14 July 2025
How can the transition from a coal-based region to an AI region be achieved? This question was the focus of the visit by Mona Neubaur, Deputy Minister-President of North Rhine-Westphalia and Minister for Economic Affairs, Industry, Climate Protection, and Energy, and Ina Brandes, Minister for Culture and Science of North Rhine-Westphalia, to the Rhineland coal-mining area on July 14, 2025. As part of their research and innovation trip, the ministers also stopped at Forschungszentrum Jülich, which is playing a key role in the structural change of the region with several forward-looking projects.
At Brainergy Park Jülich, the two ministers learned about two ambitious projects: The NEUROTEC II project aims to develop a new generation of computers that function like the human brain. Such neuromorphic systems could be significantly more energy-efficient than conventional computers in the future - an important basis for sustainable AI applications.
Also at Brainergy Park, the Helmholtz Cluster HC-H2 is creating a center for research and transfer in the field of hydrogen technologies. The aim is to rapidly transfer novel processes for hydrogen production and utilization into applications - with support from, among others, the start-up CleanH2eat, which aims to convert hydrogen into heat without emissions. There were also exhibits on hydrogen storage and a model catalyst.
A model region for bioeconomy is being created in the Rhineland mining area: The goal is a bio-based circular economy - away from fossil raw materials and toward an economy in harmony with the environment and the region. A key driver here is the BioökonomieREVIER, which is based at the Forschungszentrum Jülich. The ministers visited three projects run by the initiative: The "Agricultural robotics, AI, and digital systems for agriculture" project focuses on how cultivation methods can be improved through digitalization and AI. At the Agri-Food-Energy Park in Bürgewald, research is being conducted into how farmers can make their yields more climate-resilient and cultivate more efficiently. On the edge of the Hambach opencast mine, the ministers also learned about a project to use thistle fields as interim land after mining. Here, the nutrient-poor marginal areas of the opencast mine are being used to grow safflower. The oils and fibers extracted from the plants can be used in a variety of industrial applications, for example as environmentally friendly lubricants for machines or for the production of paper and packaging. This is an exemplary model for the sustainable use of post-fossil landscapes.
The projects visited are examples of the important role played by Forschungszentrum Jülich in the structural change of the Rhineland mining region: with cutting-edge research, strong partners, and concrete transfer approaches, it brings innovative solutions into practice-and creates prospects for the economy and society.
Image gallery, Copyright: Tomas Rodriguez
