structural and location analyses as an instrument of municipal economic development

At the 6th Regional Economic Forum, we discussed the topic of "Structural and location analyses as an instrument of municipal economic development" with the participants and presented a NIERS concept.

Firstly, the range of tasks performed by NIERS was presented. NIERS projects are primarily carried out in the areas of structural and location analyses, evaluation of infrastructure projects, but also demographics, district monitoring and the labour market.

The results of a survey were then presented in which NIERS enquired about the analysis needs of business developers. Business developers are particularly interested in regular analyses in the areas of economic development, structural change and municipal indicators as well as the topic of demographic change. The results of the survey were used as an opportunity to organise a forum on the topic of structural and location analyses, as a corresponding NIERS concept covers three of the four most frequently mentioned areas of regular analysis requirements.

In the main part of the event, employees of the institute presented three building blocks of the NIERS concept for structural and location analyses.

1. comparison of indicators: The comparison of indicators consists of key figures on various location-relevant topics, which provide a quick overview of the quality and development of a location and establish comparability with higher-level regional units. In the model presented, a set of indicators was created for each of the areas of population and economy/development/prosperity.

Discussion: According to some forum participants, the comparison of indicators is particularly interesting as a benchmarking tool. In addition to the comparison with higher-level territorial units, a benchmark with neighbouring municipalities or districts is often desired. In many municipalities, indicator comparisons are already prepared and used independently, but outsourcing this task to a research institute would make it easier and contribute to the systematisation and consolidation of this analysis.

2. municipal structural analysis: A structural analysis depicts the economic structure of a municipality and shows structural changes and developments in individual sectors. The potential of the location is derived from the weight of the sectors that are growing rapidly in the municipality under consideration. Statements on the quality of the location are made on the basis of a comparison between the actual development of the location and the development that would actually have been expected based on the sectoral structures.

Discussion: Some forum participants pointed out that a structural analysis is a good marketing tool for external customers if it is positive for the location. If, on the other hand, the result is rather negative, this analysis would be useful as an "internal" marketing tool, e.g. in the direction of local politics, in order to develop approaches for improving shortcomings or negatively assessed aspects.

3. location analysis: based on a company survey As part of the location analysis, the companies in a location are asked about 59 location factors in five subject areas. They are asked to assess the importance and quality of the location factors at the location. The location factors are then ranked in terms of their importance and quality. By comparing the importance and quality of the individual location factors, fields of action become visible, particularly for those areas to which the companies attach great importance, but which at the same time receive a poor quality assessment.

Discussion: During the discussion, it became clear that a location analysis often results in interesting topics for impact analyses, in which, for example, the reasons for the particularly good or poor performance of individual location factors can be explored. One participant emphasised that a location analysis should include concrete recommendations for action, which could then be worked through point by point. Overall, the participants agreed that structural and location analyses are a useful tool for economic development. There was also agreement on the point that analyses in the area of structural and location policy should not be a one-off instrument, but that sustainability should be at the forefront. The prices for the analysis modules are €1000 for the indicator comparison, €4000 for the municipal structural analysis and €4000 for the location analysis. As a package, the modules cost €7500.

Presentations and lectures
Analysis requirements of economic development agencies
Comparison of indicators Municipal structural analysis
Location analysis

5th Regional Economic Forum
What can universities do for the region in which they are located?

The Hochschule Niederrhein held its 5th Regional Economic Forum on 29 October 2009 on the topic of "What can universities do for the region in which they are located?".

Four presentations and a subsequent panel discussion provided information on the topic and provided the forum participants with material for discussion.

After Prof Dr Hermann Ostendorf, Rector of The Hochschule Niederrhein, welcomed the 65 or so participants, Prof Dr Helmut Karl from Ruhr University Bochum explained the basic transfer channels that exist between the university and the region in which it is located. There are two ways in which a university provides impulses to the region. Firstly, through the provision of services: the construction and operation of a university generates orders for companies in the region; the university is also an important regional employer. On the other hand, a university has an impact on the region, especially during the service delivery phase. The transfer channels are then the supply of graduates, the knowledge pool within the university, cooperation in research and development with industry and spin-offs from the university.

