Official Launch of CODROMO: Presentation of the Grant Award Notice at the Ministry of the Environment, Nature Conservation, and Transportation of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia

08.07.2026

Minister Oliver Krischer presented grant awards totaling 1.21 million euros under the Luftverkehr.NRW program to the University of Siegen and our consortium partner, Morpheus Logistik GmbH. This marks the official launch of CODROMO.

The goal of the project is to develop a container-based remote tower infrastructure for the safe and coordinated deployment of drones in urban airspace—known as U-Space. Specifically, the goal is to reliably monitor and control drone flights even beyond direct visual line of sight (BVLOS). There are many potential applications: from logistics and medical care to disaster response and civil protection.

The South Westphalia region serves as the real-world testing ground—involving the district control center, disaster management, and the German Life-Saving Association (DLRG). Our department is specifically responsible for coordination, system integration, scientific oversight, as well as Compliance and risk management in accordance with ISO 31000.

MUNV NRW also shares more details about the funding decision in itsLinkedIn post. We look forward to an exciting project period running through October 2028—and to making a fundamental contribution to the drone mobility of the future together with our partners.

Gruppenfoto auf der Jahreskonferenz der IFERA 2026

From June 9 to 12, 2026, our department was represented by five people at the annual conference of the IFERA (International Family Enterprise Research Academy) in Naples—one of the world’s leading conferences in the field of family business research. The attendees were Prof. Dr. Giuseppe Strina, Dr. Philipp Köhn, Katharina Fiebig, Matthias Vogel, and Tom Widrinsky. HEC Paris

The conference’s central theme was “Legacy in Action: Mobilizing Family Capital for Enduring Impact”—a topic that directly touches on the core of our research on family-led SMEs. The focus was on how family businesses, as guardians of a sustainable legacy, contribute to financial stability, social prosperity, and long-term prospects. IFERAIFERA

Our team members presented their current research and engaged in scholarly exchange with academics from around the world. This year, IFERA also celebrated its 25th anniversary—a special occasion for a conference that once again highlighted just how vibrant and international family business research has become.