International partners of the EU project AIMS5.0 met in Heraklion to develop new approaches for sustainable and AI-supported production systems - accompanied by further impulses from the European semiconductor and research community at the APCM conference in Sicily.
Together with international partners, Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences has organized a central working meeting in the major European research project AIMS5.0. Invited by Dr. Loukas Michalas from the "Foundation for Research and Technology - Hellas", partners from all over Europe came together in Heraklion to discuss current research results that investigate the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in sustainable industrial production.
The meeting focused on an intensive exchange between science and industry. Twelve European use cases presented their progress and jointly examined how innovative technologies can be integrated into production processes in an even more targeted manner in the future and what key findings the last three years of joint research paper have yielded. Such meetings are crucial for bringing together different perspectives and jointly developing viable solutions for industrial practice.
The university was represented on site by Prof. Sophia Keil and research associate Pascal Herfort from the HSZG research team SCO-TTi. As work package leader, the HSZG, together with the recently appointed honorary professor Germar Schneider, took the lead in the content design and coordination of the further work steps. The SCO-TTi research group plays a key strategic role in the project in the development of human-centered AI applications and the design of new cooperation models between science and industry. Prof. Schneider from Infineon Technologies Dresden and the HSZG already have a long-standing partnership, which has already resulted in numerous research and development projects and strengthened the HSZG's position in the international environment as a research- and application-oriented university.
Working with colleagues from the HSZG as part of the AIMS5.0 project was a great experience - highly committed people, a great campus and a pleasant environment. Research benefits significantly from this lively exchange across national borders. New ideas can be spread around the world and at the same time the relevance and truth of one's own research can be discussed in critical dialog with research colleagues.
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International research shows its strength when it works together across borders. The AIMS5.0 project shows how artificial intelligence makes industrial processes smarter, more sustainable and more human-centered - and how scientific excellence results in concrete innovations for business and society.
”The EU project AIMS5.0 has reached an impressive climax in Heraklion. We worked together on 12 concrete use cases that serve a clear goal: To redefine the competitiveness and productivity of European industry. The partners' results were not only promising, but absolutely outstanding. It was proof of what is possible when expertise and collaboration go hand in hand. A huge thank you to everyone involved for this great success!
”HSCG research focuses on the development of human-centered AI-supported work environments. The aim is to intelligently analyze production data and transfer it into decision support systems. The focus is always on the question of how humans can use AI sensibly and act as sovereign partners in the production process.
The project combines academic research with partners from industrial production - from small companies to highly automated manufacturing operations - and thus creates a close link between research and application. This broad positioning makes it possible to test and further develop innovative solutions under real conditions. International collaborations such as those within the framework of the EU project AIMS5.0 not only strengthen the research performance of the HSZG, but also open up the possibility of tackling key social challenges in a targeted manner. Topics such as sustainability, resilience and human-centeredness are not only researched theoretically, but also directly integrated into industrial processes as part of transfer projects.
The international visibility of the HSZG is also evident beyond the AIMS5.0 project. For example, representatives of the European semiconductor and high-tech community recently met at the APCM conference in Sicily. There, Prof. Dr. Sophia Keil and Prof. Dr. Germar Schneider presented the joint paper "Co-Creating the Future: Agile Research Partnerships for Global High-Tech Leadership". The focus was on new models of strategic research cooperation between universities, industry and international partners as the basis for Europe's technological innovation capability and competitive strength. Prof. Schneider particularly emphasized the central importance of strategic cooperation between universities and industry. Speed in knowledge and technology transfer, interdisciplinary cooperation and the close interlinking of research, teaching and industrial application are crucial to success.
In addition, Prof. Keil, Prof. Schneider and Prof. Dr. Fischer jointly presented the HSZG's new semiconductor degree courses "Semiconductor Processes and Materials Chemistry" (B.Sc.) and "Mechatronics for Manufacturing". The courses address the growing demand for highly qualified specialists in the European semiconductor industry and combine application-oriented teaching with current research and industry requirements.
The project partners are already looking to the future: they are working together on the new "SuperComp" project, which aims to prepare European production sites for future production environments. The focus is on the use of humanoid robotics and AI-based systems to make production processes more flexible, efficient and sustainable.
The momentum of the international collaboration will continue in the coming weeks: the project partners will meet again in Madrid from June 15 to 18, 2026 for the official EU review of the AIMS5.0 project. There, the research results and progress to date will be presented and evaluated to representatives of the European Commission and the funding bodies. The review marks an important milestone on the way to successfully implementing the project goals and transferring the AI solutions developed into industrial applications.
With its involvement in European research networks, international industry collaborations and future-oriented educational opportunities, the HSCG is strengthening its role as a visible innovation partner in the European high-tech and semiconductor ecosystem and actively shaping the industry of the future.
Funding notice:
The project AIMS5.0 is supported by the Chips Joint Undertaking and its members, including the top-up funding by National Funding Authorities from involved countries under grant agreement no. 101112089. The participating countries are Austria, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Sweden and Turkey.
