In the Bergisches Land region, a new digital tool for flood protection is being developed: the “Bergisches Flood Warning System 4.0” (HWS 4.0). The aim is to predict rising water levels and, consequently, flood risks along the Wupper River and its tributaries more accurately using Artificial Intelligence (AI). This enables municipalities, disaster relief organizations, emergency services, and the public to be informed earlier.

Since the project started in 2023, significant progress has already been made.
HWS 4.0 collects measurement data from the region and presents it in a clear and accessible way.
For more precise predictions, extensive data is required: water levels in rivers, retention basins, and canals, rainfall amounts, and the fill levels of reservoirs.
Therefore, an important aspect is expanding the measurement network in the Wupper area, which improves the data basis. New sensor technology is being used and optimized for water management.

The Wupperverband’s measurement network now includes 60 gauges and 100 sensors. They record water levels and rainfall in real time. New flood warning gauges for the Wupper were recently installed in Wipperfürth and Solingen. Another warning gauge will be built in Leichlingen starting in October. Numerous climate and rainfall stations, including seven new ones installed over the past two years, are also part of the network.

A key focus of the project is the use of AI. The AI is trained with the collected data to recognize typical patterns—for example, when water levels rise rapidly. The goal is to enable predictions several hours in advance, showing how conditions in the waterways might develop.

Prototype of the Dashboard is online

All this data flows into the new online dashboard, which is already available as a prototype. Here, interested parties can follow the current development of water levels in the Wupper region. Measurement points are displayed on an interactive map. The more you zoom in, the more stations become visible. There is also a list of all measurement points—from rainfall stations to river gauges and reservoirs. Each entry shows the current measurement and its trend: rising, stable, or falling. Clicking on a measurement point opens a chart showing the development of values over different time periods—from three hours to two weeks.

The prototype of the dashboard is freely accessible at: https://www.hws.nrw/dashboard/start
The next step is to develop an app that will make alerts mobile and even easier to access. It is expected to be available from mid-2026.

Information about HWS 4.0

The research project “Bergisches Flood Warning System 4.0 (HWS 4.0)” started in June 2023 and is planned for three years.
Research partners include: Heinz Berger Maschinenfabrik, Wupperverband, Bergische Universität Wuppertal, Bergische Struktur- und Wirtschaftsförderungsgesellschaft, Wuppertaler Stadtwerke, and Bergische Industrie- und Handelskammer Wuppertal-Remscheid-Solingen.
The project is funded with €2.8 million by the Ministry of Economy, Industry, Climate Protection, and Energy of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia.

https://bergisches-hws.de/

HWS 4.0 is part of the initiative “Flagships powered by KI.NRW,” the state of North Rhine-Westphalia’s AI competence platform. In developing these new technologies, the project partners are also collaborating with the State Office for Nature, Environment, and Climate of North Rhine-Westphalia (LANUV) and other regions of North Rhine-Westphalia.

On February 17, 2025, in the presence of Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed to establish cooperation between the CR14 Foundation from Tallinn and the Bergische Struktur- und Wirtschaftsförderungsgesellschaft. This partnership is an important building block for the orientation of the project office “Model Region Cybersecurity Bergisches Land” and its future work.

The cooperation will focus on joint projects to promote cybersecurity for critical infrastructure and enhance the resilience of SMEs within the Bergisches Städtedreieck region.

Estonia possesses enormous expertise in cybersecurity and is ranked, according to studies, as the third-best country worldwide in this field. A key part of this success is attributed to the “CR14, the Cyber Rangers.” This state foundation facilitates knowledge transfer between public and private stakeholders through joint research and development projects. They specialize in security audits of systems, using penetration testing to simulate and evaluate the cyber resilience of computer systems and data communication networks. The Bergisches Land region will benefit from these activities as well: such attack simulations can be conducted for local companies and critical infrastructure. Additionally, the cooperation includes plans for exchanges between Estonian and Bergisch companies, as well as informational visits of Bergisch companies to Estonia.