In her presentation, Prof. Dr Martina Fromhold-Eisebith from RWTH Aachen University addressed the conditions under which the transfer channels described by Prof. Dr Karl can also be utilised. As a starting point, she chose the apparently paradoxical situation that, on the one hand, RWTH Aachen University has been selected as an elite university and fulfils many of the requirements for intensively sending positive impulses to the region (good image, above-average size, high third-party funding, many personal contacts with business representatives, etc.), but on the other hand, economic development in the Aachen region lags behind that of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia - despite intensive efforts to improve regional knowledge and technology transfer. One of the reasons for this is that RWTH Aachen University often works on highly specialised research topics with little regional relevance. A lack of interest in co-operation and innovation or communication barriers have also sometimes made knowledge and technology transfer more difficult. An essential key to overcoming the barriers described above is the promotion and generation of as many spin-offs as possible. As company founders in the region, graduates would have good access to the university's knowledge pool through existing contacts. In addition, the fields of activity of the spin-off companies largely coincide with the university's research areas. These spin-offs are therefore potential clients for the universities.

Prof Dr Rüdiger Hamm presented the study conducted by NIERS entitled "Kompetenzfelder der Hochschule Niederrhein - Kompetenzfelder der Wirtschaft am Niederrhein". As part of this study, professors from the university, regional business promoters and companies from the region were asked about the importance and image of The Hochschule Niederrhein. According to the survey results, The Hochschule Niederrhein has a perception problem. Although the university has a high level of expertise, faculties that match the regional economic structures and is also very application-oriented, the regional economy is not sufficiently informed about the HSN, according to Prof. Dr Hamm. Research efforts should therefore be increased and better publicised. However, Prof Dr Hamm was also of the opinion that the university does not have optimal structural conditions for research work. For example, there are "bottlenecks" in the form of capacity bottlenecks in science administration, scientific personnel and the provision of secretarial staff and material resources. The conditions for professors conducting research should be improved here.

Prof Johann Walter from the universities of applied sciences in Gelsenkirchen presented a long-term study on the regional effects of the FH Gelsenkirchen. The basic findings of the studies are that the university is being judged increasingly important by the regional economy over time, particularly with regard to qualifications and the availability of labour. Co-operation between universities and industry has increased and is viewed positively by the majority of companies. The most popular forms of cooperation are "students on internships", "practice-based theses" and "hiring graduates". Students and graduates are therefore the most important transfer channel. Particularly with small and medium-sized or young companies, which tend not to be so open to cooperation with the university, contact could be established with "more modest" forms of cooperation such as internships and theses. Only then would this lead to further research and development projects. As part of the changeover to Bachelor's/Master's degree programmes, care must therefore be taken to ensure that internships and practical projects are mandatory for all students wherever possible.

The subsequent panel discussions centred on the specific question of what The Hochschule Niederrhein could achieve for the Niederrhein region. Under the moderation of Prof Dr Martin Wenke, Dean of the Faculty of Business Administration and Economics, the future President and current Rector of The Hochschule Niederrhein, Prof Dr Hans-Hennig von Grünberg and Prof Dr Hermann Ostendorf, the Managing Director of the IHK Mittlerer Niederrhein, Dr Dieter Porschen and MR Dr Dietmar Möhler from the Ministry of Innovation, Science, Research and Technology of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia discussed this.

Presentations and lectures
Prof. Dr Helmut Karl: Impulses from universities for the region - The transfer channels
Prof. Dr Martina Fromhold-Eisebith: Impulses from universities for the region - The transfer conditions (On request)
Prof. Dr Rüdiger Hamm: Impulses from universities of applied sciences - Equivalent but different? (1)
Prof. Dr Johann Walter: Impulses from universities of applied sciences - Equivalent but different? (2)

4th Regional Economic Forum
The regeneration of image in old industrial regions: agents of change and changing agents

Joint event with the RSA (Regional Studies Association)

From 15 to 17 February 2009, a joint event of the NIERS Institute and the Regional Studies Association (RSA) on "The regeneration of image in old industrial regions: agents of change and changing agents" took place at the Faculty of Business Administration and Economics of the Hochschule Niederrhein (Mönchengladbach).

Over 30 regional researchers from various (economic) disciplines and nine nations spent three days discussing ways of improving the image of old industrial regions. The examples from various old industrialised regions in Europe and the USA show that image campaigns cannot change a (negative) image of regions - associated with factory chimneys, dirt, exhaust fumes and bad air - that has been shaped over decades or centuries in a short space of time.

Many old industrialised regions are trying to improve their public image through broad-based image campaigns. In addition, a number of mega-projects have been presented as an attempt to improve their image. These projects are buildings, housing and infrastructure projects, which in many cases are characterised by special architectural quality and are therefore intended to give the region in question a unique selling point. In addition, the stimulation of the regional image through targeted economic strategies - e.g. through cluster policy - was an important topic of discussion.

