Wissensregion Düsseldorf sees great cooperation opportunities for internationalization

The Wissensregion Düsseldorf with the state capital and the district of Mettmann is one of the most international regions in Germany.
Students, researchers and specialists from all over the world come together here.
The task of the Expat Service Desk, founded three years ago by the Düsseldorf Economic Development Agency and the Mettmann District Chamber of Industry and Commerce, is to support companies and research institutions in the deployment of international employees.
On November 22, the Expat Service Desk beat 85 competitors in the “Regions and Municipal Cooperation” category and was awarded first place in the “Innovative Business Promotion 2019” category in Berlin.
The award was presented by the Forum of German Business Development Agencies.
As the decision was kept secret until the very last moment, the project team and the project sponsors, the economic development agencies of the city of Düsseldorf, the district of Mettmann and the Düsseldorf Chamber of Industry and Commerce, were feverishly awaiting the award ceremony and were finally able to hold the coveted award in their hands (photo).
We would like to congratulate all those involved in the project and are delighted that the particularly good starting conditions for expats in Düsseldorf have been recognized nationwide.

(From left to right): Prof. Dr. Jürgen Stember (Chair of Administrative Sciences HS Harz), Dr. Thomas Robbers (Chairman of DVWE – Deutscher Verband der Wirtschaftsförderungs- und Entwicklungsgesellschaften e.V.), Felix Neugart (Managing Director International IHK zu Düsseldorf), Svitlana Bayer (Project Coordinator Expat Service Desk), Johannes Grünhage (Head of Expat Service Desk), Theresa Winkels (Head of Office for Economic Development Düsseldorf), Ralf Meurer (Chairman of the Expert Commission for Economic Development of the German Association of Cities and Towns).
Photo: Werner Geerißen, DVWE

Strong consulting services from the Expat Service Desk – for companies and research institutions alike

The Expat Service Desk is a prime example of successful intermunicipal cooperation.
The services offered by the two-person project team have been very well received: Over 800 consultations for companies and over 1,700 consultations for individuals as well as 30 events with over 1,000 participants speak for themselves.
This success story of the two municipalities and the IHK has received a national and Germany-wide response through the award and has shown that regional cooperation and innovative approaches bring added value for the knowledge-based business community and the location.
The advice center, located at Ernst-Schneider-Platz in the IHK Düsseldorf, is open to all employers with international specialists.
It is also available to researchers from major research institutions such as the Max Planck Institute for Iron Research or the German Diabetes Center.
The Expat Service Desk helps with questions about the arrival or whereabouts of international researchers from all over the world.
There is also a “Round Table for International Students” at Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf.
Led by Nina Berg from HHU’s International Office, the International Offices of Düsseldorf’s major universities, the Office for Migration and Integration, the Studierendenwerk and the ASten as well as other operational players come together twice a year to discuss key topics such as housing options for international students, sources of funding and reasons for dropping out.

Great potential for joint student and specialist marketing in the Wissensregion Düsseldorf from 2020

With the existing offers, the best conditions are in place to position Düsseldorf and the region even more strongly in the international knowledge competition and to attract and retain skilled workers and excellent students and researchers.
In February 2020, the office of Wissensregion Düsseldorf e.V. will convene a strategy meeting of the most important institutional leaders from the Vice Rectors and Vice Presidents for Internationalization of their universities, the Chamber of Industry and Commerce, including the Expat Service Desk Manager Johannes Grünhage, the Economic Development Agency, the HR managers from major research institutions such as the DDZ and the MPIE as well as the Head of Düsseldorf Marketing and Düsseldorf Tourism, Frank Schader.
The aim is to examine whether the partners’ internationalization strategies, which have so far been formulated in isolation from each other, can be coordinated, common target countries defined and even a joint location campaign “study and work in duesseldorf” organized in the medium term.
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Düsseldorf cooperation format “Expat Service Desk” receives award in Berlin

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