On 1 October 2024, the Minister-President of North Rhine-Westphalia, Hendrik Wüst, together with the German Ambassador to the United Kingdom, Miguel Berger, invited guests to London for the celebrations of German Unity Day. The event took place in the Leake Street Tunnel, a venue filled with impressive graffiti art, reminding entering guests of the Berlin Wall.

In their opening speeches, Minister Wüst and Ambassador Berger highlighted the deep-rooted partnership between NRW and the United Kingdom. Wüst emphasised the historical connection: “The British created NRW and we have maintained a strong, symbiotic cooperation ever since.” Ambassador Berger reiterated the current importance of this relationship, especially in times of global challenges.

The central theme of the event was the deepening of bilateral relations between the UK and the EU, particularly through a new treaty focusing on innovation and technology transfer. NRW is an international leader in key areas such as biotechnology, medicine and green hydrogen. Nick Thomas-Symonds, the UK Minister for Constitutional Affairs and EU Relations, lightened the mood with a humorous reference to Jürgen Klopp, the “best German export”, while expressing the desire to further strengthen cooperation with Germany and NRW in particular.

The importance of this partnership is also reflected in the economic dynamics: in the past twelve months, cooperation with Germany has resulted in an impressive economic turnover of £149 billion. This highlights NRW’s strong position as a driver of innovation and a reliable partner.

BIO.NRW was one of four state networks from NRW invited to represent the importance of biotechnology as a key technology for the future. In addition to BIO.NRW, Medizin.NRW, Cybersicherheit.NRW and NRW.Energy4Climate were also invited, while participation was coordinated by NRW.Global Business. As a state network, BIO.NRW emphasised the role of biotechnology, which is of central importance for the state’s innovative and economic strength.

At a time when technological developments are shaping markets worldwide, North Rhine-Westphalia remains a strong partner in research, development and technology transfer. The event once again underlined how valuable the partnership between NRW and the UK is – from coal mining to artificial intelligence.

BIO.NRW is optimistic about the future and looks forward to further strengthening these partnerships across the channel and driving innovation between NRW and the UK. Exciting initiatives are already underway that will further deepen this collaboration.