Interview with Gregor Berghausen, Managing Director of the IHK Düsseldorf.

The Düsseldorf Chamber of Industry and Commerce is one of the early supporters of Wissensregion Düsseldorf.
We spoke to Managing Director Gregor Berghausen about the Chamber’s motivation, the special features of Düsseldorf as a location and the challenges for a future Wissensregion Düsseldorf.

Mr. Berghausen, the IHK was an early advocate for the development of Wissensregion Düsseldorf.
What motivated you to do this? The city and the region are probably not fully aware of the potential of universities.
We therefore want to bring urban society, business and universities closer together.
This in turn will lead to a number of synergies through better communication and networking. What makes Düsseldorf and the region special for you?
Which location conditions are particularly important for your organization – and what can the efforts for the knowledge region contribute here? The entire Rhineland and the Düsseldorf area in particular have a high density of universities and research institutions.
This is an important location factor that we can use to our advantage.
Because in the future, those who are home to well-qualified specialists will have the edge in the competition between locations.

What do you personally focus on in order to raise the region’s profile even more in the competition for the best minds and innovative companies – and how can the expansion of the knowledge region help? In addition to employment opportunities, universities provide impetus for the development of entrepreneurial spirit and innovation.
We are on the right track here, but there is still room for improvement.
We need much more networking here – including between the universities themselves.
There is still a lot of creative potential lying dormant. What challenges are there for the further development of the knowledge region? The Knowledge Region project needs recognizable and vivid projects to make it visible.
All partners must be involved in order to make the benefits clear.
And it is important not to raise expectations too high at the beginning, because not all goals can be achieved at the same time. What are the next steps? We are currently in the formatting phase, which should be completed with the founding of the association.
What we then need are a few lighthouse projects through which the knowledge region can take shape.
For me, the first priority is clearly closer cooperation between companies and universities when it comes to securing skilled workers and technology transfer. Mr. Berghausen, thank you for the interview.