German-Arab cooperation brought to life
Representatives from the United Arab Emirates visited the county of Osnabrück
German-Arab cooperation (from left): Dieter Albers, Prof. Ghaleb Ali Alhadrami, Birgit Kemphues, Prof. Afaf Kamal Eldin and Dr. Reinhold Kassing visited the DIL in Quakenbrück.
Quakenbrück. Abu Dhabi in Arabia and the county of Osnabrück geographically are 5,000 kilometers apart. However, this distance can be bridged easily as a cooperation between the University of Osnabrück, the German Institute of Food Technologies (DIL) and the University of the United Arab Emirates proves. In June 2010, the cooperation agreement was wrapped up in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi; now an Arab delegation paid a return visit to the county of Osnabrück.
This new cooperation is focusing on the exchange of students, transfer of knowledge and joint research projects. Key player in this cooperation is the food industry which is the second largest business sector in the country of Osnabrück. “The know-how of our enterprises is in worldwide demand. Added to that, with the DIL we have an excellent research institute on our doorstep," explained Dr. Reinhold Kassing, vice chairman of the Board of Directors at DIL, during the visit of the Arab delegation to the research institute in Quakenbrück. Issues addressed during this visit were predominantly research matters. “Our international partners are able to produce high quality food. We would like to establish ourselves as partner and use our scientific expertise to open up new markets in this region,” said Dieter Albers, Senior Technology Manager Meat at the DIL.
The DIL was founded in 1983. With its 140 qualified employees it belongs to the most innovative enterprises in the food industry. The institute’s core competencies include product and process development as well as food safety.
Prior to their visit to the DIL, the guests had already stopped over at the University of Applied Sciences in Osnabrück, the Wernsing company, a producer of delicatessen products, and at a manufacturer of agricultural machinery, the Grimme company. By the way, the cooperation with the Arab Emirates was initiated by Birgit Kemphues, businesswoman from Osnabrück. She used her contacts to the Arabic world to bring the partners together; she also arranged the cooperation and now supports its development. There was one issue all actors agreed on: 5,000 kilometers is not that much of a distance.
Source: County of Osnabrück
