Stagnation is a term we are not familiar with. On the contrary – the district of Düren shapes the future. Climate protection, e-mobility and digitalisation – for us, these are not just words, but clearcut activities. Four reasons why companies invest here.
Mobile with green electricity – into the future with hydrogen
The district of Düren is focussing on renewable energies, and in summer 2020 put its first five electric buses on the district’s roads. The new vehicles have a range of 100 to 150 kilometres and are mainly used in the Düren town area. The buses, purchased with subsidies from the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, are an important part of the district’s climate protection scheme.
For longer journeys the district of Düren will be using hydrogen-powered buses in future – and in the summer of 2020 Düren received a grant of 1.3 million euros from NRW Transport Minister Hendrik Wüst for that. The district will use the money to purchase its first five hydrogen-powered buses.
Hydrogen is of much importance as a fuel of the future and as a substitute for the lignite that is mined in the region. The Forschungszentrum Jülich (Jülich Research Center) is establishing a Helmholtz Cluster for a sustainable hydrogen economy, and green hydrogen is to be produced at Brainergy Park Jülich in the future. This is where the largest solar park in NRW is being built, which will then supply environmentally friendly energy for producing hydrogen. It is also intended that trains will run on hydrogen. A hydrogen train already travelled from Düren to Jülich and Obermaubach on a trial journey.
Cutting-edge research for all of us
How will we work in the future and how will we live? When will we travel in autonomous vehicles? How can all this be achieved in the most climate-friendly way? And how can we shape this change ourselves? By researching the future – the future of mobility, technology, health and the environment. This is already happening each and every day in the district of Düren.
Forschungszentrum Jülich (6,400 employees) makes effective contributions to solving major society-based challenges in the areas of information, energy and bioeconomy, and is one of the largest interdisciplinary research centres in Europe. Also in Jülich, the German Aerospace Center (DLR) operates Germany’s only solar tower as a solar thermal test power plant.
The Aldenhoven Testing Center is researching the future of mobility. A test track run by the district of Düren together with RWTH Aachen University makes it possible to simulate almost all real-life traffic situations. The 5G Mobility Lab is one of the most modern mobile communications development and testing environments for future networked, autonomous transport.
Promoting digitalisation and expanding the broadband network
Digitalisation is in full swing. The district of Düren set itself a target of providing all households and businesses in the district of Düren with a bandwidth of at least 30 Mbit/s to the end of 2021. The overall expansion will be self-funded and will also receive a total of 12.3 million euros in funding from the federal government and the State of North Rhine-Westphalia. The expansion in the district’s southern area began in the summer.
29 schools throughout the district are already connected to the high-speed fibre optic network, and by the end of 2021, all schools in the district are to be provided with sufficient bandwidth as part of the funding project.
Creating good framework conditions for companies and start-ups
The district of Düren sees itself as a central service provider if you want to set up, locate or develop a company here.
The district’s business development organisation offers a wide range of free support to help you kick-start your ideas and projects. As an interface between business, administration and local authorities, it provides fast and unbureaucratic help with a diversity of business issues.
The relocation management office based at the district’s Welcome Centre provides specific assistance to companies wishing to offer their employees attractive accommodation in the region.
Innovative companies will find a home at the Jülich Technology Center for example, and in future at the Innovation Quarter located at Düren railway station. The Brainergy Park Jülich is predestined for research-related companies in the new energy sector.
Investor acquisition
Stable financing is the backbone of a prosperous region, but how do projects and investors come together? The Investor acquisition team of the District of Düren’s Office for Innovation and Change brings local authorities and investors (e.g. sales companies, funds or private individuals) together with the aim of maximising economic benefits for both sides and, if desired, assists with drafting the contractual framework.
Towards a model region for sustainable management
The coal phase-out heralds the beginning of a new era in the Rhenish mining region, and the district of Düren is heading towards a climate and resource-friendly future. The structural transformation in the Rhenish mining region is a unique opportunity for the district of Düren. The rural area, long characterised by opencast lignite mining, is developing into a pioneer of the energy and mobility transition. In the form of the Economic and Structural Programme 1.1 for the Rhine Future Region the region has presented its strategy for economic transformation and the creation of future-proof jobs. Several structural change projects, e.g. the Center for Vertical Mobility in Aldenhoven, the Brainergy Park Jülich and the model paper factory in Düren, are located in the district of Düren.
