2017HIGHLIGHTS

F R A U N H O F E R I N S T I T U T E F O R I N D U S T R I A L E N G I N E E R I N G I A O

Cover photos: Science Year “Working Life of the Future“

The theme of the Science Year 2018 is “Working Life of

the Future“, which will address such questions as how

work will change in the future and what role research

and science play in coping with these changes. The Sci-

ence Years are a key science communication initiative of

the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research

(BMBF), which has been co-organizing this event with the

initiative Wissenschaft im Dialog (WiD) since 2000.

http://s.fhg.de/wissenschaftsjahr-2018

PROJEKTBERICHTE IN ZWEI ZEILEN

HIGHLIGHTS 2017Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Engineering IAO

in cooperation with the

Institute of Human Factors and Technology Management IAT at the University of Stuttgart

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Prof. e. h. Wilhelm Bauer

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Oliver Riedel

Univ.-Prof. Dr.-Ing. Dr.-Ing. E. h. Dr. h. c. Dieter Spath

apl. Prof. Dr.-Ing. Anette Weisbecker

ABOUT US

A B O U T U S 4

H I G H L I G H T S 2 0 1 7 8

Fraunhofer creates new group for innovation research 10

Future Meeting Space: Rethinking the events industry 11

Innovative services in the assistive and preventive

healthcare markets 11

eMobility Scout: Keep it simple and smart 11

SME 4.0 Cloud Agency: Communicating knowledge

of cloud applications 13

Permutations of flexible living and working (LAIF) 13

R E S E A R C H A T F R A U N H O F E R I A O 1 4

F U R T H E R I N F O R M A T I O N 1 8

I M P R I N T 2 0

F I G U R E S O F 2 0 1 7 2 1

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PEOPLE AND TECHNOLOGY IN THE DIGITAL WORKING WORLD Digital technologies are transforming our working world with profound effects on business and

society. Digitalization modernizes and revolutionizes long-established practices and processes in

the blink of an eye. The Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Engineering IAO works together with

companies and public-sector bodies and institutions to develop strategies, business models and

solutions for digital transformation.

In our center for applied research, we focus on the following key areas:

Holistic approaches to work design and organization and corporate cultures

Pioneering solutions for human-machine interaction

Development and implementation of innovation and technology strategies

Application of virtual and augmented reality

Cognitive systems and artificial intelligence

Sustainable solutions for tomorrow’s mobility

System innovations for livable and adaptable cities

Our goal is to systematically optimize the ways in which people, organizations and technology

interact.

Working together with large corporations as well as SMEs, we tap into the potential of new

technologies such as cognitive computing, blockchain, autonomous driving and IoT platforms

and apply it to product innovations, process improvements and new business models. In doing

so, we enable our customers to quickly and efficiently align the potential offered by new

technologies with market requirements and leverage this potential for their own products and

processes. Our interdisciplinary research teams seek to provide the best possible support to

people in their jobs by developing solutions for efficient human-machine interaction.

A B O U T U S

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Our clients

Our clients range from major corporations and SMEs to public sector bodies and

institutions.

Our solutions

We offer you a distinctive knowledge advantage and show you ways of quickly adapting

this knowledge to your specific needs and using it to make your business more profita-

ble. Whatever the project, people are at the heart of everything we do – and we never

lose sight of the social repercussions.

Our teams

Our interdisciplinary teams bring together colleagues from a range of specialist fields,

including business management and economics, computer science, engineering, natural

sciences, and social science. They take a wide-ranging, holistic approach to analyzing key

issues in order to pinpoint the most practical and feasible solutions.

Our network and cooperations

We work closely together with our partner institute – the Institute of Human Factors and

Technology Management (IAT) at the University of Stuttgart – as well as the Technical

University of Berlin and a number of other institutes of higher education.

Our equipment

Combined, Fraunhofer IAO and the IAT employ more than 600 people and have a

total of 15,000 m2 of office space, demonstration centers, and development and test

laboratories.

