Bavarian Minister of Economic Affairs, Martin Zeil, launches the "Digital Bavaria" future concept
Jan 22, 2013
Zeil: "We're starting the engine of digital innovation"
MUNICH - The Bavarian Minister of Economic Affairs, Martin Zeil, has presented the 'Digital Bavaria – Strategy for the digital future of Bavaria' concept – a core element of his economic policy agenda for the new parliamentary session. "We want to make Bavaria a top class digital business location by 2020. Digitalisation drives innovation and gives our companies a competitive edge on the global markets. It will allow us to generate growth in order to create new jobs and secure our prosperity," said Zeil.
The concept identifies seven fields of action, fuelled by twelve flagship projects. These include aspects of IT security, as well as interconnected mobility, such as communication between different cars. Further focuses include the digitalisation of production and development processes, embedded systems, collaborative projects between science and business, and the digital health economy. The plans also include implementing measures to broaden the use of digital technologies in retail, tourism and trades, as well as promoting company start-ups and targeted relocations in the digital economy. "We plan to allocate €250 million of funding to our twelve flagship projects over the next five years. In doing so, we will trigger investments of around €500 million and keep the innovation engine running on a permanent basis. Combined with our broadband promotion programme, we are mobilising a staggering €1.5 billion for our future," emphasised the minister, adding, "Bavaria needs to become more visible on the international stage as a location for the global digital economy. Providing all regions of the state with broadband connections which are fit for the future forms the backbone of this entire endeavour, and it was the new development programme with its billions of euros of funding which paved the way for this."
Head of the Fraunhofer Research Institution for Applied and Integrated Security in Garching, Prof. Dr. Claudia Eckert, and Chief Strategist for the Industrial Sector at Siemens AG, Marion Horstmann Pate, are well aware of the initiative's importance for the economy and business practice. "Promoting cybersecurity as part of the digitisation strategy is an important step for the future of Bavaria's economy and its position on the global market. Without it, the state would be unable to sustain its advantage in terms of innovation and competition. Thanks to the support of the Ministry, we at Fraunhofer AISEC are able to expand our leading international position in cybersecurity research and spur on the Bavarian economy with innovative solutions," explains Prof. Claudia Eckert.
"Our strength lies in developing sector-specific software and combining it with the portfolio of an industrial company and infrastructure provider such as Siemens," adds Marion Horstmann. By designing innovative products and applying them in key industries such as mechanical engineering or the automotive industry, Siemens is driving the digitalisation of production forward in a way that is making manufacturing companies faster, more efficient and therefore more competitive. "Our combination of PLM software and production engineering enables our customers to reduce the time needed to introduce a new product to the market by fifty per cent or even more. At the same time, savings are made in resources and energy, while the quality of the products manufactured is improved considerably. Developing and marketing 'Industry 4.0' consistently as a key market presents a great opportunity for Bavaria."
Source: StMWIVT
Pressnumber: 33/13
The concept identifies seven fields of action, fuelled by twelve flagship projects. These include aspects of IT security, as well as interconnected mobility, such as communication between different cars. Further focuses include the digitalisation of production and development processes, embedded systems, collaborative projects between science and business, and the digital health economy. The plans also include implementing measures to broaden the use of digital technologies in retail, tourism and trades, as well as promoting company start-ups and targeted relocations in the digital economy. "We plan to allocate €250 million of funding to our twelve flagship projects over the next five years. In doing so, we will trigger investments of around €500 million and keep the innovation engine running on a permanent basis. Combined with our broadband promotion programme, we are mobilising a staggering €1.5 billion for our future," emphasised the minister, adding, "Bavaria needs to become more visible on the international stage as a location for the global digital economy. Providing all regions of the state with broadband connections which are fit for the future forms the backbone of this entire endeavour, and it was the new development programme with its billions of euros of funding which paved the way for this."
Head of the Fraunhofer Research Institution for Applied and Integrated Security in Garching, Prof. Dr. Claudia Eckert, and Chief Strategist for the Industrial Sector at Siemens AG, Marion Horstmann Pate, are well aware of the initiative's importance for the economy and business practice. "Promoting cybersecurity as part of the digitisation strategy is an important step for the future of Bavaria's economy and its position on the global market. Without it, the state would be unable to sustain its advantage in terms of innovation and competition. Thanks to the support of the Ministry, we at Fraunhofer AISEC are able to expand our leading international position in cybersecurity research and spur on the Bavarian economy with innovative solutions," explains Prof. Claudia Eckert.
"Our strength lies in developing sector-specific software and combining it with the portfolio of an industrial company and infrastructure provider such as Siemens," adds Marion Horstmann. By designing innovative products and applying them in key industries such as mechanical engineering or the automotive industry, Siemens is driving the digitalisation of production forward in a way that is making manufacturing companies faster, more efficient and therefore more competitive. "Our combination of PLM software and production engineering enables our customers to reduce the time needed to introduce a new product to the market by fifty per cent or even more. At the same time, savings are made in resources and energy, while the quality of the products manufactured is improved considerably. Developing and marketing 'Industry 4.0' consistently as a key market presents a great opportunity for Bavaria."
Source: StMWIVT
Pressnumber: 33/13