Lower Saxony's Minister for Europe and Regional Development, Melanie Walter, used her summer tour to find out about a joint project between the university and regional business development organisations at Ostfalia University's Salzgitter campus. The project "Creative storytelling for the visibility of SMEs" has just been launched and is subsidised with EU funds via the Zukunftsregion SüdOstNiedersachsen.
The two-year project focuses on the question of how small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) can expand their online visibility and effectively meet the challenges of digitalisation and the shortage of skilled workers. While large companies often have their own communications and marketing departments, many regional companies lack the human and financial resources to build a strong online presence. Today, this is a key success factor when it comes to marketing and attracting qualified specialists. This is precisely where the new funding project comes in, which is being jointly 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 of Applied Sciences on the Salzgitter campus.
Minister impressed by the university's equipment and TV studio
During her visit to Salzgitter on 11 June, Minister Melanie Walter not only gained an insight into the project, but also got to know the state-of-the-art laboratory infrastructure for video production, which will also be used in the workshop phase of the "Creative Storytelling" project. The Minister was impressed by the technical equipment at Ostfalia's Salzgitter campus and was happy to take the time for a short interview in the faculty's own TV studio.
Melanie Walter, Lower Saxony's Minister for Europe and Regional Development, said: "The project impressively demonstrates how small and medium-sized enterprises can strengthen their visibility through targeted digital communication. Together, Ostfalia University and the regional business development organisations are creating a practical learning environment where social media skills can be directly applied and further developed. This is an important building block for attracting skilled workers and retaining them in the region in the long term. As a subsidised model project within the framework of the regions of the future, the project helps to secure innovative strength and competitiveness in south-eastern Lower Saxony in the long term. It is now crucial to stabilise and further expand this successful collaboration."
Ostfalia Vice President Volker Küch emphasises: "The joint project is an example of successful cooperation between our university and the players in the regional economy and shows how applied science and a practice-oriented university work. Together with the regional business development organisations, we are bringing scientific expertise directly into the business world and supporting small and medium-sized enterprises in strengthening their innovative power and visibility."
Prof. Dr Harald Rau, Professor of Communication Management at Ostfalia and project manager, emphasises the strong impact on regional knowledge transfer as well as the planned accompanying research: "We are very close to the companies here. By looking directly into practice and identifying real needs, we are creating something that can serve as a blueprint for the south-east Lower Saxony region and other regions beyond the pilot phase."
