Common Ground Wins The InnovationSPIN as a living idea of cooperation for the challenges in the East - region

One of the earliest victories in what is now East Westpha- like the Ruhr area. That is why the networking of various lia-Lippe is the Varus Battle in the 9th century A.D. Here institutions and organizations in OWL is still a tradition the then seemingly invincible Roman army in Germania today. As early as 1993, the OWL GmbH was founded. It is suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of a Germanic an important platform for cooperation in the region. army led by („Hermann“), a prince of the Cheru- sci. The basis for this victory was the successful unifica- The idea of regional networking then also moved the tion of Germanic tribes under Arminius. minds of the city, district, (vocational) schools and uni- versity at the site in Lippe - a district with rural The region with its diverse history was particularly thriving structures and an attractive educational and scientific on the textile and furniture industries in the 19th and 20th landscape. centuries and had to reinvent itself since the 1980s - just

Markus Baier, mayor of the Old Hanseatic City of Lemgo, recalls: „In 2016, we developed a master plan for the campus with the involvement of all stakehol- ders locally and also in the region to create a center for new impulses here and to give space to the idea of networking. We wanted to counteract the typical dichotomy of ‚university‘ and ‚city‘.“

This resulted in the first spatial overall plan for the Innova- They are intended to provide answers to the question of tion Campus Lemgo, which has since then been continu- how we want to live, reside, work, get around and organize ously developed and implemented in concrete terms, and our leisure time in the future. which also attracts many interested parties from business, Naturally, those responsible in the Lippe district also began education and research. to think about projects within the framework of the REGI- In 2017, it was obvious that the REGIONALE 2022 would ONALE. The OWL University of Applied Sciences and Arts, come to OWL. Under the heading „UrbanLand,“ the goal is Lippe Bildung eG and the -Lippe District Associa- to use the NRW structural development program to streng- tion of Skilled Crafts all had some project ideas. Four project then the equivalence of living conditions in cities and rural outlines were already on the table. areas through innovative and model projects.

„During a conversation, we realized that our projects had a similar thrust,“ recalls Prof. Stefan Witte from the Executive Board of the OWL University. „We were interested in rethinking education and cross-in- stitutional research.“ www.innovation-spin.de For Michael Lutter, chief executive of the Paderborn-Lippe District Associa- tion of Skilled Crafts, it was obvious: „We quickly realized that we were still thinking too small. Something new with more dynamism and greater net- working would be good for the region.“ No sooner said than done: what was the first idea at the end of 2018, the three sponsors put directly into action.

„At the beginning of 2019, we constituted the project team and just a few months later, the basic framework of the InnovationSPIN was in place,“ Markus Rempe, Chairman of the Board of Lippe Bildung eG, is pleased with the effective work of the team.

The wording of the application and the submission of the received. The UrbanLand Board, as the decision-making project to the Regionale 2022 followed on its heels. body for the REGIONALE 2022, awarded the forward-loo- The idea of creating a common space for training and edu- king project A status in 2019. The REGIONALE project is fun- cation, entrepreneurship and applied research was well ded with more than 41 million euros.

Annette Nothnagel, manager of the REGIONALE 2022, commented: „Crafts, uni- versities and vocational training are jointly building a house in which trainees and students will then work together on key issues for the future. This makes the InnovationSPIN next practice for the question of how research and learning across training courses can lay the foundation for innovations in SMEs - and not just in East Westphalia-Lippe.“

The goals of the InnovationSPIN are versatile. The district and equal terms. And the OWL University, with its applied crafts association is committed to making its 2,400 mem- research, sees itself as an active partner for the region and ber companies fit for digitization in the skilled trades. At the economy. This creates interactions in education, trai- the same time, the involvement of Lippe Bildung eG offers ning and research that specifically require and promote numerous people a gateway to education on sustainable cooperation.

„At the InnovationSPIN, learning and research are linked and can thus be expe- rienced first-hand. This constellation is forward-looking for the education (and training) and the retention of skilled workers for our region and the establish- ment of new pioneering companies,“ emphasizes District Chief Executive Dr. Axel Lehmann from the district of Lippe. In September 2022, the InnovationSPIN will be inaugurated and put into operation on

the campus premises of the TH OWL in Lemgo. www.innovation-spin.de