By Kyle Shelton, CTS Director
In late June, I traveled to the Netherlands and Germany to connect with peer research units and join an economic development delegation with Minnesota’s Region Nine Development Commission (RNDC).
While in the Netherlands, I visited the cities of Utrecht and Maastricht. In Utrecht, I connected with the Dutch Cycling Embassy and learned more about how the organization works internationally to support building more effective bike networks. Then in Maastricht, I met with colleagues at Maastricht University, which included discussions with researchers in the science, technology, and society program and a deep dive into transportation policy and decision-making.
At the Brightlands Institute for Supply Chain Innovation (BISCI), I learned how staff are working with academic, industry, and public partners to tackle big questions related to freight and the supply chain. This discussion also dovetailed nicely with CTS’s “Unpacking Freight” theme, and I hoped to gain some insights into how BISCI structures its program. One surprising takeaway was how similar the economy of the three-country area of the Netherlands, Germany, and Belgium is to that of Minnesota. Both possess large concentrations of and strengths in medical technologies, agriculture, and advanced manufacturing, as well as close connections and collaborations with major research universities. CTS and BISCI will continue to explore how to strengthen supply chain research and partnerships with industry housed in both locations.
After my short visit to the Netherlands, I joined Nicole Griensewic, CTS’s outgoing Executive Committee chair and RNDC executive director, in Aachen, Germany, for the delegation’s trip. Co-hosted by the city and region of Aachen and the Aachen Center for Innovation and Technology Transfer (AGIT), the delegation was an opportunity to deepen the connection between RNDC, the North Rhine Westphalia State of Germany, and the City of Aachen. In addition to the University of Minnesota and RNDC, the delegation included representatives from Mankato State University; the south-central cities of Le Seur, Saint Peter, Saint James, and New Ulm; Brown County; the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency; New Ulm Utilities; and Ever-Green Energy.
The site that had the most impact on me was the Aachen Research Airport, where private aviation companies, the major Aachen universities, and public agencies at the local and national level combine to support advanced aviation research and development. The airport provided an exemplary model of how such entities could work together to build an advanced ecosystem for innovation. Together with representatives from Mankato State, who have a close working relationship with Mankato Regional Airport through its pilot training and aviation curriculum, I’m excited to explore emulating such a model with Minnesota airports and bringing U of M expertise in aerospace engineering and other fields into the fold.
I also enjoyed getting a glimpse into the training model Germany uses to support people interested in joining a range of trades, from carpentry and masonry to baking and hair styling. On a visit to the Chamber of Crafts and Skilled Trades (Handwerkskammer Aachen) site in Simmerath, we learned more about how the program—a collaboration between private companies and public funding agencies—helps address critical workforce needs and prepares students to master a trade. This site included yet another innovative collaboration between academic research and a trade in the form of the mass timber center. Led by architecture professors from RWTH Aachen, this program prepares students to work in the innovative fields of mass timber production and construction while also allowing research on the technology to evolve through rigorous testing.
Throughout both legs of the journey, I experienced a range of transportation infrastructure and am grateful to have brought multiple lessons home to Minnesota for CTS and our partners to explore!
