Equality as a competitive factor in BW and the EU

The fourth interregional in-person partner meeting of DEBUTING project took place in Stuttgart 24th and 25th of January 2024. Minister of Economic Affairs, Labour and Tourism of Baden-Württemberg Dr. Nicole Hoffmeister-Kraut welcomed representatives from the partner nations to the meeting, focusing on the question of how greater diversity and equal opportunities in the economy can help to combat the shortage of skilled workers.

"More equality and equal opportunities in the world of work can open up new potential for skilled labour. These are strategic success factors for the competitiveness and innovation of small and medium-sized enterprises," said Dr Nicole Hoffmeister-Kraut, Minister for Economic Affairs, Labour and Tourism of Baden-Württemberg, at the project meeting at the Haus der Wirtschaft in Stuttgart.

Throughout Europe, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) often find it difficult to implement and exemplify an equal opportunities and diverse corporate culture. At the same time, companies are suffering from enormous shortages of skilled labour, which will be exacerbated by demographic change. This is where the Interreg Europe project DEBUTING  comes in, in which project partners from ten EU countries are working together. They are working together on the question of how to anchor "equal opportunities and diversity in the economy" more firmly in innovation and cluster policy. The aim of the project is to support small and medium-sized enterprises in particular in maintaining and increasing their innovative strength and competitiveness and to strengthen them in coping with the major transformation tasks of our time.

"As recognised 'agents of change', clusters are a perfect instrument for supporting SMEs in implementing suitable and innovative measures, as they are key players in shaping and implementing strategies for the working world of tomorrow," said the Minister. The DEBUTING project therefore works closely with cluster initiatives and intermediaries.

"A modern world of work and a good work-life balance are the prerequisites for ensuring that women in Baden-Württemberg can work even better according to their qualifications and as close to full-time employment as possible and that a career - even with family commitments - is possible. Diverse employment models, New Work, mobile working and the utilisation of digital progress in the workplace are valuable tools for this," Hoffmeister-Kraut is convinced. She sees the DEBUTING project as an opportunity to generate impetus for innovative approaches through the exchange of "good practices". "We can gain new insights by benefiting from the experiences of other regions and being inspired by their best practices. A win-win situation for everyone," said Hoffmeister-Kraut.

On top of the discussions with the minister, the agenda was filled with other interesting topics and discussions, just to mention few of the many highlights:

• Presentation of equality strategy and measures Economy and equality BW by Dr. Birgit Buschmann, Head of the Economics and Equal Opportunities Department, Ministry of Economic Affairs, Labour and Tourism BW
• Presentation of the BW cluster strategy by Dr Gerd Meier zu Köcker, Head of RegioClusterAgency for Innovation & Transformation in Baden-Württemberg
• Implementation of the EU Gender Equality Charta with the City of Mannheim's Gender Equality Action Plan by Zahra Deilami, Equal Opportunities Officer at Equal Opportunities Department of the City of Mannheim
• Baden-Württemberg innovation strategy, Dr Arndt Oschmann, Head of ERDF Department
• Innovative business development of the city of Stuttgart, Konstantin Schneider, Team Leader Innovation, Department of Economic Development, City of Stuttgart

The final highlight of the programme was a visit to ARENA 2036 to learn more about how top technology companies cooperate with each other and researchers on innovations in the automotive indusrty. 

The project meeting was organised by the RegioClusterAgentur for Innovation and Transformation in Baden-Württemberg, a project partner in DEBUTING project, together with the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Labour and Tourism of Baden-Württemberg.