“The visit of Foreign Minister Tsahkna on the occasion of signing our cooperation agreement with the NATO CyberRange CR14 underscores the importance of cybersecurity also from the Estonian government’s perspective,” said Stephan A. Vogelskamp, Managing Director of the Bergische Gesellschaft and initiator of the Model Region Cybersecurity project. “We are very pleased to now have access to such a knowledge-strong partner through this international collaboration.”

Digitalization has been advancing rapidly in Estonia for over 25 years. Today, 99.6 percent of all administrative procedures are conducted digitally — from electronic voting in elections to tax services, according to Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna. This long journey required bringing the population along. Securing state IT infrastructure in administration and the military has also been of highest priority—especially following the massive cyberattacks on Estonian systems in the past.

Estonia is also home to the “NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence (CCDCOE),” a multinational, interdisciplinary NATO-recognized institution dedicated to applied research and development in cyber defense. It specializes in enhancing cyber defense capabilities.

In light of the Munich Security Conference, where the Minister was a guest, he emphasized the enormous global threat landscape. Organizing cybersecurity, advancing research and development in this area is a vital future task. Bergisch companies can benefit from the insights gained through today’s agreement.

The contact with Estonian cybersecurity institutions was established during an exchange organized by NRW.Global Business, the foreign trade promotion agency of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. Last summer, the information trip “Best Practice: Cybersecurity Solutions in Estonia” took place. This resulted not only in valuable input for the “Model Region Cybersecurity Bergisches Land” project but also in direct contact with Silver Andre, CEO of CR14. Together with Stephan A. Vogelskamp, the cooperation plan was developed.

For the establishment of this project, the Bergische Struktur- und Wirtschaftsförderungsgesellschaft was awarded the contract by the NRW state government. Preparations for project implementation are currently underway.

What key questions and challenges is the automotive industry in North Rhine-Westphalia currently facing? What framework conditions does it need, and what role do networks play? What possible transformation paths exist?
These questions were the focus of a future-oriented conference held today with around 150 representatives from the state government, industry, and academia. Perspectives from various stakeholders on the current crisis revealed one thing clearly: especially now, joint action is required for a swift transformation.

A significantly reduced Climate and Transformation Fund by the federal government, following the ruling of the Federal Constitutional Court over a year ago, fewer resources to support future programs, high energy costs, increasing international competition – all of these challenges are also impacting the automotive industry in North Rhine-Westphalia.
The future conference focused on an open exchange about the requirements for transformation that must be driven by the companies themselves. The main focus of the conference, however, was on perspectives and current opportunities to respond to the transformation: working in networks, transferring knowledge through various projects, and above all, joint industry action in networks and alliances to become more visible and to express needs more clearly.

Mona Neubaur, Minister for Economic Affairs, Industry, Climate Action, and Energy of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, stated:
“North Rhine-Westphalia is a key location for the automotive industry, offering collectively bargained, well-paid jobs and training positions. Our suppliers produce high-quality components that are in demand worldwide and contribute significantly to value creation here. We are firmly committed to ensuring that this remains the case despite current challenges. That’s why we rely on clear perspectives, targeted funding programs, and strong support for climate-neutral transformation. We are advancing electromobility, accelerating the expansion of renewable energy, and advocating for urgently needed competitive energy prices. I am pleased that the Automotive Future Conference of our cluster automotiveland.nrw is providing many important impulses for a sustainable and innovative industry.”

Stephan A. Vogelskamp, Managing Director of automotiveland.nrw and initiator of the conference, said:
“With our network, we will do everything we can to accompany and drive forward the transformation. Given the multiple crises we are facing, we must significantly increase the pace of transformation. The gathering of many stakeholders, as seen during the conference, demonstrated how crucial joint action is. We must do the right thing – and above all, we must do it quickly.”

It also became clear that many companies are willing to take on the transformation.
Monika Kocks, Chair of the Board at automotiveland.nrw, added:
“We suppliers can and must actively shape the transformation of the automotive industry, especially since our share of components in vehicles is 80%. Looking back wistfully at the past or timidly into the future – that’s not in the DNA of the SME sector.”

