The region of Aachen as a 'Learning Region': A case study

All economic processes are increasingly being networked across the globe. This economic globalisation has become possible through the globalisation of information and communication technology networks. In view of such growing globalisation of economic processes, the region and its enterprises can only sustain competitiveness on the basis of continuous innovation processes, i.e., through continuous learning. The question, however, is which kind of economic framework - established by regional or transregional politics - is needed to support such innovation and learning processes in the region. In this paper, some aspects of this framework and its structural change processes are described, leading to the strategy to implement the concept of a Learning Region. The Learning Region is characterised in that it recognises its own needs for change and to accept these challenges, leading to its own learning processes within its cooperative networks. © Springer-Verlag Limited.