Building bridges through partnership

One consequence of globalization is that large companies often become part of even larger corporations – while SMEs struggle not to fall by the wayside. Unless, of course, they link up with other SMEs to network their expertise and boost their competitiveness. The experts at the Steinbeis Consulting Center for Innovations Management and Know-How Transfer NORTH have in-depth experience in projects both with and for SMEs, and use solution-oriented concepts to implement projects successfully.

In modern business, great ideas and marketing concepts alone are not enough: to succeed, projects require professional support. Companies also need the right partners. One of 800 centers in the Steinbeis network, the Steinbeis Consulting Center for Innovations Management and Know-How Transfer NORTH was founded in 2010 and has already been involved in plenty of promising talks regarding partnerships between institutions and companies in the German states of Bremen, Hamburg and Schleswig-Holstein.

The center’s first collaborative projects will be with CEON (Centre for Communication, Earth Observation and Navigation Services), a non-profit state institution in Bremen. Founded in 2009, CEON’s main function is to coordinate Bremen state activities in the area of integrated, satellite-supported applications for navigation and logistics, plus maritime and atmospheric services. Together with partners from industry and academia, CEON initiates and implements demonstration and research projects for satellite-aided environmental and safety services.

CEON’s activities overlap in certain areas with those of the Steinbeis Consulting Center for Innovations Management and Know- How Transfer NORTH. This lays the groundwork for successful cooperation in areas such as maritime security, the marine environment, logistics, navigation, civil defense (port security, coastal protection and dyke protection) and renewable energy. Initial joint workshops have already been scheduled, and both partners hope that the ideas generated in the workshops will become live projects soon after.