“Carbon Neutrality and Mobility of the Future” was the motto of the congress held on October 15, 2024, which took place this year in Munich. The automotive cluster automotiveland.nrw has been a partner of this annual exchange format since 2017.

Among the prominent speakers at the congress were Qian ZHAI, Envoy of the Economic and Trade Section of the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Germany, as well as Prof. Dr. Ferdinand Dudenhöffer, Director of the Center Automotive Research (CAR). Numerous entrepreneurs and technology developers from the automotive sector were also represented.

“We are pleased about the open, annual exchange,” said Stephan A. Vogelskamp, Managing Director of automotiveland.nrw. “Especially in times when it is difficult for our suppliers to find their bearings, these encounters with a country that is very advanced in the development of many new technologies are helpful. China pursues a clear strategy in the field of electromobility. It is important for us to maintain contact on equal footing and to establish a reliable exchange to identify trends from the Far East.”

In his lecture, Prof. Ferdinand Dudenhöffer pointed out Germany’s weaknesses in the field of electromobility. The risk of becoming an isolated island threatens, especially since the countries around us are pursuing a much more pronounced program on this topic. Dudenhöffer emphasized that expanding infrastructure is particularly important—a demand that automotiveland.nrw has repeatedly made.

At the congress, German and Chinese representatives alike spoke out against punitive tariffs on Chinese automobiles. A tariff war must be avoided at all costs.

Additionally, on the following day, the 10th Bavarian China Day was held at the Consulate General of the PR China in Munich. Since 2015, it has been organized for active economic exchange and to promote cooperation between the two countries. Participants included, among others, parts and component suppliers and Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs). For next year, alongside the official congress in Changchun, PR China, a large event with VW in Wolfsburg and a “Bergisch China Day” are also planned to intensify the exchange between our supplier companies and Chinese OEMs.

The annual automotive congresses focus on exchanging current technological trends. Representatives from the state, companies, research institutes, economic policy, and developers from both countries have been involved since 2017. The first congress took place at the founding of the cooperation back then in Wuppertal. This format makes it possible to recognize current developments in China at an early stage—especially the rapid pace of innovative, competitively priced products in the field of electromobility in China is continuously monitored by automotiveland.nrw. In addition to the congress, numerous company visits take place. Around 500 participants attended this year. The Chinese partner of the congress format is the China International Investment Promotion Agency (CIIPA), an offshoot of the Ministry of Commerce of the People’s Republic of China in Germany.

Contact: Stephan A. Vogelskamp, +49 172 8723384

The organization responsible for implementing the labor market policy goals of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia is celebrating its twentieth anniversary this September: For twenty years, the Regional Agency Bergisches Städtedreieck has been working to ensure that funding flows into the Bergisches Städtedreieck region and that support measures for employees and employers in the region are implemented.

And it’s about more than that: It’s about the economic location Bergisches Städtedreieck. The Regional Agency helps to strengthen the competitiveness of small and medium-sized enterprises, supports young or disadvantaged people in finding pathways into training or work, and helps to offer further education and qualification. Through various approaches, with a wide range of measures and a large, effective regional network. The Regional Agency Bergisches Städtedreieck works on behalf of the Ministry of Labor, Health and Social Affairs of North Rhine-Westphalia, coordinating the tailored implementation of the state programs funded by the European Social Fund for the region. A total of 16 regional agencies are active throughout NRW.

How it all began
On September 1, 2004, the Regional Agency Bergisches Städtedreieck began its work—attached to the then Regional Office, which was already responsible for regional cooperation on various topics. “The agency is decentralized. In addition to the agency headquarters in the Regional Office, a part-time employee works on-site in the economic development institutions of the cities,” was stated at the time in the brief news ‘REGIOnal 12.2004’ of the Regional Office.

Eventful history
After the change of the state government in 2005, the decision was made to continue funding the regional agencies in order to maintain a regionalized implementation of NRW’s labor policy. This also involved new tasks, for example in the area of transition from school to work. The focus of work changed over the years, as did the funding programs, staffing, and location of the Regional Office. In 2015, it was integrated into the Bergische Structure and Economic Development Corporation to create synergies in development tasks and funding acquisition.

