Innovation & digital economy Offers and help

Jens Heitmann und Jan-Christian Mahrt mit Drohne

Digitization ahead!

The digital economy (ICT sector and internet economy) can develop into an important economic sector for North Friesland. As an engine, it creates growth and employment as well as competitiveness and innovative strength for companies, the world of work and society.

WFG NF supports digital development in our region by providing services for companies, economic players and interested parties.

Projects

Getting innovation and new ideas into the company

The ARTEMIS project has been completed; it ran from June 1, 2023, to May 31, 2026.

The goal of the Interreg 6A project was to boost economic growth and the competitiveness of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)—and of the program region itself—by fostering greater innovation.

The focus was on topics such as digitalization, automation, and sustainability, as SMEs in the German-Danish border region face a wide range of challenges in these areas.

Procedure

  • From a practical standpoint, the company’s needs were first assessed.
  • The best match: Student teams, drawn from a broad German-Danish pool, then provided the company with tailored support in its innovation processes and worked together to develop ideas and solutions for, for example, products, services, processes, or business models.
  • Creative and innovative solutions were developed free of charge for the companies: In this way, ARTEMIS made the latest research findings from universities available to the business community!

In addition, the project established a lasting cross-border network of stakeholders to provide optimal support for innovation within companies and to improve the intercultural climate. Partners from both sides of the border were involved in every initiative.

Our project partners were SDU Sønderborg (lead), Flensburg University of Applied Sciences, the European University of Flensburg, the Rendsburg-Eckernförde Economic Development Agency, Sønderborg Vækstråd, Business Aabenraa, and the Mind Factory by Ecco.

You can find all the information about the activities and project initiatives we’ve carried out on LinkedIn, on the ARTEMIS website, and in this flyer.

A practical example from one of the first pilot companies, the unpackaged store “AbfüllBar” in Rendsburg, can be found here.

ARTEMIS was funded by Interreg Germany-Denmark.

Contact persons

Anja Kujawski

Innovation & digital economy, ARTEMIS, GrønBusiness

Stefanie Goelling

Regional Marketing, Company service

The “UAM-InnoRegion-SH” project is a joint project funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research with the aim of driving innovation in the field of unmanned aviation (Unmanned Air Mobility) in northern Schleswig-Holstein and anchoring it in this region. By implementing innovative research projects, the aim is to create qualified jobs in the assisted area and make a long-term contribution to structural change.

An integral part of the funding program is the formation of an alliance that brings together the various stakeholders from the field of unmanned aviation. Our alliance currently consists of over 90 supporting companies, research institutions and administrative players from Schleswig-Holstein. Additional players can be added to the alliance on an ongoing basis in order to further strengthen the alliance and promote the transfer of knowledge between them.

The alliance provides up-to-date information about its activities and partners via the blog and LinkedIn.

Contact persons

Jan-Christian Mahrt

Innovation & digital economy, UAM-InnoRegion-SH

Jens Heitmann

Innovation & digital economy, UAM-InnoRegion-SH

The Business DE-DK project aims to meet the cooperative challenges in the northern German and southern Danish border region.

The Business DE-DK project aims to help counteract the labor shortage in the border region, promote economic cooperation and create a more visible and attractive border region for current and future generations of employers and job seekers from all over the world.

We need to become much better at cooperating and coordinating between companies, institutions and initiatives in the border region in order to improve cross-border economic cooperation and thereby strengthen cross-border added value for the region’s economy and citizens.

The aim of Business DE-DK is

to collect data and create a better overview of the many opportunities, needs and measures in the border region. We would like to reach out to the organizations, initiatives, politicians, etc. in the region and investigate what measures are being taken to promote economic cooperation in the border region and what data and information is needed. These results and the information sought are communicated and made freely accessible to all via an ambitious media channel.

Within the framework of Business DE-DK, a cross-border economic network of business people, business consultants, professors and others interested in cross-border economic cooperation will be established. The network offers the opportunity to share knowledge, network and initiate cooperation and business.

The project is also investigating how a cross-border economic council could function. A council made up of influential business people from across the border region to discuss the economy of the border region, identify the biggest challenges and hopefully contribute to the solutions.

Business DE-DK is financed by Interreg Germany-Denmark, with funding from the European Regional Development Fund. Find out more about Interreg Germany-Denmark under this link.

To the Business DE/DK website

Contact persons

Katja Rosenburg

Renewable energies, Klimaneutrale Wirtschaft NF (KliWi NF), Business DE/DK