Newest Core ERNACT Member, Hof University of Applied Sciences, together with the economic region Hochfranken (part of Upper Franconia in Germany), have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to advance on the exchange on a European level and promote innovations.
The MoU has been signed by university president Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Jürgen Lehmann, the Vice President for Research and Development, Prof. Dr.-Ing. Valentin Plenk, as well as by the Wirtschaftsregion Hochfranken e.V. – represented by the Executive Board Rolf Brilla and Managing Director Susanne Lang. It expresses the common goals of the organizations.
The
Institute for Information Systems at Hof University of Applied Sciences (iisys) had already made a start by cooperating in the European
DIGITAL REGIONS project. Now, Hof University of Applied Sciences has joined ERNACT. The network, based in Ireland, leads a community of twelve European and Atlantic Canada regions and coordinates applications of communication technology. The goal is to work on issues of the future: Economy, sustainability, technologies and dealing with climate change are on the agenda – always linked to new developments in digitalization. Upper Franconia now becomes the twelfth region in the network.
Hof University of Applied Sciences is the only German member of ERNACT. The advisory partner organization in this constellation is the economic region Hochfranken, which accompanies the activities of the network with its approximately 350 member companies and organizations as well as public institutions. “We will benefit greatly from this European-oriented partnership on the one hand with the Economic Region Hochfranken and on the other hand with ERNACT. We can pass on the newly acquired knowledge via the European partner projects to the companies and organizations in our region through the economic region”, stated Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Jürgen Lehmann, President Hof University of Applied Sciences.
Commenting on the announcement of the MoU, ERNACT International Management Committee member and Vice President Research and Development Prof. Dr.-Ing. Valentin Plenk, added that “from a research perspective, ERNACT offers us the opportunity to take up proven research results again and to exchange know-how. We can gain a lot of new expertise for our region here – and pass on our expertise.”
Rolf Brilla, Board of Directors Wirtschaftsregion Hochfranken e.V., also expressed her agreement by saying: “As a region of hidden champions, half of whose exports go abroad, the exchange of experience with other countries is important to our economic region. The cooperation with ERNACT offers the chance to network ideas and actors in a new way and to think European promotion in new dimensions.”
Finally, Susanne Lang, Managing Director of Wirtschaftsregion Hochfranken e.V. commented that, “we may have regional roots in Hochfranken, but we benefit from exchanges with other, similar regions. Thinking internationally moves Hochfranken forward, and the role of the economic region is to bring the European added value of this cooperation to the region. Hof University of Applied Sciences is building bridges to neighboring European countries in this regard.”
Read here the full press release by Hof University.
Picture Hof University of Applied Sciences (f.l.): Katrin Müller, Anne-Christine Habbel (both Hof University of Applied Sciences), University President Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c.. Jürgen Lehmann, Rolf Brilla (Executive Board of Wirtschaftsregion Hochfranken), Prof. Dr.-Ing. Valentin Plenk (Vice President Research and Development of Hof University of Applied Sciences, Susanne Lang (Managing Director Wirtschaftsregion Hochfranken).