During the discussions, there was general agreement with the statement that the external image of old industrialised regions is very strongly linked to the local identity and that authenticity is of decisive importance for the success of image campaigns. It has also become clear that although the hard location factors are still very important for companies, the most important of these factors are also present/available in almost all regions. As a result, the soft location factors - landscapes, regional identity, architecture, (cultural and leisure) facilities, resident satisfaction, etc. - are becoming increasingly important and must therefore be given even greater consideration when marketing regions in the future.

3rd Regional Economic Forum
Regional economic data and analyses - superfluous, helpful or necessary?

All-day workshop on 9 September 2008 (approx. 30 participants).

The role of economic analyses in policy advice. Lecture at the 3rd Regional Economic Forum at The Hochschule Niederrhein. MR Wulf Noll, MWME NRW

Exemplary information services - E.I.S.-Euregionaler Informations-Service, IHK Standortinformationssystem, NIERS and co-operation partners. Presentations at the 3rd Regional Economic Forum at The Hochschule Niederrhein. Ralf P. Meyer, Division Manager AGIT GmbH. Gregor Werkle, IHK Mittlerer Niederrhein. Prof. Dr Rüdiger Hamm, Prof. Dr Harald Vergossen and Prof. Dr Peter Schäfer, The Hochschule Niederrhein

The need for regional economic data and analyses. Keynote speeches from the region. Rudolf Röhrl, Managing Director of Wirtschaftsförderungsgesellschaft der Stadt Kleve mbH. Frank Wolters, Head of Department of the Office for Economic Development of the City of Neuss. Martin Lutz, Managing Director of Standort Niederrhein GmbH. Gregor Werkle, IHK Mittlerer Niederrhein.

Demand vs. supply. Discussion as part of the 3rd Regional Economic Forum at The Hochschule Niederrhein. Moderated by Dr Ulrich Schückhaus, Managing Director of Wirtschaftsförderungsgesellschaft Mönchengladbach mbH

2nd Regional Economic Forum
Prospects for regional start-up counselling

Half-day workshop on 10 March 2008 (approx. 30 participants).

Start-up counselling in the region - The Lower Rhine start-up region. Lecture as part of the 2nd Regional Economic Forum at The Hochschule Niederrhein. Anja Geer, Managing Director of the IHK Mittlerer Niederrhein.

University and start-ups. Lecture at the 2nd Regional Economic Forum at The Hochschule Niederrhein. Sylvia Folgmann, Member of the Executive Board of Innovationsallianz NRW, Managing Director of the transfer agency f.i.t. at The Hochschule Niederrhein.

The start-up situation in the Lower Rhine region - results of an empirical analysis. Lecture at the 2nd Regional Economic Forum at The Hochschule Niederrhein, 10 March 2008.

Presentations and lectures
Regional business start-up monitoring for the Middle Lower Rhine region

1st Regional Economic Forum
Clusters - the new magic weapon of regional structural policy?

One-day workshop on 6 September 2007 (approx. 50 participants).

Cluster development, cluster policy and cluster management - what can we realistically expect?
Lecture as part of the 1st Regional Economic Forum at The Hochschule Niederrhein. PD Dr. Dieter Rehfeld, Institute for Labour and Technology, Gelsenkirchen.

The cluster policy of the North Rhine-Westphalian state government.
Lecture at the 1st Regional Economic Forum at The Hochschule Niederrhein. MR Frank Butenhoff, Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, Düsseldorf.

OWL-Maschinenbau - Ein Beispiel für erfolgreiches Clustermanagement.
Presentation at the 1st Regional Economic Forum at The Hochschule Niederrhein. Gerald Pörschmann, Head of the OWL-MASCHINENBAU e. V. office, Bielefeld.

Approaches to the identification of regional cluster potentials. Lecture at the 1st Regional Economic Forum at The Hochschule Niederrhein, 6 September 2007.

Presentations and lectures
Cluster development, cluster policy and cluster management - what can we realistically expect? PD Dr. Dieter Rehfeld,Institute for Labour and Technology, Gelsenkirchen
The cluster policy of the North Rhine-Westphalian state government MR Frank Butenhoff, Ministry of Economic Affairs and Energy of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, Düsseldorf
Approaches to identifying regional cluster potential Prof. Dr Rüdiger Hamm,The Hochschule Niederrhein, Mönchengladbach

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