A Meeting of Minds in Düsseldorf

Big things can happen when science and economics collide. As an important player in the academic landscape and Düsseldorf region, WHU – Otto Beisheim School of Management participated at the fifth Come & Cooperate event, put on by the Chamber of Commerce of Düsseldorf (IHK). The conference sees academics and corporate representatives come together to network and collaborate on new ways to exchange information. Professor Christina Günther, holder of the IHK-Chair for Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises at WHU, alongside Assistant Professor Rainer Rilke and research assistant Dana Horvath attended the event, held at LAVAlabs, an animation studio in Düsseldorf.

According to the organizers, the companies and universities represented at his year’s meeting came together in over 80 different, direct discussions—more than ever before. “We made some meaningful connections at the event,” said Professor Günther of her experience at Come & Cooperate. “And we were able to identify some concrete starting points for future collaborations between the world of research and the regional economy here.”

Dr. Stefan Schroeter, Technology and Innovation Specialist at IHK Düsseldorf and co-organizer of Come & Cooperate, also expressed his delight with how the event turned out: “Our concept was a success. The companies and universities that participated took the opportunity to get to know potential future collaborators and discuss a wide array of topics—from joint projects, to graduate and undergradate theses, to funding.”

Come & Cooperate is a meeting of minds that was first launched back in 2018. Organized by the IHK Düsseldorf (of which WHU is a member) together with Wissensregion Düsseldorf and the Düsseldorfer Innovations- und Technologiezentrum, the event has now taken place for the fifth time.