Innovation community OPEN receives millions in funding

As part of the OPEN innovation community, CADENAS GmbH has successfully applied for the DATIpilot funding guideline worth five million euros. Together with Festo SE & Co. KG, the Virtual Automation Lab research institute at Esslingen University of Applied Sciences and EDAG Production Solution GmbH, the joint application submitted by the research and transfer network was convincing.

In a multi-stage selection process, a jury of experts finally recommended 20 applications for DATIpilot funding from 480 submitted innovation outlines. Over a period of four years, the partners will work together to improve collaboration and the exchange of knowledge between different manufacturers and users in automation technology through digitally assisted and cross-manufacturer solution finding. The aim is to accelerate the development of innovative solutions in automation technology.

Even in the early concept phase, fundamental decisions on the system concept have to be made, automation components selected and offers prepared under considerable time pressure in our medium-sized mechanical and plant engineering industry. So far, this critical stage of the solution finding process has hardly been supported digitally, even though it is of the greatest relevance for the value chain", said Johannes Hoos, Speaker of the Innovation community OPEN and Department Advanced Development Digital Engineering at FESTO SE & Co. KG.

“There is enormous potential for innovation and transfer in our country.” At the launch of the DATIpilot funding guideline, Federal Research Minister Bettina Stark-Watzinger emphasized the objectives of both the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and the newly founded innovation agency DATI. Research institutions and representatives from industry are to be supported in jointly boosting the development of technological and social innovations in Germany.

Jürgen Heimbach, CEO of CADENAS GmbH, underlines: "Through its openness to industry and manufacturers, the OPEN innovation community will accelerate digital plant planning and design by promoting the provision of digital twins and information. Our key objective is to develop and support innovation in this area."

The aim of the DATIpilot funding guideline is to provide unbureaucratic funding for innovative projects and ideas. Applicants must be able to demonstrate research expertise and have a high transfer potential to industry and business. The ideas and sustainable solutions should be able to overcome social and economic challenges. In addition, DATIpilot strengthens regional and supra-regional innovation systems that convince through new approaches as well as open partner structures and open innovation approaches.

"The cross-sectional technology of the digital twin offers extensive potential for innovation in this area. With the cross-manufacturer solution-finding platform pursued by OPEN, we want to create a cross-company ecosystem for sustainable cooperation to develop innovative and digital solutions in mechanical and plant engineering", said Prof. Dr.-Ing. Sascha Röck, Head of the Virtual Automation Lab at Esslingen University of Applied Sciences.

As part of the four-year funding program, various projects from the fields of research, transfer and innovation are selected and implemented within the OPEN innovation community. The result is a well-networked community with successful transfer and innovation results.

An initial selection of participating partner companies has already been made and has been confirmed for the planned project start on January 1, 2025: the component manufacturers Afag, IEF Werner, IFM, Lenze, Sick and Zimmer as well as the mechanical engineering companies ASYS, Bausch + Ströbel, Brose, Stihl, topex and IT companies such as derivo, ISG and Plan Software.

Geminiware is a web platform for creating digital twins of machines, systems and automation solutions. The spin-off from Esslingen University of Applied Sciences supports intuitive and easy system planning with basic elements including VIBN. The elements are then replaced by real digital twins.