HIGHLIGHTS 2017

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Fraunhofer creates new group for innovation researchPool ing competencies: Fraunhofer cementing i ts pos i t ion as a leading player

in the German innovat ion arena

Understanding the complex effects of new technologies is critical for the success of entire eco-

nomies. Structural changes through technological developments must therefore be recognized

and understood at an early stage in order to actively shape the long-term economic, social,

political and cultural impact on society and the economy. With the new Fraunhofer Group for

Innovation Research, the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft aims to strengthen its future role in research,

technology and innovation policy dialogue with industry, politics and society, thus further

cementing its position as a leading player in the German innovation arena.

Technological changes such as digitalization merge a wide variety of living and working

environments and experiences. They open up new design opportunities, but at the same time

go hand in hand with fundamental change processes. It is precisely these rapid developments

surrounding digital transformation that are a pressing issue for industry, politics and society.

They sometimes necessitate quick action so that the political framework can keep pace with

technological development. “With its broad range of competencies, Fraunhofer has been a

reliable scientific partner to industry for decades. Our excellent pre-competitive research and

market knowledge help us contribute original technology transfer services that secure value

creation in Germany and in Europe. We are also fully committed to supporting policy makers

with our expertise as best we can,” explains Fraunhofer president Prof. Reimund Neugebauer.

“Germany needs to secure its position as a front-runner in important innovations as well as

in innovations that have the potential to disrupt. With this in mind, we decided to create the

Fraunhofer Group for Innovation Research with a focus on socio-economic and socio-technical

research.”

Key technologies for future-oriented innovations

The new Fraunhofer Group for Innovation Research will commence work on July 1, 2017, initi-

ally comprising four research institutes with over 500 employees: the Fraunhofer Institute for In-

dustrial Engineering IAO in Stuttgart, the Fraunhofer Center for International Management and

Knowledge Economy IMW in Leipzig, the Fraunhofer Institute for Technological Trend Analysis

INT in Euskirchen, and the Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research ISI in Karls-

ruhe. “By founding the new group, the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft wants to further consolidate

its role in researching and supporting innovation processes and the technological, economic

www.innovation.

fraunhofer.de/en

H I G H L I G H T S

2 0 1 7

www.innovation.fraunhofer.de/enwww.innovation.fraunhofer.de/en

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and social conditions that shape them,” says chairman of the alliance and Executive Director

of Fraunhofer IAO Prof. Wilhelm Bauer. “Throughout Europe, we have the broadest diversified

technology profile, with expertise in areas such as resource-efficient production, transport and

mobility, energy and housing, information and communication, protection and safety as well

as health, nutrition and environment. The link between our range of competencies and socio-

economic and socio-technical research is what makes us stand out from the crowd.”

Addressing system-relevant technological issues in the future

Initially, the new group will focus on strengthening the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft in research,

technology and innovation policy dialogue with politics, industry and society. It also sees

itself as a platform for addressing system-relevant technological issues in the future. In its

capacity, the new group will support an important aspect of the newly launched Research

Fab Microelectronics Germany (FMD). Funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education

and Research (BMBF), the project has furnished eleven Fraunhofer and two Leibniz Institutes

with state-of-the-art equipment and systems costing around 350 million Euros. It aims to pool

together technological skills for addressing topics related to the future. “The project deals

with developing existing and new market or customer needs, evaluating disruptive business

models and innovative services as well as providing recommendations for technology roadmaps

and innovation strategies. Microelectronics is set to gain more importance in the international

arena as a major German technology. This requires us to work together across all disciplines,”

adds Neugebauer. “After all, developing and implementing new technologies invariably allows

you to be at the forefront of strategically important transformations. This is how we can drive

pioneering innovations today and create enormous innovation potential for tomorrow.”

Institutes working in closely related fields join forces to form the Fraunhofer Groups and com-

pete together on research and development in the market. These groups are actively involved

in corporate policy as well as implementing the tried and tested function and financing models

of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft. The Fraunhofer Group for Innovation Research brings the total

group count to eight – the other groups deal with information and communication technology

(ICT), life sciences, light and surfaces, microelectronics, production, defense and security

research as well as materials and components (MATERIALS).

