On June 14, 2018, the European research project iDev40 (Integrated Development 4.0) was launched under the leadership of Infineon Austria, in which the HSZG, led by Prof. Sophia Keil (Faculty of Business Administration and Engineering Management), is also participating.

In this project, 38 partners from six countries are conducting research on digitization topics related to the intelligent networking of production and development processes for electronic components and systems. With a project budget of 47 million euros, iDev40 is currently one of the largest European research projects focused on digitalization. The goal is to strengthen the innovative capacity and global competitiveness of the European electronics industry. The project will run through April 2021.

A key focus of Prof. Keil’s research is on people, because without them, innovation in companies is not possible—even in highly automated, artificially intelligent systems. Prof. Keil will develop new approaches that enable the intelligent, digitally enhanced workplaces of the future and provide people with high-quality information to carry out their tasks. Furthermore, methods for global collaboration processes in virtual remote teams will be developed. In addition, the requirements for higher education in the future will be investigated in order to train skilled workers in accordance with the new demands of the industry. This concerns, for example, the design of new job profiles and the competencies required to interact with highly automated, complex systems.

Participation in such a large European research project is only possible because effective and efficient research funding processes are in place at the Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences. For example, Professor Keil has received outstanding support—not only from the Prorector for Research, Prof. Zschunke, and his team, Lutz Haberland and Sabine Scholz, as well as by the Finance & Project Administration division, represented by Lothar Kahnt and Steffi Wobst, who provided her with excellent, ongoing support regarding administrative and organizational aspects.

This project has received funding from the ECSEL Joint Undertaking (JU) under grant agreement No. 783163. The JU receives support from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program and from Austria, Germany, Belgium, Italy, Spain, and Romania.