City of cities at COLLISION 2022

• Germany’s largest metropolitan region live for the first time at COLLISION 2022
• Delegation trip links ecosystems in Toronto and Pittsburgh with the Ruhr Metropolis
• B2B and science region builds innovation bridge

Prof. Dr. Julia Frohne, Chair of the Management Board of Business Metropole Ruhr GmbH (BMR):

"Large corporations, a broad-based SME sector, five million inhabitants and 22 universities – the Ruhr region is Germany’s region of opportunities. The combination of strong companies and science on the one hand and the focus on future markets such as hydrogen, innovative industry and IT security on the other offers scale-ups from the USA and Canada the best conditions for a successful start in Europe." 

COLLISION in Toronto is the fastest-growing tech convention in North America – connecting the world’s most exciting tech ecosystems. With 35,000 registrations, it is sold out in 2022. This year, Germany’s region of opportunities, the Ruhr Metropolis, is presenting itself live in Toronto for the first time.

"The immense challenges of our time demand international cooperation. If you want to create the great transformation through digitalization and sustainable energy, you have to be where the minds and ideas are. Canada and the USA are global technology leaders and our partners – we are pleased to connect them even more closely with our companies and research institutions through the Innovation Bridge North America," said Prof. Dr. Julia Frohne, CEO of Business Metropole Ruhr, in Toronto. With more than 130,000 companies and 22 universities, the Ruhr Metropolis offers ideal conditions, Frohne added: "The Ruhr region has a particularly high level of expertise in technical and industrial scaling. It needs this to solve the big questions of our time, be it energy transition, industrial transformation or data security."

The western German region is presenting itself at COLLISION as a B2B destination with, among others, internationally renowned companies that stand for digital transformation and new technologies in Germany. "The Ruhr region has a long industrial tradition of world renown – and a rapidly growing IT scene. Both are important today in order to design production processes that conserve resources and are efficient. In this future field, cooperation is a key to success," says Dr. Wolfgang Fendel, Managing Director of thyssenkrupp Information Management GmbH.

"Better connected, Volkswagen Infotainment’s motto, also fits tech ecosystems and entire industries: When IT and industry merge, solutions are created for the big questions of our time, such as sustainable energy, digitalization and mobility," says Tobias Nadjib, CEO Volkswagen Infotainment GmbH.

The Ruhr Metropolis presents itself with the campaign "City of Cities" and  its own booth at the Tech-Convention COLLISION in Toronto. In addition, renowned German companies will present their tech challenges on the Masterclass stage. Other stops in Canada are start-ups and key players in the tech ecosystem.

"Digital transformation always means learning from and with each other. This is not just a tech issue, but one of partnership and trust. That’s why it’s important to be on site in Toronto and to be able to take a lot of impulses with us," says Heimo Krum, Deputy CIO, FUNKE Mediengruppe.

The delegation trip with companies, network players and research institutions continues to Pittsburgh with a similar comeback and transformation story as the Ruhr region. The focus is on the topics of IT security, mobility and hydrogen, as well as the exchange with the Allegheny Conference on Community Development, a leading organization for citizen participation in the USA.

As the regional business development agency, Business Metropole Ruhr launched Innovation Bridge North America in 2021 to connect companies and the rapidly growing technology scene in the region with the tech hotspots in the USA and Canada.  Universities, research institutes and technology centers are an important pillar here as drivers of transformation. Hydrogen start-ups from Canada have already been successfully matched with German industry at a virtual event in February 2022.

You can find more information here:
www.business.ruhr
www.cityofcities.ruhr

Background information

Key facts Ruhr area:

• 1 million inhabitants: one of the largest metropolitan areas in Europe
• 258,113 students at 22 universities
• 150 technology & research centers, incubators & innovation centers
• Over 130,000 companies
• Largest inland port in the world
• 60 million people reached by truck in three hours