The Minister of Economic Affairs of the state of Schleswig-Holstein has visited five leading digital companies to gauge the current state of the digital economy in northern Germany. We at UXMA are pleased to have been the final stop of the tour.
After our company presentation, in which we showed the Minister the range of our user-centred and design-driven software and product development, we went straight into a lively exchange. Together with the managing directors of UXMA, Michael Arpe and Eckhard Anders, as well as representatives from the DiWiSH, Dr Buchholz openly discussed the (digital) future of the state:
- How do we show that the North not only stands for dikes, beaches and green countryside, but also for powerful and highly innovative companies which can be compared to Silicon Valley?
- How do we meet the challenge of developing more pulling power for top IT personnel from all parts of the world?
- How do we encourage small and medium-sized enterprises to invest in future projects in order to turn the "land between the seas" into the "land of innovation drivers"?
There was a broad consensus that tackling these challenges would require a more self-confident external image of the digital industry and an image enhancement of the country. With lighthouse projects and companies that have the potential to shine far beyond the Elbe, we can significantly increase the attractiveness of Schleswig-Holstein as a location for skilled workers and new, economically strong companies.
Everyone knows that the happiest people in Germany live in the North and the distance from the desk to the beach is much shorter here than anywhere else. The fact that the North also stands for agility, innovation and new thinking, however, needs to be communicated much more clearly.
Picture 1: From the left: Dr Johannes Ripken, Michael Arpe, Dr Bernd Buchholz, Eckhard Anders.
Picture 2: Project manager Lisa Rost presents her UX Research & Testing project to the minister.
At the end of the meeting, Michael Arpe, managing owner of UXMA, presented a potential lighthouse project: under the working title "Appstore in our brain", the UXMA team wants to investigate what comes after the smartphone. Will we control things directly via thoughts or, more specifically, via the brain? This will certainly be done with an intermediate step via speech, gesture or eye control. We assume that in the not too distant future this utopia can become reality. Ideally in Schleswig-Holstein.
The Minister of Economic Affairs, Dr. Buchholz, was impressed by this innovative impulse and suggested that the idea be pursued jointly in cooperation with research institutions in the state. In addition, the Minister of Economic Affairs promised to visit again to meet the entire UXMA team in person as soon as the corona conditions allow.
"UXMA has so much innovative power that the company undoubtedly deserves the title of 'Lighthouse of Schleswig-Holstein's Digital Economy".
Dr. Bernd Buchholz, Minister of Economic Affairs, Transport, Employment, Technology and Tourism
We’d like to thank Dr. Buchholz for the visit and the lively exchange of ideas and we would also like to thank Dr. Johannes Ripken, project manager of DiWiSH Cluster Management, for organizing the joint meeting. Since 2014, UXMA has been a member of DiWiSH which is the central network of the IT, media and design industry in Schleswig-Holstein.
The official press release from the Ministry of Economic Affairs can be read here.
