On Monday, April 27, 2026, the first breakfast talk for the Digital Management Solutions (DiMS) program at TH OWL took place at the BildungsCampus Herford. The event brought together companies, students, and university staff in an open and inspiring atmosphere.
To kick things off, Advisory Board member Dr. Robert Rae of PerFact Innovation GmbH & Co. KG and inIT Board member Prof. Dr. Lukasz Wisniewski welcomed the participants in the Startup Lounge and emphasized the importance of exchange between industry and the university.
The focus of the breakfast talk was a keynote presentation by Dr. Jan Regtmeier of PerFact on the topic “The Elephant in the Room: Why Open Source Is the Actual Operating System of the Internet and Modern Industry.” It became clear just how many areas open source is used in on a daily basis, the enormous development potential behind it, and the vital role it plays in companies’ ability to innovate, their flexibility, competitiveness, and autonomy.
The subsequent discussion gave participants the opportunity to jointly discuss and reflect in a practical manner on the question raised—how future-proof companies are in a world increasingly shaped by open source. Combined with a shared breakfast, this fostered a lively dialogue among equals that opened up new perspectives and facilitated valuable networking.
The event concluded with a tour of the Herford Education Campus, during which guests gained further insights into modern learning and working environments.
Following this successful launch, the DiMS team plans to hold the breakfast talk on a regular basis, covering a variety of topics, thereby further strengthening the exchange between the university and the professional world.