Ostwestfalen-Lippe [ˈɔstvɛstˈfaːlənˈlɪpə], abbreviation OWL, is a region in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, with a 2,000-year-old history and culture. Ostwestfalen-Lippe is the eastern part of the region of Westphalia, joined with the Lippe region. A literal translation of the region's name would be East(ern) Westphalia-Lippe. The region is congruent with the area of the administrative region Detmold. A large number of major globally operating companies are headquartered in the region, including Bertelsmann, Miele, Dr. Oetker, Melitta, Gerry Weber, Gildemeister AG, Schüco, Wincor Nixdorf, Phoenix Contact and Claas. In 2012 OWL became germans BMBF Leading Edge Technology Cluster for intelligent Technical Systems (it's OWL ), which is currently the largest public funded project in the context of the government initiative "Industry 4.0". Universities are located in Bielefeld, Paderborn and Lemgo.