For a long time, progress in digitalisation has been an increasingly important location factor for regions. In order to keep up with competition for the location of digital regions, political support is needed. For this purpose, the North Rhine-Westphalia government has selected five model regions around the leading municipalities of Aachen, Gelsenkirchen, Wuppertal, Soest, and Paderborn. As part of a funding programme, innovative projects focusing on e-government and digital urban development, or the Smart City, are funded there. In 2019, Prognos was commissioned to provide scientific support for the programme in the consortium along with DETECON Consulting (lead), and Prof Dr Björn Niehaves. Aims of promoting the digital model regions As part of the programme, the Ministry of Economics and Digital of North Rhine-Westphalia offers advice for municipalities in the Smart City or Smart Region fields. Around 65 municipalities have already registered to take up this offer. The focus of e-government is on promoting service-oriented action in digital administration. In the field of digital urban development, long-term Smart City solutions are being developed. This is being done in cooperation with citizens, associations, organisations, business, science, and the relevant administrations. New technologies are to be tested and established in practice. Focus of scientific support The assignment to the accompanying scientific consortium is divided into a total of seven work packages. On the one hand, the funding programs should be evaluated. On the other hand, accompanying communication and digitalisation advice are also the subject of scientific investigations. The focus of Prognos AG is on the evaluation of the implementation of digitalisation projects, the cooperation in and between model regions, as well as the evaluation and continuation of the programme. Methods of scientific support To enable statements about the effectiveness of the subsidies, the measures are accompanied by a supervision process. In addition, a theory-based impact evaluation is being carried out, along with online surveys and case studies. Further Informationen (wirtschaft.nrw; in German) Authors: Dr Jan-Philipp Kramer, Matthias Canzler, Moritz Glettenberg, Lorenz Löffler, Lennart Galdiga. Do you have questions? Your contact at Prognos Dr Jan-Philipp Kramer Partner, Head of EU Services View profile Matthias Canzler Senior Project Manager View profile Our work on this topic Take a look at our latest projects and activities. German industry’s resilience and sovereignty 2025 | Project German industry is heavily dependent on raw materials and intermediate products from abroad, especially from China. Prognos analysed supply chains and developed recommendations for action. Read more Trend Report 2025: Smart City after the experimental phase – Are we ready for the next step? 2025 | Project Smart City and Smart Region – are they about innovative solutions or are they just expensive gimmicks? The Trendreport 2025 looks at the status quo and future prospects for Smart City in Germany. Read more Technologies to combat the shortage of skilled workers 2025 | Expertise Specialists waste a lot of time on tiresome routine tasks. 3D planning tools or digital twins can help. Our analysis for the Fraunhofer IGD shows which professional groups benefit directly from their digital technologies. Read more From research to practice: technologies that make a difference ongoing | Project The Fraunhofer IGD develops software solutions in the field of visual computing. Sounds complicated? We show where these technologies solve specific problems. Read more Interregional Innovation Investment: The I3 Support Facility ongoing | Project The I3 Support Facility boosts interregional projects in smart specialisation, with Prognos leading the Capacity Building Hub. Read more AI race: Who can put Germany on the fast track? 2024 | Expertise In the field of AI, we are lagging behind internationally. But there are also opportunities. Together with the Handelsblatt, we show which players in the German AI landscape give cause for hope. Read more Everything CO2unts 17. September 2024 | Event The BMUV is hosting the annual conference of the Sustainable Digitalisation Community. Prognos is on site as part of the accompanying research for the GreenTech innovation competition. Read more Evaluation of the "Smart Cities Model Projects" funding programme ongoing | Project Prognos evaluates the "Model Projects Smart Cities" (MPSC) funding programme as part of the Coordination and Transfer Office under the direction of the DLR Project Management Agency. Read more Industry Conference 2024 26. November 2024 | Event Together with the Alliance for the Future of Industry, the BMWK is organising the Industry Conference 2024, where Michael Astor will present initial interim findings from our study on the resilience and sovereignty of German industry. Read more AI players in the federal state 2024 | Project Which companies are already using or developing artificial intelligence? Which companies would benefit from the use of AI? Prognos created an interactive dashboard for one federal state. Read more Study on Poverty and income inequality in the context of the digital transformation 2024 | Project The study for the European Commission examines the impact of digitalisation on the employment situation in the individual member states as well as on the EU economy as a whole. Read more Corporate foresight: Orientation for companies 2024 | Project How will societal, political, ecological and technological factors impact corporate strategies? Prognos analysed this question in a scenario-based environmental analysis for Sparkasse Bremen. Read more Development of a group-wide raw materials strategy 2024 | Project Our retail industry client commissioned us to develop a group-wide raw materials concept. We assisted the company from conception stage right through to the launch of the interactive web tool. Read more Innovation Index Germany 2023 2024 | Project Once again, Prognos has compiled the Innovation Index Germany on behalf of the Vodafone Institute for Society and Communications. The index quantifies the impact the expansion of Germany’s digital infrastructure has had on its innovation strength. Read more Dossier: The role of clusters in regional transformation processes 2023 | Project update The dossier, which was created as part of the NRW.innovativ competence centre, highlights the role that cluster organisations play in the digital and green transformation in NRW. Read more Green Tech: Digital technologies and sustainability ongoing | Project The Federal Ministry