Welcome to EYE conference in Duesseldorf 2008

Welcome to the conference of European Young Engineers 2008 and to North Rhine-Westphalia, the state of innovation. We are very pleased to have attracted your interest. It is our aim to present what North Rhine-Westphalia is able to offer young talents in the field of engineering sciences.

From my point of view, two factors are decisive: North Rhine-Westphalia  possesses largest concentration of universities and research institutions in Europe and is simultaneously one of the most important centres of industry in Europe. Almost half of the 50 most successful German companies are based in North Rhine-Westphalia – including such famous names as Bayer, Bertelsmann, E.ON and ThyssenKrupp. At the same time, the state's economy is also powered by medium-sized enterprises. More than 700,000 small to medium-sized businesses contribute significantly to the state's innovative power.

North Rhine-Westphalia is strong in the field of engineering sciences in Germany: With the RWTH Aachen, which always receives outstanding marks in the relevant rankings and which enjoys a good international reputation. With TU Dortmund, which stands out as the state's second Technical University. With the Engineering Unit Ruhr, in which the relevant faculties in Dortmund and Bochum are associated and have in this way been able to get into the Premier League of machine construction in Germany. And with the Universities of Applied Sciences, which in the fields of mathematics, engineering sciences, natural and technical sciences are in such demand by students that we will expand their capacities over the coming years.

It is our aspiration to offer students a modern, practically oriented education that is permeable to higher education as provided throughout Europe: almost all courses, including engineering sciences, in North Rhine-Westphalia have already been changed to the new "Bachelor-Master" structure.

Young engineers also have excellent professional prospects in North Rhine-Westphalia. Twenty thousand vacancies are available and companies are desperately seeking young talents.

And so, as patron of EYE for 2008, I am inviting you to use this conference to explore the location, to make new contacts and to swap ideas and opinions. I hope you all have a good time in Düsseldorf and in North Rhine-Westphalia, the state of innovation.

Prof. Dr. Andreas Pinkwart

Minister for Innovation, Science, Research and Technology of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia