Digitization opens up a new vast field to industry. For exploring and designing it, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and the Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Arts et Métiers in Metz have created the “French-German Institute for Industry of the Future.” Here, science and industry will jointly develop fundamentals of the Industry of the Future or Industry 4.0 in the areas of production systems, robotics, virtual and extended reality, and advanced manufacturing processes. The first conference on “Industry of the Future” will take place on October 06, 2017, in Karlsruhe.
The new virtual institute is based on the close partnership in higher education between the two institutions. In 2016, the partners celebrated the 20th anniversary of the German-French double degree in mechanical engineering. More than 500 German and French students have successfully completed their degree in this program. The two institutions also cooperate in doctoral degree programs and summer schools. “Now, we also focus on research and innovation,” Professor Dr. Thomas Hirth, Vice President for Innovation and International Affairs at KIT, explains. The new institute is to serve as a platform for research and technology supporting the digitization of industry in Germany and France. The scientists have identified four research areas for joint further development: Production systems, robotics, virtual and extended reality, and advanced manufacturing processes.
“The Institute,” says Professor Volker Schulze, Head of the wbk Institute of Production Science, “is based on an exchange of heads.” German and French scientists are to use the platform for joint research, exchange, and cooperation with industry. The new institute strives for close connection with strategic industrial partners and seeks to promote innovation and entrepreneurship, for example, by setting up a French-German graduate school as well as a cross-border incubator. A post-graduate course and continued education programs are being planned, too. The Institute aims at creating new products, service and business models, and efficient production processes for industry through smart networking.
The next step in this direction will be the conference on October 6 in the Gartensaal of Karlsruhe Castle. Representatives of science and industry will present and discuss topics, such as digital transformation, human-machine interfaces, or safety with respect to future industry. Representatives of the media are cordially invited.
For more information and the program, click:
http://institute-industry-of-the-future.eu
Additional Materials:
Flyer of conference:
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.