Flensburg, 28/11/2024: At the invitation of project and CBTA director Prof. Dr. Kay Pfaffenberger, a five-member delegation from Côte d’Ivoire was welcomed last week.
The CBTA plays a central role in the exchange between Germany and Africa and promotes innovation in the fields of business, technology and education.
In addition to the President Prof. Zié Ballo, other high-ranking representatives from the Université Félix Houphouët-Boigny (UFHB) were also welcomed to this DAAD-funded fact-finding mission: Prof. Salif Koné – Dean in the Department of Economics, Dr. Amoro Grafoute – Assistant Professor in the Department of Economics, Prof. Lacina Yeo – Head in the Department of German and Prof. Djoko Luis Stephane Kouadio – Head of the International Office.
A varied program was put together to provide insights into the founding structures, knowledge transfer and possible joint projects. The individual days focused on specific topics.
Day 1: Getting to know the campus and networking
After a welcome from the CBTA team, the delegation began their week with a discussion with Prof. Dr. Thomas Schmidt, Chairman of the Senate and co-founder of the CBTA.
Lunch was followed by a tour of the campus with Janntje Böhlke-Itzen, Director of the Centre for International Education and Lifelong Learning (CIEL).
Stefanie Jordt, Director of Entrepreneurial Development at the Jackstädt Centre Flensburg, then took over the tour and was able to give the delegation a deeper insight into the start-up support structures at the Flensburg campus and how entrepreneurship is embedded in the curriculum. The tour started with an introductory game at the football table in Dock1, the coworking space on campus, before ending with an introduction to the FabLab IDEENREICH by Nele Tuznik.
Day 2: Focus on business and transfer
Early in the morning of the second day, the delegation visited the Krones company, which also operates plants in Côte d’Ivoire, and focused on the topics of recycling and water management. “Water is the most important thing,” plant manager Jan Münzer made clear right at the start. He also reported on the company’s own development plans for the Flensburg site: doubling the area in Flensburg by the end of 2025 and investments of around 40 million euros.
For the future, Krones sees a market in the field of plants for alternative proteins in particular, since milk will be replaced by (alternative) protein drinks in ten years’ time.
In a conversation with Dr. Hinrich Habeck, Managing Director of WTSH, it became clear that the markets in China and India have been particularly important for Schleswig-Holstein. However, Africa as a continent was also becoming increasingly exciting – and so the first WTSH delegation trip to Côte d’Ivoire took place at the beginning of the year. In addition to the first experiences in the country, the handling of clusters in transfer and a focus on renewable energies were discussed.
An important part of the day was the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the presidents of the two universities. This agreement lays the groundwork for student exchanges, joint research projects and cooperation in the area of start-up support. The promotion of women in STEM subjects was also discussed.
Day 3: Innovation through Design Thinking
A creative highlight of the week was the Design Thinking workshop with Astrid Fustmann, a former University employee and now entrepreneur. The aim was to identify shared potential and to develop a better mutual understanding and initial ideas for future projects.
For example, two mixed teams worked towards the goal of creating a possible vision for collaboration – expressing ideas in concrete, tangible and communicable images. The other models were critically examined for weaknesses and possible solutions – and the models were subsequently optimized. What was particularly exciting was that both groups chose a similar model in terms of structure, but the design and story behind it opened up a different perspective.
The delegation also visited Prof Dr. Axel Grimm and Dr. Maik Jepsen at the Vocational Training Institute for Work and Technology (BIAT) at the European University of Flensburg to learn about approaches to technical vocational education and training.
A strong foundation for the future
Thanks to the commitment of Prof. Dr. Kay Pfaffenberger and Martin Kühn, the CBTA team and the support of many others, this week not only laid the foundation for innovative projects, but also established long-term partnerships between the HSFL and the UFHB. This week has already shown how well the topics of the CBTA and the JZF fit together in this project and also contribute to a closer cooperation beyond the centre boundaries within the university.
Both universities will work together to promote education, entrepreneurship and international cooperation in the long term.
