Salzgitter. Tuesday saw the launch of the EU project "Creative digital storytelling for the visibility of SMEs". The State Commissioner for Regional Development Braunschweig, Dr Ulrike Witt, handed over the funding notification for 122,708 euros to the project sponsors at the Ostfalia Media Centre. The project is subsidised with EU funds via the Zukunftsregion SüdOstNiedersachsen.
Under the motto "Finding and telling stories", this marks the start of a two-year project for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and their employees in the district of Peine and the city of Salzgitter, which aims to strengthen regional innovative capacity and keep SMEs competitive through digital storytelling.
"The project combines the expertise of regional business development organisations with that of Ostfalia University in an exemplary way. The focus on practice-orientated research creates a direct win-win situation for science and SMEs. With the EU funds, we are facilitating a model transfer of knowledge in the field of communication management," says the state representative Dr Ulrike Witt.
"Our aim is to enable SMEs and regionally rooted companies to tell their own stories professionally and in a way that is appropriate for the channel. We don't just want to impart knowledge, we want to create a permanent training programme that is perfectly tailored to the region through accompanying research," explain project managers Melitta Arz and Meike Henkel from the project sponsor wito.
The project is characterised by framework conditions that are unique in Germany. With its "Digital Storytelling" degree programme and state-of-the-art laboratory infrastructure for audio and video production, Ostfalia University offers technical equipment that is unparalleled in Germany.
Harald Rau, research professor for communication management at Ostfalia and responsible for the project, emphasises the importance of the planned accompanying research in addition to the extraordinary impact on regional knowledge transfer: "We are looking directly into the 'engine room' of the companies, identifying real needs and developing a coherent concept that can be scaled to the entire region of south-eastern Lower Saxony and beyond after the pilot phase."
SMEs in Germany are currently facing a variety of challenges. In addition to global crises, digitalisation, scarcity of resources and a shortage of skilled workers play a decisive role at regional level.
While large companies often have specialised communications departments, regional companies often lack the resources for strong online visibility. Nowadays, this is a decisive success factor, particularly in the areas of marketing and competition for skilled labour. This is where the new, pioneering funding project comes in, which is being implemented by Wirtschafts- und Tourismusfördergesellschaft Landkreis Peine mbH (wito gmbh), Wirtschafts- und Innovationsförderung Salzgitter GmbH (WIS) and the Institute for Media Management at Ostfalia University in Salzgitter-Calbecht.
"We have a project here that combines creativity, innovation and digitalisation. Not only is the economic structure of the region being supported, but small companies in particular are becoming visible. Digital storytelling is an important tool of our time and can take the online marketing of SMEs to a new level. The project therefore fits very well into the SON future region - the regional management team provided expert support to the project organisers in project development and consulting," says Ralf Sygusch, Chairman of the steering group of the South-East Lower Saxony future region.
Following the project launch in spring 2026 and initial acquisition events in the local authorities, the project is divided into two phases:
- Year 1 (pilot phase): Implementation of modular workshops on platform logic (Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn), storytelling and mobile video production. Parallel to this, the accompanying research will start to identify specific topics.
- Year 2 (evaluation & transfer): The findings from the first year are compared with practice in further workshop rounds. The aim is to finalise the design of a sustainable further training programme.
"The EU-funded project supports small and medium-sized enterprises in further developing their digital communication. The collaboration with project staff from Ostfalia, who work together with the companies to develop strategies and implement measures, offers sustainable added value," emphasises Andrea Weidlich, project manager at WIS.
At the end of the two-year project, a scientifically sound and practice-proven qualification solution will have been developed that will ensure the sustainable transfer of knowledge from Ostfalia University to the regional economy.
Interested companies from the district of Peine and the city of Salzgitter can find out about participation opportunities from wito or WIS in the run-up to the start of the programme:
Wirtschafts- und Tourismusfördergesellschaft Landkreis Peine mbH (wito gmbh)
Melitta Arz
05172/9492-621
m.arz@wi (opens your email program) to-gmbh.de
Meike Henkel
05172/9492-623
m.henkel (opens your email program) @wito-gmbh.de
Business and Innovation Promotion Salzgitter GmbH (WIS)
Andrea Weidlich
05341 / 900 99 60
andrea.weidlich@wis-salzgitter.de