Timon Sengewald

In IIP-Ecosphere, we develop an ecosystem to reduce obstacles in the implementation of Artificial Intelligence (AI) applications in production and its related processes with the aim to foster intelligent production systems. A framework will be established for

• the unconstrained introduction of AI applications in SMEs
• new, AI-driven services and data exchange
• true AI-driven process chains
• cooperation of diverse stakeholders
• increased compatibility of systems

The “Chair of Information Systems, Innovation and Value Creation” primarily leverages its expertise in the areas of innovation, stakeholder integration, service systems engineering and business model design to support this undertaking. During the project, researcher of the chair are mainly responsible for the development of business models accompanying AI utilization and support in innovation.

The main objective of the project “Digitization of the central transfer procedure for temporary employment” is the evaluation of a software that enables the digital admission process of temporary contract workers. Within this project the functionality of the interfaces, in particular with regard to the impact of digitization on safety and health at work, economic efficiency, the time required and the transparency of the provided software solution are being evaluated. The research project focuses on how the new software influences different work practices in a day to day environment. It distinguishes between the tasks of the company that receives the temporary contractors and the agency that provides the contractors. 

In the automotive, IT/semiconductor and smart infrastructure sectors in particular, supply bottlenecks, natural disasters, political instability or pandemics can lead to the complete collapse of value creation networks. Until now, there has been a lack of ability to quickly and flexibly deploy critical skills that are needed at short notice in crisis situations. For example, if maritime transport is disrupted, competences are needed to change transport routes, or expertise to negotiate emergency contracts. Together with partners from the sectors, the project is developing solutions on how to pool competences in a network with other actors.

ResiKomp aims to increase the resilience of value networks by procuring the necessary competences through digital competence pooling. Competence pools are digital points of contact for companies to identify critical competences in specific sectors, simulate crisis scenarios and their potential impact using, for example, AI algorithms, and develop mechanisms and specific actions to provide and procure the necessary competences in response to potential disruptions. Platform- or community-based approaches will enable companies to access critical competences across their network in crisis situations. This includes mechanisms to ensure a balance between trust and competition, hidden competence monopolies and risk mitigation mechanisms.

The project idea is characterized by the cross-network bundling of several necessary pillars for the provision and procurement of competences in crisis situations. These pillars provide tools for identifying, simulating and exchanging critical competences. In the future, a community of practice, leveling options for networks and operator concepts for digital competence pools will emerge. 

The research project investigates how theresilience of municipalities can be improved by orchestrating citizen-driveninnovation. Through the transdisciplinary involvement of civil society, municipalities can benefit from innovation impulses or hand over parts of theinnovation process to civil society to be more agile in responding to crisesand challenges, while at the same time enabling civil society to participatemore by strengthening its own capacities. The aim is therefore to explore howan open digital innovation platform for municipalities should be designed sothat innovators from civil society can organize themselves there at a lowthreshold to jointly develop solutions in crisis situations (possibly incooperation with the municipality). As the problem areas of socio-environmentalchallenges in the context of sustainability (e.g. mobility, climate change,food supply, local recreation, housing, or education) in urban contexts tend torequire a regional level in the sense of subsidiarity, another focus of theproject is the interweaving of urban and rural areas as socially andfunctionally complementary spaces for the common good. In the design andprovision of such a platform, the project also considers issues of dataprotection and the provision of such a platform, e.g. as a public service.Through the permanent and sustainable establishment of a digital platform fornetworking civil society actors in urban-rural constellations, the project aimsto support municipalities in orchestrating citizen-driven innovations and tostrengthen the resilience of a municipality's society and its spatial interdependencies.

The research project „New spatial concepts for the research of tomorrow at the School of Business, Economics and Society” aims to design and evaluate a new collaborative spatial concept for scientific work at universities. To achieve this, existing office spaces at the School of Business, Economics and Society of Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg will be transformed into activity-based workspaces. The design will be tailored to meet the unique requirements of knowledge work and research at universities, while also taking into account possible restrictions due to structural conditions. By redesigning the office space, the project seeks to increase employee satisfaction, motivation and productivity. In this way, the university will be able to position itself as an attractive employer and a hub for generating innovations in the future.