Baltimore County Executive Jim Smith is in Germany this week studying how universities can aid economic development through business incubators, officials said. Smith is spending much of his time at the University of Oldenburg, which has shared a 20-year partnership with Towson University, both of which host business incubators. Along with a small county delegation, Smith will visit a research institute for computer sciences and a technology incubator, similar to one at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, said Fronda Cohen, spokeswoman for the county?s economic development office. Cohen said the county?s economic base was similar to Oldenburg?s.
“They have a lot of IT and software development and they have a major port,” Cohen said. “They have a growing life science and biotechnology sector, and certainly the university connection is there.”
The delegation also planned to visit a game-development center in Leipzig and two biotech incubators in Berlin. On Saturday, Smith will be an honored international guest at the 400th anniversary celebration of the Oldenburg Fair. The mayor of Oldenburg visited Baltimore County in July.