Focus areas in the Städtedreieck
The Regional Agency has dedicated itself to the regionalized implementation of the program lines of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, developing a catalog of measures tailored specifically for the Städtedreieck. The focus is on securing skilled workers of all ages.

1. Securing skilled workers!
   The shortage of skilled workers hits a region like the Bergisches Städtedreieck, with many manufacturing companies, particularly hard. That’s why the Bergisches Skilled Workers Alliance was founded in 2011—an initiative of labor market and economic policy actors in the Bergisches Städtedreieck who joined forces to tackle the shortage of skilled workers. The Bergisches Skilled Workers Alliance (BFB) is self-organized; it is an initiative of various forces from the Bergisches Städtedreieck, with the Regional Agency leading the organization. It supports a wide range of measures and actions as part of the NRW skilled workers offensive. Example: the Bergische Expo Skilled Workers 2023 in Wuppertal. The Regional Agency is also involved in round tables where NRW ministries discuss possibilities, best practices, and necessities for successful and rapid integration of especially refugees into the labor market. This provides the state government with important input for its labor market policy strategy.

2. More further education!
   The Regional Agency is part of the organizing team for the annual Bergische Further Education Fair with a specialist forum (this year on September 11 in Wuppertal). Constantly changing work processes require lifelong learning. Therefore, the Regional Agency also organizes events on “networked educational spaces,” following a call by the Ministry of Labor, Health and Social Affairs NRW. Networking helps create effective offerings.

3. More training!
   One of the five KAUSA state offices of North Rhine-Westphalia is located at the Regional Agency. KAUSA stands for “Coordination Office for Training and Migration.” It works to win over more entrepreneurs with migration backgrounds for dual training. They are supported, among other things, in acquiring the ability to train, recruiting trainees, conducting training, and eventually continuously training independently. The Regional Agency is also active in the program “Training Paths NRW”: it has identified educational providers in the region who now prepare young people intensively to apply and ultimately begin training. Finally, it coordinates the implementation of the ESF funding program “Part-time Vocational Training – Supporting Entry – Opening Perspectives” (TEP), enabling people with family responsibilities to train, together with support providers.

4. More inclusion!
   The Regional Agency also advocates for integrating people with disabilities into the labor market, together with the BFB and the Anschub network. Showcasing good practice examples and how training with disabilities can succeed, presenting best practices, and facilitating exchanges between companies and potential employees—these are offered annually as open discussion and fair events.

The Regional Agencies are funded by the state of North Rhine-Westphalia and the European Union. The KAUSA state office is funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research as part of the Education Chains initiative in cooperation with the NRW state government.

Meet the people behind the Regional Agency Bergisches Städtedreieck

Oliver Francke, Head of the Regional Agency Bergisches Städtedreieck.
“Work is much more than just earning a living. Work can provide meaning, shape biographies, and form society. Work as a connecting element and the basis of a multi-diverse society is, for me, a key to jointly mastering the challenges of the present and future. That’s why I do what I do…”

Justus Schongen, Project Management, Regional Agency Bergisches Städtedreieck
“With the funding programs we implement regionally with our partners, we enable participation— in a labor market that all too often excludes people with extraordinary burdens, poorer starting chances, or disabilities—I am glad to be able to help pave the way into work for people.”

Arzu Gül, KAUSA Ambassador
“We advise and accompany intensively—that’s what defines our work. This helps to overcome reservations and to win migrant-led companies for training. What’s special about our target group is their strong willingness to give disadvantaged young people a chance and to support them.”

Andreas Dummer, KAUSA Ambassador
“To bring together ‘loose ends’ so that something good can emerge. Thanks to our diverse contacts, including various social and further education providers, we can sometimes bring together those searching and those sought: companies and potential trainees, or companies and the Chamber of Industry and Commerce—depending on the case. It feels good to be able to support people and the local labor market.”

