On 23 April 2026, at the invitation of the Institute for Science Dialogue (IWD) at the Technische Hochschule OWL (TH OWL), a delegation from the district government of Beijing, China, visited the Innovation Campus Lemgo. The inIT Discrete Systems working group, led by Prof. Dr. Volker Lohweg, contributed to this international exchange on the topic of digitalisation in healthcare with two presentations.
Interest in international cooperation
Alongside the inIT, TH OWL, the Lippe Regional Association and Lüttfeld Vocational College presented current developments, innovative approaches and potential areas of cooperation in the healthcare sector. The Chinese visitors were particularly interested in topics relating to the elderly and digitalisation, and were especially impressed by the practical focus and thematic diversity of the research being carried out at the Innovation Campus Lemgo.
ISyCARE transfer project
Frauke Wiegräbe, a research associate in the Discrete Systems working group led by Prof. Dr. Volker Lohweg, presented the ISyCARE transfer project – integrated socio-technical systems for user-centred care. This is a transfer project funded with 5 million euros by the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space for a period of four years. The project is aimed at people in need of support and rehabilitation, as well as healthcare professionals. Frauke Wiegräbe outlined both the objectives and structure of the innovation community, as well as the funding priorities within the framework of the so-called patient journey in the OWL health region.
In her presentation, Frauke Wiegräbe emphasised: “ISyCARE is a strong network of science, research and practice partners aimed at further developing and implementing innovative and user-centred technologies in the region”, which met with great interest from the Chinese guests.
Digitalisation in healthcare
In her presentation, Dr. Laura Moradbakhti addressed the topic of digitalisation in healthcare. Dr. Moradbakhti is the group leader for AI and digital assistance systems in healthcare at inIT and project manager for “Artificial Intelligence for digital assistance systems to enhance health literacy among the population” at the Lippe District Health Authority. The researcher presented the activities of the public health department and its digitalisation measures. She highlighted the need to expand digital processes in order to support the district’s healthcare provision in the future.
International networking
Against the backdrop of potential international cooperation, all those present were delighted with the intensive professional exchange. The Chinese delegation was deeply impressed by the close integration of research and practice both at the Innovation Campus Lemgo and in the OWL region, and took away beneficial insights.