Minister of Economics Althusmann visited the NFF "Institutions like the NFF are crucial for the competitiveness of our state"

On 28 March 2022, Lower Saxony’s Minister of Economic Affairs, Dr Bernd Althusmann, visited the Automotive Research Centre Niedersachsen (NFF) in Braunschweig. The topic was the results of the strategy dialogue on the automotive industry, in which the NFF had been heavily involved.

Minister of Economics Dr Bernd Althusmann with Prof. Peter Eilts (l.) from the Institute for Internal Combustion Engines, Carsten Müller, Member of the Bundestag, and Prof. Thomas Vietor (r.). Photo credit: NFF/Massel

The “Strategiedialog Automobilwirtschaft in Niedersachsen” (Automotive Industry Strategy Dialogue in Lower Saxony) was launched in 2019 by the Lower Saxony state government together with the social partners, Niedersachsen Metall – Verband der Metallindustriellen Niedersachsens e.V. and the IG Metall district of Lower Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt, as well as Volkswagen and Continental. The aim was to accompany and shape the transformation of the Lower Saxony automotive industry with foresight in order to secure employment in the automotive industry and create new jobs.

During the tour of the NFF, the Minister said: “Institutions like the NFF are crucial for the competitiveness of our state – especially against the background of the transformation of the automotive industry. Profitable innovations are created here because highly motivated scientists forge collaborations between science, industry and politics that look at the technology paths of the future. In addition, the young scientists trained here secure the skilled labour needs of tomorrow.”

NFF Board Spokesman Prof. Dr.-Ing. Thomas Vietor added: “We are pleased to be able to continue to contribute our expertise to the state’s activities in the future. Through the cooperation in the context of the Automotive Industry Strategy Dialogue, we have already been able to provide important impulses for Lower Saxony’s science and industrial sector via the NFF. The state’s current call for proposals for the High Tech Incubator and Ac-celerator (HTIA), including the topic area of mobility, shows how important this networking is.” Prof. Dr.-Ing. Thomas Vietor chaired the working group “Technologie, Innovation und Wertschöpfungsketten” (Technology, Innovation and Value Chains) at the strategy dialogue.

Dr Adrian Sonka (NFF), Otto Klaus-Dieter Marxen (Lower Saxony Ministry of Economics, Labour, Transport and Digitalisation), Prof. Simone Kauffeld (AOS, TU Braunschweig), Christoph Bratmann (Member of the Landtag), Prof. Thomas Vietor (NFF, TU Braunschweig), Dr Anna Meincke (Innovationszentrum Niedersachsen GmbH), Minister of Economics Dr. Bernd Althusmann, Dr Maximilian Röhe (Innovationszentrum Niedersachsen GmbH), Prof. Peter Hecker (Vice President for Research and Early Career Scientists, TU Braunschweig), Björn Korte (Lower Saxony Ministry of Economics, Labour, Transport and Digitalisation). Photo credit: NFF/Massel