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Future Meeting Space

Rethinking the events industry

The “Future Meeting Space” innovation network was created by the German Convention

Bureau (GCB) and the European Association of Event Centers (EVVC) in collaboration with

Fraunhofer IAO, with the objective of safeguarding Germany’s future as a prime location for

international conferences and conventions. The purpose of this initiative is to anticipate trends

in the events industry, evaluate their possible impact, and recommend courses of action. In

this interview, Matthias Schultze, managing director of the GCB, and Dr. Stefan Rief, head of

Organisational Development and Work Design Research Unit at Fraunhofer IAO, tell us how this

research is organized and what results they expect from the project.

Innovative services in the assistive and preventive healthcare markets

Creating business models for collaborative service networks

The INDiGeR research project – Innovative Netzwerke für Dienstleistungen und Gesundheit in

Regionen von morgen – aims to develop new solutions for the provision of networked services

in the healthcare sector. It focuses on four essential questions: What are the basic design para-

meters of a robust service network? How are services developed? What kind of business model

best fits the needs of collaborative service provision? What metrics can be used to measure

performance?

eMobility Scout

Keep it simple and smart

What is the most efficient way of integrating electric vehicles into my fleet? How can I reduce

the costs of installing and connecting a charging infrastructure? These questions are being

studied by a consortium of research partners in the eMobility-Scout project, which deals with

the conceptualization, implementation and testing of a cloud-based IT solution for operating

electric vehicles and sharing private charging infrastructures. E-mobility offers companies

huge potential to improve efficiency, save costs, and implement new business models. But in

practice, integrating electric vehicles into a company’s fleet is not as straightforward as it might

seem. The eMobility-Scout project addresses this challenge by developing and testing

Read the interview at

http://s.fhg.de/future-

meeting-space

Read more about this inno-

vative research project at

http://s.fhg.de/indiger-

research

Learn more about how to

keep your fleet manage-

ment simple and smart at

http://s.fhg.de/emobility-

scout

http://s.fhg.de/future-meeting-spacehttp://s.fhg.de/future-meeting-spacehttp://s.fhg.de/indiger-researchhttp://s.fhg.de/indiger-researchhttp://s.fhg.de/emobility-scouthttp://s.fhg.de/emobility-scout

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e-mobility solutions based on the pragmatic motto “keep it simple and smart.” It focuses on

the integration of electric vehicles into existing fleets: a gradual approach that will make it

easier for companies to adopt e-mobility.

Permutations of flexible living and working (LAIF)

How and to what degree does this trend affect workers’ private lives and the much-

vaunted “work-life balance?“

People’s working lives have been growing more flexible for many years, to the extent that the

restriction of fixed hours and a fixed place of work is becoming a thing of the past. How and

to what degree does this trend affect workers’ private lives and the much-vaunted “work-life

balance?” The LAIF research project, funded by the Hans Böckler Foundation, is investigating

the relevance of all conceivable effects of different permutations of flexible living and working.

The analysis is based on an opinion survey carried out by the IG Metall trade union in 2017, to

which some 680,000 employees responded. The scale of this survey allowed a wide range of

opinions concerning flexible working to be gathered. In 360 of the participating companies, the

set of questions was expanded to include other aspects of flexibilization, employees’ personal

circumstances and work-life balance. The collected data thus constitutes a truly representative

sample of opinions drawn from all areas of the manufacturing industry, which can serve as a

meaningful basis for further analysis. Three such studies have been published by Fraunhofer

IAO in collaboration with the Institute for Human Factors and Technology Management (IAT) at

the University of Stuttgart.

SME 4.0 Cloud Agency

Communicating knowledge of cloud applications

The SME 4.0 Cloud Agency is part of the “SME 4.0 − Digital Production and Work Processes”

funding initiative of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi)

as part of its “SME Digital – Strategies for digitally transforming business processes” priority

funding category. The Agency’s work supports multipliers, such as competence centers,

professional organizations and associations, that in turn support companies on the path toward

digitalization.

