The third consortium project, in which the INC Invention Center and Fraunhofer IIS/EAS help companies get ready to use artificial intelligence, is still ongoing, but preparations for the next project in this successful series are already underway. In the “AI: Understand – Apply – Benefit” consortium project, participants from a wide range of industries learn how to harness the potential of AI to their advantage.
“The secret to our consortium project’s success is that it offers an all-round package,” says Anne Loos, leader of the consortium project at INC Invention Center. “Companies find out what AI is and which areas of their business can benefit from it. We then jointly identify the most promising use case, develop potential solution concepts, and examine how it might be implemented in practical terms.” More information on the project can be found here.
First of all, the project coordinators explain what AI is and how it can be deployed. Anne Loos: “The first step is often the most difficult. This is because AI is such a hot topic right now. Everyone is talking about it, and everyone has a different idea of what it means. So first of all it’s important to get everyone on the same page. What do we actually mean when we talk about artificial intelligence?”
There is a great deal that can be accomplished with AI, such as eliminating inefficiencies in internal processes, reducing waste, and laying the groundwork for strategic decisions, or enhancing customer experience and product utility. Before this can be done, however, a great deal of information is required. First of all, the company needs to know which (internal or external) client problem it wants to address. Only then can it assess whether AI might present a potential solution. If so, it will need historical data for training the AI, process knowledge, infrastructure, and the right mindset within the company.
“The greatest benefit is that companies learn to help themselves. They reach the end of the process with a plan. They have a roadmap. They have the methodological know-how. They know exactly where it really makes sense to deploy AI – they have it in black and white.” This hands-on support gives them security and helps them to profitably apply AI to secure a competitive advantage.
A consortium project is an alliance of interested partners formed to execute a project within a fixed time frame. In the AI project, some 15 consortium partners come up with AI concepts for use cases in their company. The project is led by the INC Invention Center in collaboration with the Fraunhofer IIS Division Engineering of Adaptive Systems EAS.
In the preliminary discussions, we make sure that the application of AI for the selected use case has a good chance of success. The project comprises the following elements: Skills development, company-specific AI maturity assessment, technology scouting and potential solutions, support with make-or-buy decisions, exchange among experts, and community.
The consortium project is open to anyone considering implementing AI in their company. Participants come from a wide range of sectors, such as industrial automation, the automotive industry, the semiconductor industry, mechanical and plant engineering, logistics, and healthcare. Their prospective areas of application also vary widely, with examples including production planning, predictive maintenance, innovation management, supply chain management, and internal or external logistics.
For the most part, companies contribute several potential use cases. Each consortium partner remains fully in charge of its own information and data, and can decide at any point which information to share or not share with the consortium. Some partners prefer to just share their fundamental experience in general terms, as their use cases have implications in terms of competition. Others, perhaps in the cultural sector, are happy to disclose their data as it is publicly accessible anyway. This mix is precisely what is so valuable for all concerned.
Participation costs are determined as follows:
The start date is December 1, 2022, and the end date is June 27, 2023.
Late registration is also possible during the first weeks of the project.
Please send an informal email requesting more information or registration to Kevin Schmidt: send e-mail
Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits IIS, Division Engineering of Adaptive Systems EAS