The Software Cluster that won the leading-edge cluster competition launched by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) is aimed at establishing the basis for tomorrow’s business software. As was recommended by the international jury of the competition, the second funding package is now granted to the project partners from industry and science in the region of Darmstadt, Kaiserslautern, Karlsruhe, Saarbrucken, and Walldorf. Within the only German software cluster, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) is involved in two joint projects.
“The recommendation by the independent jury reflects the success and progress achieved by the Software Cluster in the last two years,” says its spokesman, Professor Lutz Heuser, Chief Executive Officer of the AGT Group. “Due to the close cooperation of industry and science, we have already made a big step towards reaching our objective of establishing the basis for tomorrow’s business software. I am quite sure that the Software Cluster will live up to the confidence the jury has placed in us and that we will be able to complete our contribution to strengthening Germany as a location of industry in the second funding phase.” The recommendation of the jury was based on a review of the results and structures as well as on an interview. Now, the Jülich project management agency, on behalf of the BMBF, announced that the next funding package will be released. Of the total funding volume of 40 millions, the last third can now be disposed of.
Funding under the leading-edge cluster competition has already produced a number of good results in the first two years. Cooperation of large and small enterprises with science in the region gave rise to a number of new permanent cooperative ventures and projects. Major progress was achieved in the scientific fundamental research relating to business software, which is reflected by publications and patent applications of the Software Cluster. For the qualification of expert and executive staff, a certified program on “Emergent Software” was established for training parallel to profession. In addition, the partners cooperate in offering additional qualification certificates under existing master courses of universities and in enhancing top qualification e.g. in the field of IT security. The Cluster actors bundled their resources for international cluster marketing, the objective being to establish a brand standing for German quality in business software. The Software Cluster established permanent relations to partner clusters in South Africa, Brazil, Korea, or China. At the same time, it has an effect in the region itself: More than 150 companies have registered as “partners of the Software Cluster” since early 2012.
KIT is involved in the two joint projects “Fundamentals of Emergent Software (EMERGENT)” and “Innovative Services on the Future Internet (InDiNet)” as well as in two partner projects: “Peer Energy Cloud” deals with efficient energy management by cloud computing. Virtualization of product generation is in the focus of the project “Coupled Company-overlapping Simulation of Mobile Work Machines”.
KIT participates in the Software Cluster due to the excellent research and education in informatics offered under KIT’s COMMputation Focus, in particular by the Steinbuch Centre for Computing (SCC) and the Karlsruhe Service Research Institute (KSRI). KIT’s cloud computing research contributes decisively to designing completely new types of IT service offers. These services will enhance cost efficiency and accelerate innovation processes at companies. Other partners in the Cluster are large German business software manufacturers, such as IDS Scheer AG, SAP AG, and Software AG as well as more than 350 small and medium-sized companies in the business software sector and research institutions.
More information: www.software-cluster.com
Being “The Research University in the Helmholtz Association”, KIT creates and imparts knowledge for the society and the environment. It is the objective to make significant contributions to the global challenges in the fields of energy, mobility, and information. For this, about 10,000 employees cooperate in a broad range of disciplines in natural sciences, engineering sciences, economics, and the humanities and social sciences. KIT prepares its 22,800 students for responsible tasks in society, industry, and science by offering research-based study programs. Innovation efforts at KIT build a bridge between important scientific findings and their application for the benefit of society, economic prosperity, and the preservation of our natural basis of life. KIT is one of the German universities of excellence.