Since this week, all project partners have it in writing: the funding approval for the project FAB Region Bergisches Städtedreieck has been granted. This allows work to begin on projects that aim to implement sustainable circular economy in the region in exemplary, creative, and collaborative ways. The globally already applied Fab City approach is to be implemented.

What is planned?

The focus is on developing pilot projects in which strategies and practices for sustainable and circular economy are implemented and tested. Initial approaches and projects already exist in the Städtedreieck area. These will be qualified and expanded through the new project framework of FAB Region Bergisches Städtedreieck, contributing to the idea of a co-creative circular economy region.

The Fab City Idea

The global Fab City initiative stands for decentralized and sustainable production in the neighborhood. Cities such as Barcelona, Paris, Boston, and Mexico City belong to more than 50 cities and regions worldwide that have committed to the Fab City approach. In Germany, so far only Hamburg and Augsburg have joined. Now, the Bergisches Städtedreieck is to become the first German region to join.

What does this mean for the Städtedreieck? The project

• connects a network of local innovation hubs

• develops learning formats at these hubs that enable companies and citizens to produce sustainably in the region

• brings together regional companies with citizens and science to reveal potentials for sustainable transformation and to develop strategies for implementation

• involves regional politics to establish the transformation in the long term

• creates the necessary structures to become an official member of the global Fab City network. With this membership and its projects, the Bergisches Städtedreieck will become visible on the global Fab City network map.

The Project Partners

A group of actors from civil society, science, and the public sector collaborate in this project:

Gut Einern in Wuppertal is a model site for social and ecological sustainability. On an old estate, for example, a vertical farm, a permaculture farm, and innovatively designed energy and resource cycle systems are being created. Educational formats and neighborhood development are also being shaped here.

In Remscheid, the Gründerschmiede leads the way. With its variety of innovative startup ideas and expertise in advising founders, it stands for innovation strength. The association has made a significant contribution to the city’s startup culture and has long been committed to regional development.

In the Gläserne Werkstatt, the innovative repurposing of an old department store in the heart of Solingen, regional products are traded, produced, and presented. Here, people can experiment in open workshops. The Gläserne Werkstatt is both a future workshop and a meeting place for people committed to a good and sustainable life. The latter two projects were developed within the framework of “Urban Production” and can be further qualified in this way.

Together with these innovation hubs, the project is carried by Bergische Struktur- und Wirtschaftsförderungsgesellschaft mbH, the Collaborating Centre on Sustainable Consumption and Production (CSCP), the Institute for Work and Technology, the Start-up Center of Bergische Universität Wuppertal, and the Wuppertal Institute for Climate, Environment and Energy.

Funding

The project “FAB.Region Bergisches Städtedreieck – Transformation towards a co-creative circular economy region” is funded for three years with resources from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the state of North Rhine-Westphalia.

Contact

Nils Kreft, Communication Coordinator, nils.kreft@cscp.org
Collaborating Centre on Sustainable Consumption and Production gGmbH (CSCP)
Hagenauer Str. 30, 42107 Wuppertal

Or

Anette Kolkau, Communications, kolkau@bergische-gesellschaft.de, +49 212 88 16 06 67
Bergische Struktur- und Wirtschaftsförderungsgesellschaft mbH
Stöcken 19, 42651 Solingen

Further Information

English website of the Fab City Initiative: https://fab.city/
Websites of the innovation hubs:
Gut Einern: https://www.gut-einern.org/
Gründerschmiede: https://gruenderschmiede.org/
Gläserne Werkstatt: https://www.glaeserne-werkstatt-solingen.de

At a meeting between NRW’s Minister of Economic Affairs Mona Neubaur and representatives from the business sector in Düsseldorf, the project “Model Region Cybersecurity Bergisches Land” was presented. It originates from the initiative “Wirtschaft.Digital.Sicher NRW.”

Already in 2023, the NRW state government launched the initiative for cybersecurity in the NRW economy. Among other measures, the Cyber Security Model Region continues the state government’s support to help companies strengthen their resilience against cyberattacks.

