„Wir müssen deutlich machen, dass es eine Stimme der Region gibt, die von Kooperation und Kommunikation und nicht von Bürokratie bestimmt ist.“
Visions for the region:
The future of the Ruhr in 2030
Cult(ure) factor:
Ruhr Piano Festival
Experiencing industry live:
Dialogue With Youth
Creating standards
for Europe:
Advanced Med Science
European Capital of Culture:
Ruhr 2010
The Projects
Since 1988, the Initiativkreis has implemented various projects which have provided decisive impetus for the structural transformation of the Ruhr and promoted the image of the region.
Under the label “Future Ruhr2030”, the Initiativkreis Ruhr is sounding out the future prospects of the region on behalf of its member companies. The project is led by prestigious consulting companies from the association’s own ranks.
"By 2030, the metropolitan Ruhr area will be a model region for long-term solutions to global challenges.” With this vision as its springboard, the Future Ruhr2030 project ties together the IR’s particularly future oriented activities. A strategy paper produced in working groups forms the conceptual foundation, and this paper serves equally as a program for the future of the metropolitan Ruhr area and a long-term plan for the IR itself. The corresponding results were also the subject of the much-recognized congress “ContractFuture Ruhr2030,” whose participants included Dr. Angela Merkel, Chancellor of Germany. more...
Top summer event – the Ruhr Piano Festival presents the international pianist élite year after year thus making it a major cultural magnet for music lovers worldwide.
A project of the Initiativkreis Ruhr, the Ruhr Piano Festival has been a top prestige event of the region since 1989. Following highly original program guidelines that inspire multi-faceted artistic series featuring not only classical repertoire but also generous amounts of jazz, new music and concerts for children, this largest piano event in the world offers an exciting kaleidoscope of performances. For advance ticket sales and further information go to www.klavierfestival.de.
Career prospects for keen minds – sixth formers meet real captains of industry face to face, figures that are normally only to be seen on TV or in the press; and they are ready to listen to what the young people have to say.
Through its Dialogue with Youth project, the IR exposes students to the world of business and professional life. Through face to face conversations with leaders from the business sector, the dialogue facilitates accessible encounters with business topics and career paths, entrepreneurial goals, and opportunities for the future. By directly communicating the experience of business and assuaging possible fears, the IR puts young people from all types of schools in the Ruhr area in dialogue with top-level management. Getting students interested through real issues is what this is all about. Some of the topics addressed are:
• How does business work?
• What does a business have to do in competition?
• What professional opportunities are available to young people?
Having been optimally prepared by the visits to their classrooms, young people are hosted for an afternoon by businesses. Students get to know enticing career aspects and tackle actual case-study issues from professional life while inspecting the day-to-day goings on of a company. More...
The Ruhr Region as a European centre of advanced medical science – the medical infrastructure is unique, with the highest density of independent medical practitioners and hospitals nationwide. 
Creating new standards in Europe: The project First-Class Medicine in the Ruhr Area has been enhancing and networking outstanding medical and healthcare projects from the region since 2002. In 2004, the Ruhr area Hospital and Clinic Guide pilot study met with wide support. The second edition for the Rhine-Ruhr area (2005/2006) sold 30,000 copies, and its website (www.kliniken-rhein-ruhr.de) had almost 700,000 hits – a giant success. Every second hospital in the region undergoes a quality check. The third edition (for 2008) was released in November of 2007 with numerous improvements. The medical infrastructure in the Ruhr area is unique. The area contains the highest concentration of physicians’ practices and hospitals nationwide. Numerous research institutes and universities ensure a close mesh of research and instruction. A multiplicity of innovative entrepreneurs in the fields of medical technology, biotechnology, and information technology were founded here and stand for the medical excellence of the region. The cities between the Rhine and the Ruhr are increasingly developing into centers of expertise in the healthcare industry. A board of eighteen medical specialists from the entire Ruhr area oversees these activities. Our goal is for the Ruhr area to be the European center of first-class medicine. More...
The Ruhr is the European Capital of Culture 2010. The Initiativkreis Ruhr is one of the fellow partners of the new founded “Ruhr 2010”.
In Ruhr 2010 a limited company is being established, responsible for implementing and managing flagship and cooperation projects. The Initiativkreis contributes actively to the organization and the design of the program for Capital of Culture 2010. One of our own contributions will be the cultural project “Education”, which systematically advances the cultural education of young persons, especially the musical creativity of children. More...