Royal Visit in Münster – TECH.LAND in Dialogue with King Willem-Alexander

On 25 September, King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands visited the Haus der Niederlande in Münster, marking the 30th anniversary of his initial inauguration of the institution. The visit placed a clear focus on structured dialogue between students, academia, business, and political stakeholders, underlining the importance of cross-border exchange.

The King was accompanied by Minister-President Hendrik Wüst, Hester Somsen (Dutch Ambassador to Germany), Nikolaus Meyer-Landrut (German Ambassador to the Netherlands), Markus Lewe (Mayor of Münster) and Hannah Tijmes (Consul General of the Kingdom of the Netherlands).

TECH.LAND’s Contribution

TECH.LAND was represented by Dr. Fritz Jaeckel (CEO of IHK Nord Westfalen) and Hans Brouwers (Program Manager). In the discussions, TECH.LAND presented its cross-border innovation projects. A symbolic highlight was the handover of the TECH.LAND passport to the King by Dr. Jaeckel, which emphasized the shared commitment to Dutch-German cooperation.

Dr. Jaeckel further pointed to the international resonance of TECH.LAND’s activities, with interest already emerging from Singapore, Norway, the USA, and Canada – while Dutch-German collaboration consistently remains the core of all initiatives.

Innovation Projects in Focus

The dialogue with the King addressed concrete examples of cross-border innovation:

MOMO-C: development of mobile modular chargers and a testing environment for electric flights between Münster and Enschede, realized together with SEINE Batteriesysteme and NRG2fly. Given the King’s background as a pilot, this project attracted particular interest.
H2EART: creation of a cross-border hydrogen valley connecting East Netherlands, Münsterland, and Emscher Lippe, thereby strengthening the regional hydrogen economy.

Both projects illustrate the way TECH.LAND combines academic expertise (Universität Münster, University of Twente, FH Münster, Hogeschool Saxion) with innovation from companies and support from political stakeholders, covering areas such as hydrogen and battery technologies, MedTech, health, circular economy, and advanced manufacturing and robotics.

European Dimension

The royal visit reaffirmed that companies in East Netherlands and North Westphalia are embedded in a European innovation ecosystem. Through TECH.LAND, they gain structured access to talent, EU funding opportunities, and cross-border partnerships, strengthening their international competitiveness.

Acknowledgements

We thank Prof. Dr. Jacco Pekelder, Director of the Center for Dutch Studies (Zentrum für Niederlande-Studien), for the invitation and the ongoing cooperation within the TECH.LAND Monitoring Study.

We also acknowledge the constructive exchange with representatives from REMONDIS-Gruppe (Dr. Andreas Krawczik), Rethmann SE & Co. KG (Norbert Rethmann), Zentrum für Niederlande-Studien (Sian de Boer), Hogeschool Saxion (Jacques Bazen), and the Deutsch-Niederländische Handelskammer (Eva van Pelt and Günter Gülker).

Conclusion: The discussions in Münster demonstrated how cross-border innovation projects can transform geographical borders into productive interfaces of cooperation.

Press release here.

Pictures:
📷 Emiel Muijderman
📷 Michael C. Moeller
📷 Universität Münster (Brigitte Heeke & Norbert Robers)