The project in Bergisches Land, awarded to the Bergische Gesellschaft, focuses on developing effective protection strategies in response to the increasing number of cyberattacks in the area. Its goal is to strengthen cybersecurity skills. The strategies developed can serve as a model for other regions.

Stephan A. Vogelskamp: “The recent cyberattacks in Bergisches Land have shown us how vulnerable our digital infrastructures still are. With the project ‘Model Region Cybersecurity Bergisches Land,’ we are implementing targeted measures to strengthen cybersecurity skills, especially among SMEs. This aims to create lasting security awareness and establish effective protection strategies in the region, which can serve as a role model for all of NRW.”

Thanks to his committee work in the area of Cyber Security at the state government last year, Stephan A. Vogelskamp was able to position the Bergische region. Now funding access is being clarified by the NRW Ministry of Economic Affairs. Later, an office for the model region can be established.

The Minister of Economic Affairs emphasized the importance of digital security for economic stability in North Rhine-Westphalia. She stressed the urgency of continuing to increase the digital resilience of companies. United efforts can especially help small and medium-sized enterprises to address digital security within their operations.

After a year of intensive work, the thematic areas of a transformation strategy for automotive suppliers have been identified. The strategy paper of the project group from TRAIBER.NRW outlines fields of action and development perspectives for the Bergische Region as an automotive location. It is about supporting automotive suppliers who have to assert themselves under the existing transformation pressure.

The TRAIBER.NRW project is a cooperative project of the University of Wuppertal, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Bochum University of Applied Sciences, GLW Velbert, and automotiveland.nrw. In addition, the project is significantly accompanied by social partners. TRAIBER stands for Transformation of the Automotive Industry in the Bergische Region. The goal is to maintain the competitiveness of the suppliers and thus of the location, as well as to secure jobs.

The key points of the transformation strategy were determined as part of two strategy workshops with representatives from regional and municipal economic development agencies, municipalities, education providers, employment agencies, chambers of industry and commerce, other social partners, and companies. This made the group of contributors very broad.

Version 1.0 describes six thematic and action areas:

1. The shortage of skilled workers in the Bergische Region poses a major challenge for automotive suppliers. This lack of labor can only be addressed together.

2. In addition, skilled workers must be prepared for current technological developments. Employees in the automotive supplier industry in the Bergische Region must be provided with tailored qualification opportunities.

3. An attractive location contributes to skilled workers staying loyal to the region. The first version of the strategy paper notes how important joint work on the location quality of the Bergische Region is.

4. It is also important that automotive suppliers in the Bergische Region are supported in opening up new markets and international partnerships.

5. Access to relevant knowledge must be ensured for automotive suppliers so that they can actively shape their company-specific transformation and generate innovations. First idea: a targeted, cross-industry exchange of knowledge.

6. Regional actors must pool their strengths and competencies. They should be supported in networking and cooperation.

“It is important to now bring the impulses from TRAIBER into implementation on site,” said Stephan A. Vogelskamp, Managing Director of automotiveland.nrw and the Bergische Structural and Economic Development Agency.

Initial measures have already been defined to support automotive suppliers in the transformation process and are to be initiated during the project period. The goal is to refine the strategy with two reviews by mid-2025. In this process, company-specific needs will be further specified and corresponding measures derived and developed. The focus is particularly on tackling measures at the regional level in order to initiate practical on-site approaches that secure the future of the companies.

“Don’t wait for the big transformation plan, but look for enthusiastic partners on site and boldly try things out on a small scale,” was the recommendation from Prof. Birgitta Wolff, Rector of the University of Wuppertal, on the occasion of the presentation of Paper 1.0.

The Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action is funding TRAIBER.NRW with €4.1 million as part of the funding call “Transformation Strategies for Regions in the Vehicle and Supplier Industry.” The Bergische Region includes the cities of Remscheid, Solingen, Wuppertal, and Düsseldorf as well as the districts of Mettmann, Rhein-Kreis Neuss, Ennepe-Ruhr-Kreis, and Oberbergischer Kreis.

More information about the project and the strategy document: www.traiber.nrw