Curious about the results?

Find out more at

http://s.fhg.de/working-laif

Want to find out which

services the SME 4.0 Cloud

Agency offers? See

http://s.fhg.de/sme-4-0

http://s.fhg.de/working-laif

RESEARCH AT FRAUNHOFER IAO

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https://www.iao.fraunhofer.

de/lang-en/research/organi-

sational-development-and-

work-design.html

https://www.iao.fraunhofer.

de/lang-en/research/service-

and-human-resources-

management.html

https://www.iao.fraunhofer.

de/lang-en/research/human-

technology-interaction

RESEARCH FOR PRACTICAL APPLICATIONFraunhofer IAO’s research is both task- and result-or iented. Our goal i s to implement innovat ions for the

business world and society, which is why we str ike a dynamic balance between appl icat ion-or iented ba-

s ic research and innovat ive development. With this in mind, we consider a powerful infrastructure to be

a key prerequis i te for excel lent research. In our innovat ive research and demonstrat ion centers, we see

to i t that new ideas and f indings from sc ient if ic projects are implemented as prototypes. Our cutt ing-

edge off ices and laborator ies enable you to exper ience future trends today.

R E S E A R C H A T

F R A U N H O F E R I A O

Organisational Development and Work DesignAll our consulting and implementation projects aim to make companies

more responsive, more innovative and productive by putting in place the

ideal conditions for good performance and sustainable employment for

their staff.

Service and Human Resources ManagementResearch and consulting projects for the management of services and HR

must prioritize objectives and implementation.

Human-Technology InteractionIn our research, we work on solutions that facilitate efficient interaction

between people and smart technology. We create people-oriented

innovation processes and develop IT security concepts tailored to specific

requirements.

https://www.iao.fraunhofer.de/lang-en/research/organisational-development-and-work-design.htmlhttps://www.iao.fraunhofer.de/lang-en/research/organisational-development-and-work-design.htmlhttps://www.iao.fraunhofer.de/lang-en/research/organisational-development-and-work-design.htmlhttps://www.iao.fraunhofer.de/lang-en/research/organisational-development-and-work-design.htmlhttps://www.iao.fraunhofer.de/lang-en/research/service-and-human-resources-management.htmlhttps://www.iao.fraunhofer.de/lang-en/research/service-and-human-resources-management.htmlhttps://www.iao.fraunhofer.de/lang-en/research/service-and-human-resources-management.htmlhttps://www.iao.fraunhofer.de/lang-en/research/service-and-human-resources-management.htmlhttps://www.iao.fraunhofer.de/lang-en/research/human-technology-interactionhttps://www.iao.fraunhofer.de/lang-en/research/human-technology-interactionhttps://www.iao.fraunhofer.de/lang-en/research/human-technology-interaction

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https://www.iao.fraunho-

fer.de/lang-en/research/

cognitive-engineering-and-

production.html

https://www.iao.fraunhofer.

de/lang-en/research/urban-

systems-engineering.html

https://www.iao.fraunhofer.

de/lang-en/research/mobili-

ty-and-innovation-systems.

html

https://www.iao.fraunho-

fer.de/lang-en/research/

responsible-research-and-

innovation.html

https://www.iao.fraunhofer.

de/lang-en/research/digital-

business.html

Digital BusinessIn the scope of multiple projects and research initiatives, our Digital Business

researchers develop and test new methods and intelligent IT solutions that

benefit companies and society as a whole.

Cognitive Engineering and ProductionOur research focuses on innovations that use virtual and augmented reality

to make product development and the production process more efficient,

creative and connected.

Urban Systems EngineeringIn the scope of diverse research projects, the teams of scientists in Urban

Systems Engineering establish methods of analysis and design with respect

to the cities and towns in which people will live and work in the generations

ahead.