of Economics promotes digital technologies that drive forward the economy’s green transformation. Together with partners, we are responsible for the accompanying research. Read more Evaluation of Eurostars-2, the European SME support programme 2023 | Project On behalf of the EU Commission, Prognos and its partners examined the Eurostars-2 SME fund-ing programme as part of the evaluation study of the European Framework Programmes Horizon 2020 and Horizon Europe. Read more Evaluation of EU funding programme for the development of digital solutions for older people 2022 | Project Digital solutions can make life easier for older people. The EU's Active and Assisted Living Programme (AAL2) has actively contributed to the development of novel solutions. Read more Innovation strategy for the Hamburg Metropolitan Region 2022 | Project Innovation is more and more frequently emerging across regions and industries. Together with IMP³ROVE, we developed a strategy for the Hamburg Metropolitan Region (MRH) including out-standing innovation projects. Read more Innovation Index Germany 2022 2022 | Project How does the expansion of the digital infrastructure affect regional innovation strength? The IID.2022 provides clarification. Read more European Cluster Conference 2022 2022-09-27 | Event Dr Jan-Philipp Kramer and Lennart Galdiga inform in Prague about the competence centre "NRW.innovativ" and represent the European Cluster Collaboration Platform. Read more Blockchain in the creative industry 2022 | Project Technology enables new business models for creative professionals. And offers solutions for key industry challenges. Read more The future of trust in digital worlds 2022 | Project The internet is creating new forms of interaction that, in order to function, require our trust. Do we put our trust in technology or people? A BMBF Future Office study provides answers. Read more Findings from the cluster dialogues: The NRW cluster panorama 2022 | Project update The NRW Cluster Panorama defines five subject areas in which the greatest potential for the innovation ecosystem in NRW lies. Read more Hydrogen Innovation and Technology Centre (ITZ) is feasible 2022 | Project update The Hydrogen Innovation and Technology Centre (ITZ) is feasible. Four locations form a network across Germany. Read more Saarland StrategyPlus 2021-2023 2022 | Project On behalf of the Saarland State Chancellery, we have assisted with the update of the Saarland innovation strategy and have prepared the strategy paper, “StrategyPlus 2021–2023". Read more Artificial intelligence potential for SMEs in Rhineland-Palatinate 2022 | Project The challenges and opportunities of artificial intelligence for companies in Rhineland-Palatinate. A study commissioned by the Ministry of Agriculture. Read more Rhineland-Palatinate Transformation Agency ongoing | Project The Transformation Agency serves as a signpost for the changing world of work. Prognos puts this into action on behalf of the Ministry for Labour, Social Affairs, Transformation and Digitisation. Read more The NRW.innovativ competence centre ongoing | Project The industrial transformation of North Rhine-Westphalia will require innovative measures. The Ministry of Economic Affairs commissioned Prognos and partners to set up an innovation competence centre. Read more Digital Higher Education 2024 | Project Prognos AG evaluated the BMBF's funding activities in the research field of "Digital Higher Education" from 2020 to 2024. Read more Electrical, electronic and mechanical engineering sectors in the EU 2020 | Project On behalf of the European Commission, Prognos contributed to a study on the competitiveness of the electrical, electronic and mechanical engineering sectors in the EU. Read more The future of values held by people in our country 2020 | Project The Future Office of the BMBF Strategic Foresight process, made up of Prognos and Z_punkt, looks into the future of values in Germany. Read more Work Landscape 2025 2019 | Project The "Labor Landscape" study series has been providing an overview of the development of labor demand and labor supply in Germany since 2008. Read more Germany Report 2025|2035|2045 2018 | Project Germany will become more global, more digital, greener and older in the next 30 years. This is shown by Prognos Deutschland Report from 2018/2019. Read more Importance of the German Economy for Europe 2018 | Project The study shows: A strong German economy creates value-added and employment in Europe. Read more Women & retirement provision 2018 | Project A stronger employment orientation for women can help to stabilise the public pension system – while also benefitting their own financial position in old age. Read more Society 5.0 2018 | Project Implications of digitalisation for areas of life like work, health and mobility – that is the topic of “Society 5.0,” the short study carried out by Capgemini and Prognos. Read more Digitization Compass 2018 2018 | Project The Prognos/index Digitization Compass – the 5-Star-Rating regarding the digitization of regions in Germany. Read more Future Family Report 2030 2016 | Project This expert report looks at various scenarios. It shows that continued development of family policy has a positive impact on the economy as a whole. Read more Prognos Zukunftsatlas® 2013 2013 | Project How are Germany's regions positioned for the future? The 2013 study in cooperation with Handelsblatt. Read more Energy scenarios for the Federal Government Energy Concept 2010 | Project The energy concept formulates scenario-based guidelines for a clean, reliable, and affordable energy supply. Read more Prognos Zukunftsatlas® 2010 2010 | Project How are Germany's regions positioned for the future? The 2010 study in cooperation with Handelsblatt. Read more Prognos Zukunftsatlas® Industries 2009 2009 | Project “Prognos Zukunftsatlas® Industries 2009” focuses on the future fields that have potential for a strong increase in value creation over the next five to ten years. Read more Prognos Zukunftsatlas® 2007 2007 | Project How are Germany's regions positioned for the future? The 2007 study in cooperation with Handelsblatt. Read more Prognos Zukunftsatlas® 2004 2004 | Project How are Germany's regions positioned for the future? The 2004 study in cooperation with Handelsblatt. Read more Adobe Stock - CleverStock About us Prognos – Providing Orientation. Prognos is one of the oldest economic research centres in Europe. Founded at the University of Basel, Prognos experts have been conducting research for a wide range of clients from the public and private sectors since 1959 – politically independent, scientifically sound. Learn more