From 07.09.2025 to 13.09.2025, the Institute of Economic and Cultural Geography visited the Spanish metropolises and economic centers Madrid and Bilbao together with K. Florian Schneider, Leon Worbs and a group of 19 students as part of the yearly “Grand one-week excursion in economic geography” in order to discuss economic geography in practice and to open up new topic areas.
During a total of eight appointments, practical insights were provided into various areas of economic geography, which were subsequently reflected upon in valuable discussions, including...
...in Madrid:
- Business promotion and representation of German companies abroad:
German Chamber of Commerce (AHK) for Spain - Sustainable urban city development, citizen participation, and project management:
Crea Madrid Nuevo Norte (CreaMNN) - Promotion of tourism and sustainability at UN level:
United Nations World Tourism Organization (UN Tourism) - Promotion of innovative-disruptive food technologies and food-start-ups:
Madrid Food Innovation Hub (MFIH)
...in Bilbao:
- Urban transformation of Bilbao and Zorrotzaurre island:
Bilbao City Council - Smart Specialization in Bilbao – strategic sectors and current projects:
Bilbao Ekintza (Innovation Ecosystem Unit) - Start-up ecosystem management:
B Accelerator Tower (BAT) - Tour of Zorrotzaurre island:
Bilbao City Council
We would like to take this opportunity to thank all of our appointment partners once again for giving us the possibility to exchange ideas with them and learn from their practical and personal experiences. We very much appreciated the friendly and open exchange.
A very special thanks goes to Yasmin Hawari and Enaitz Bilbao from Bilbao International, who supported us significantly in organizing the excursion appointments in Bilbao, looked after us throughout our stay and during the appointments and also gave us many valuable insights into Basque culture through personal discussions.
Furthermore, a very big thank you goes to all the students who contributed to the very pleasant group atmosphere through their willingness to participate, their exciting presentations, their interested contributions to the discussions and their active involvement, thus making the success of this excursion possible in the first place.