Mobility and Innovation SystemsDuring our research projects, we establish real-world solutions and methods

to generate, design, introduce and assess new product, process and service

innovations as part of the transition to future mobility.

Responsible Research and InnovationIn the scope of our research, we systematically examine societal implica-

tions, incorporate various perspectives and shape the future in cooperation

with other stakeholders within a system of innovation.

https://www.iao.fraunhofer.de/lang-en/research/cognitive-engineering-and-production.htmlhttps://www.iao.fraunhofer.de/lang-en/research/cognitive-engineering-and-production.htmlhttps://www.iao.fraunhofer.de/lang-en/research/cognitive-engineering-and-production.htmlhttps://www.iao.fraunhofer.de/lang-en/research/cognitive-engineering-and-production.htmlhttps://www.iao.fraunhofer.de/lang-en/research/urban-systems-engineering.htmlhttps://www.iao.fraunhofer.de/lang-en/research/urban-systems-engineering.htmlhttps://www.iao.fraunhofer.de/lang-en/research/urban-systems-engineering.htmlhttps://www.iao.fraunhofer.de/lang-en/research/mobility-and-innovation-systems.htmlhttps://www.iao.fraunhofer.de/lang-en/research/mobility-and-innovation-systems.htmlhttps://www.iao.fraunhofer.de/lang-en/research/mobility-and-innovation-systems.htmlhttps://www.iao.fraunhofer.de/lang-en/research/mobility-and-innovation-systems.htmlhttps://www.iao.fraunhofer.de/lang-en/research/responsible-research-and-innovation.htmlhttps://www.iao.fraunhofer.de/lang-en/research/responsible-research-and-innovation.htmlhttps://www.iao.fraunhofer.de/lang-en/research/responsible-research-and-innovation.htmlhttps://www.iao.fraunhofer.de/lang-en/research/responsible-research-and-innovation.htmlhttps://www.iao.fraunhofer.de/lang-en/research/digital-business.htmlhttps://www.iao.fraunhofer.de/lang-en/research/digital-business.htmlhttps://www.iao.fraunhofer.de/lang-en/research/digital-business.html

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Publications

www.iao.fraunhofer.de/lang-en/publications.html

Upcoming events

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F U R T H E R I N F O R M A T I O N

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X

http://s.fhg.de/wissenschaftsjahr-2018

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Fraunhofer IAO, Nobelstrasse 12, 70569 Stuttgart, Germany; Phone +49 711 970-2124, Fax +49 711 970-2299

Editing | Prof. Dr.-Ing. Prof. e. h. Wilhelm Bauer, apl. Prof. Dr.-Ing. habil. Anette Weisbecker, Juliane Segedi,

Leena Kozhuppakalam, Verena Tang

Layout | Franz Schneider

Cover photos | Ludmilla Parsyak, © Fraunhofer IAO

Further photos und illustrations Page 4, 5, 7, 8, 14, 18, 12 right: Ludmilla Parsyak, © Fraunhofer IAO

Page 11: © Foto Pokki, lvnl – stock.adobe.com / Fraunhofer IAO

Page 12 left: © pixdeluxe

Seite 13: © Geber86 – iStock, deagreez – Fotolia

© Fraunhofer IAO

I M P R I N T

I M P R I N T

211Publications

21Events

2709Media reports, 790 in international media

4242Follower on twitter

16Publications available at "IAO-Shop"

85Blogposts

618Employees (including IAT at the University of Stuttgart)

611Projects

71 [ge] 30[en]Press releases

41,4Mio € Business volume(including IAT at the University of Stuttgart)

F I G U R E S O F 2 0 1 7

CONTACT

Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Engineering IAO

Dipl.-Ing. (FH) Juliane Segedi

Marketing and Communications

Nobelstrasse 12

70569 Stuttgart, Germany

Phone +49 711 970-2124

Fax +49 711 970-2299

presse@iao.fraunhofer.de

www.iao.fraunhofer.de/lang-en

KURZPORTRAIT