The research and higher education landscape is diverse. In addition to nearly 70 public universities and universities of applied sciences, art and music academies, as well as private and church-affiliated universities and administrative colleges, offer qualifications in a wide range of disciplines. Research also takes place in non-university research institutions. More than 50 non-university research institutions are located in North Rhine-Westphalia. Furthermore, three major research institutions are situated in North Rhine-Westphalia: the German Aerospace Center (DLR) , the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE) , and the Jülich Research Centre (FZJ) . Of particular note are the 14 Clusters of Excellence and two Universities of Excellence in North Rhine-Westphalia (RWTH Aachen University and the University of Bonn).

North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) has significantly advanced its startup ecosystem in recent years, showing a positive track record in the proportion of startups with high employment growth. Gründen.NRW hotspots in Germany and Europe.

North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) is also showing positive developments in student-led startups, particularly those from universities of applied sciences. With approximately 300 spin-offs from universities, NRW currently surpasses Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg in this figure. A key driver of this positive trend is the Excellence Start-up Center.NRW . The initiative aims to expand and further develop existing university-based startup networks into "Excellence Start-up Centers" within a regional ecosystem.

Innovative large corporations, as well as SMEs, are the driving forces behind progress and future-proof economic structures. These companies successfully translate knowledge into new technologies, improved products, services, processes, and business models. North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) can rely on a broad and innovative SME sector that plays a vital role in, for example, industrial value chains. NRW boasts a number of high-performing large companies in key sectors, including the chemical, pharmaceutical, and energy industries. A particularly high level of research intensity can be observed in NRW, especially in the area of ​​cutting-edge technologies. Finally, NRW's economy is characterized by a broad (knowledge-based) service sector, which offers starting points for innovation, particularly in areas such as logistics and the digitalization of value creation.

North Rhine-Westphalia boasts a significant number of innovation-supporting clusters and networks that aim to integrate innovation stakeholders both statewide and regionally. These statewide clusters operate in diverse technology and innovation fields at the interface of business, science, and society. The statewide clusters are complemented by regional initiatives that have a stronger local focus and are designed as instruments for economic development.

The cluster panorama of NRW.innovativ explains the importance of clusters in the further development of NRW as an innovation location.

As a statewide consulting network, the NRW.BANK Innovation Partners are active throughout North Rhine-Westphalia. They are available to all small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), regardless of their industry, as a point of contact for all matters relating to innovation and digitalization. The Innovation Partners support SMEs in unlocking their own innovation potential, improving their innovative capacity, and implementing innovation and digitalization projects.

At the regional level, ClusterAllianz.NRW as a voice for the diverse cluster landscape in North Rhine-Westphalia. It was founded to intensify the exchange and cooperation of cluster organizations and networks in NRW and to form a common voice for dialogue with the state government.

European Cluster Collaboration Platform offers a network for clusters and networks. In particular, it facilitates intensified exchange between innovation stakeholders within the framework of EU Commission calls for proposals.