A collaborative project led by Leibniz University Hannover (LUH) is among the winners of the innovation competition "Artificial Intelligence as a Driving Force of Ecosystems Relevant to the Economy" organised by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi). During the opening ceremony of the new forum "Digital Technologies", which took place in September in Berlin, state secretary Dr. Ulrich Nussbaum presented Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Nejdl (director of the L3S Research Centre) with the certificate for the approved project proposal "IIP-Ecosphere: Next Level Ecosphere for Intelligent Industrial Production".
Sixteen projects were approved. Over the next three years, the winners will receive funding in order to implement their projects. The ministry will provide a total of twelve million euros of funding; LUH will receive approximately four million euros.
In collaboration with eighteen partners from academia and the industry, the L3S Research Centre and the Institute of Production Engineering and Machine Tools at LUH produced a conclusive concept for strengthening intelligent production solutions. Partners include University of Hildesheim, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Volkswagen, Siemens, DMG Mori, and Sennheiser. The consortium intends to develop a new ecosystem in order to utilise the rapid progress of artificial intelligence (AI) in the field of production technology - especially with respect to medium-sized companies - as well as to exploit the potential of industry 4.0.
Artificial intelligence (AI) is a key technology in intelligent production (industry 4.0). By using AI, studies predict an increase in productivity of up to 50 percent. BMWi aims to promote AI methods as a driving force for innovative value added networks, as well as for creating new products and business models. However, 65 percent of German businesses with more than 100 employees do not use AI methods to date. Small and medium-sized companies (SMEs) not only lack the technical requirements and the expertise required for this, but also suitable business models. In addition, there are concerns about data sovereignty and confidentiality. IIP-Ecosphere will facilitate the use of AI methods in production and demonstrate application scenarios. In this way, the consortium intends to eliminate obstacles and promote the sustainable inclusion of new stakeholders. The project aims to enable SMEs and start-ups to successfully apply and further develop AI methods for intelligent production.
Further information can be found at https://www.iip-ecosphere.eu/.
List of consortium partners:
Leibniz University Hannover
University of Hildesheim
Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg
University of Koblenz-Landau
Fraunhofer ISST
Artis Marposs Monitoring Solutions GmbH
Bitmotec GmbH
Deutsche Messe Technology Academy GmbH
Gildemeister Drehmaschinen GmbH (DMG Mori)
KIProtect GmbH
Lenze Group
RapidMiner GmbH
Salt & Pepper Software GmbH & Co. KG
Sennheiser electronic GmbH & Co. KG
Siemens AG
German Machine Tool Builders'' Association
Volkswagen AG
Note to editors:
For further information, please contact Dr. Claudia Niederée, L3S Research Centre (Tel. +49 511 762 17796, Email niederee@l3s.de).
