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bwcon will be involved in a variety of activities and support models. One business module will focus on the management of networks spanning different technologies, companies and organizations. Another will place the focus on consulting, but also the coordination of research and innovation programs. Startups will also be able to turn to bwcon for professional support with the move to self-employment.

The company will place particular emphasis on technology transfer networks out of public sources of knowledge such as universities, but also between seats of knowledge in private business.

As a leading business initiative aimed at promoting Baden-Württemberg as a location of innovation and hi-tech business, “Baden-Württemberg: Connected” brings together over 600 enterprises and research institutions, which employ over 5,500 experts overall.

Aside from discussing specialists topics, the aim of the convention was to look more closely at economic development in Portugal and to identify ways to strengthen VDE ties with corresponding bodies in Portugal.

Speeches were given by Steinbeis experts and partners from trade and industry to examine various factors. The discussion focused on international Steinbeis transfer activities, especially in Eastern Europe, as well as the current status of ICT and demands placed on policymakers. German managers in Portugal talked about the efforts being made by the Portuguese authorities to find a way out of the economic crisis.

Now the aim is to use the networks forged during the convention to recruit specific groups of workers to work in Germany.

Patented concept seeks business partner, producer and sales partner. Steinbeis joined forces with specialists at the Northern Black Forest IHK chamber of commerce, the Karlsruhe Chamber of Skilled Crafts, the Hochform Precision Technology business cluster, INNONET plastics and the Baden-Württemberg State Mechatronics Network to invite exhibitors and other visitors to present, seek and identify novelties and useful ideas.

Following its successful premier in Reutlingen last year, a variety of innovations were presented in a specific field of technology. “There are lots of innovation and inventors’ fairs, but ‘Products Seek Producers’ is the first in Germany organized along these lines,” explained Wolfgang Müller, director of the Infothek Steinbeis Transfer Center in Villingen-Schwenningen. The exhibition provided a special forum for providers and producers involved in precision technology to mingle. Additionally, visitors to the exhibition could gain an overview of current developments in the industry.

To coincide with the exhibition, there was also a series of talks revolving around precision technology and funding options. The exhibitors at the event ranged from companies to universities and inventors with any kind of new product based on precision technology or some other form of innovative technology. Visitors to the exhibition were interested in finding collaboration partners in research and development, sales or production.

Steinbeis Transfer Center Receives Award as TOP Employer 2014

The Steinbeis Transfer Center for Microelectronics (TZM) – which for years has specialized in the development of electronic solutions used in hardware and software systems in the fields of automotive, medical and automation technology – promotes and lives a company culture marked by its focus on personnel. This has been honored by a TOP Employer prize. It’s not the first time the Göppingen-based company has been given the award.

The CEO, Edgar Grundstein and head of HR, Sandra Welter, developed processes to offer every worker open channels of communication, comprehensive options to undergo specialist and personal training, methods for developing intellectual and physical abilities, staff meetings and special “workflows,” as part of existing projects or new ones. Its efforts have now earned the TZM the honor of TOP Employer 2014 from TOP-JOB, an independent leadership and HR management institute at the University of St. Gallen in Switzerland. An evaluation conducted by the institute awarded the TZM top marks in the categories of “Motivation & Vigor” and “Culture & Communication.”

To conduct the analysis, experts from the St. Gallen institute examined employer attractiveness based on two factors. First: Senior managers and HR managers were questioned about the methods and instruments used in HR management. Second: A detailed employee survey was conducted to gauge satisfaction with the company’s working environment, the standard of management and personal identification with the company and the projects people are involved in.

The TZM is delighted with the award for two reasons. One: It shows that the processes used in HR are positively received by employees, and the company culture this engenders fosters team spirit and work motivation. Two: The honor galvanizes the image of the company as an employer in the hotly contested markets for top engineers and technicians.