The future of knowledge transfer: Transfer Week 2024

Brain City Berlin

Scientists and representatives from business and politics will come together again in Brain City Berlin from 25 to 29 November 2024 to find out about the latest developments in regional transfer activities at the fourth Transfer Week Berlin-Brandenburg. The challenges and potentials of the Berlin transfer ecosystem will be discussed. And of course, the Transfer Week offers participants plenty of opportunities for networking.

This year, the Transfer Week Berlin-Brandenburg starts on 25 November with a high-profile conference in the Education and Technology Centre (BTZ) of the Berlin Chamber of Crafts on Mehringdamm in Berlin-Kreuzberg. The prominent speakers include Severin Fischer, State Secretary in the Senate Department for Economics, Energy and Public Enterprises, Dr Stefan Franzke, Managing Director of Berlin Partner for Business and Technology, Sebastian Saule, Managing Director of the Brandenburg Economic Development Corporation, Sebastian Stietzel, President of the Berlin Chamber of Industry and Commerce, Prof Dr Ulrike Tippe, President of Wildau University of Applied Sciences and Gunnar Bloss, Managing Director of werk5 and LEROSH project coordinator.

The topic of the kick-off conference is “The transfer ecosystem in the capital region”, which also highlights the aim of the Transfer Week 2024, as the 62 partner organisations not only want to present innovative developments from the transfer sector at the five-day event, but also increase and promote knowledge transfer in the capital region through exchange and discussion. Two thematic focuses take centre stage: At the end of the morning, Brain City Ambassador Prof. Dr. Carsten Dreher from Freie Universität Berlin and Mali M. Baum from the WLounge community will present the funding provided by the European Innovation Council (EIC) and its innovative approaches. The afternoon will then be dedicated to the transfer of knowledge between the crafts and science. What’s special: Specific projects such as “LEROSH - Robotics in crafts” or the pilot project “AI-based forecasts for food production” by the Berlin Green-AI Hub medium-sized companies will be presented interactively at stands on site. Another highlight of the kick-off conference: Laura Möller, Director of the Artificial Intelligence Entrepreneurship Centre (K.I.E.Z.), will present the start-up services of the new public-private partnership UNITE at lunchtime.

62 partners present innovative transfer approaches and projects

From Tuesday, the Transfer Week 2024 events will be spread across the entire city. With lectures, workshops, presentations and discussions, the partner organisations will provide detailed insights into transfer activities in the capital region. On Tuesday 26 November, for example, team neusta will be presenting the creative methodology LEGO Serious Play at its office in Friedrichstrasse. And the Fraunhofer Institute for Reliability and Microintegration IZM will be highlighting the use of digital twins in microelectronics production in its workshop at Humboldthain. A full-day highlight on Tuesday is the “EIC Info Day” in the WLounge rooms in Berlin-Wedding. The most important financing opportunities within the EIC programme will be presented here, with a special focus on the EIC Accelerator.

New partners will also be presenting their innovative projects for the first time at Transfer Week 2024. For example, on Thursday 26 November Deutsche Bahn is inviting people to visit its in-house innovation hub, Skydeck, in Berlin-Friedrichshain. And Deutsche Telekom will explain in the café of its hub:raum incubator in Berlin-Schöneberg how it drives innovation synergistically with start-ups – followed by a tour of the Quantum Lab. Berlin Creative Tech Summit 2024, which Berlin Partner’s ICT, Media and Creative Industries Cluster is organising together with the Berlin Chamber of Industry and Commerce and visitBerlin on Friday, 29 November, also promises to be exciting. The focus here is on the latest trends, developments and future prospects in information and communication technologies as well as the media and creative industries. 

As the majority of events this year will take place on site, the Transfer Week Berlin-Brandenburg 2024 organised by Berlin Partner offers a particularly large number of opportunities for personal exchange and networking. The week of events will be rounded off on the evening of 29 November with the presentation of the Berlin Brandenburg Innovation Award 2024 at MotionLab.Berlin.

You can register for free for all events of the Transfer Week Berlin-Brandenburg 2024 via the event platform.

Five questions for Dipl.-Ing. Gunnar Bloss, Managing Director Werk5, Project Manager LEROSH

Mr. Bloss, as part of the BMBF-funded LEROSH research project, you are developing AI-supported lightweight robots for use in crafts together with various partners from science, the crafts and software development. The first prototype is a sanding robot. How did the idea come about? And what is the objective?

The aim of the research project, which will run until mid-2025, is to determine a basic methodology and suitable technical tools for sanding with robots. These should then be able to be further developed into a product as a system of hardware and software components. The user-centered approach is essential to ensure maximum usability later. That is why five craft companies from different sectors are participating. The idea arose from the need to automate. The problem arises where there are too few skilled workers to fulfil the “4D tasks.” The Ds stand for: Dull, Dangerous, Difficult, Dirty. The example of sanding fits this situation exactly.

When will the prototype be in use – and where?

We already have an initial prototype that we are using to promote the project at trade fairs. Mainly in the form of a robot web application that is used via tablet. At the same time, we are looking for investors or customers who are interested in developing the existing components further.

How can the crafts sector benefit from collaboration with science?

Science helps crafts primarily with technical expertise, but also, for example, in the methodology of experimental development. At the same time, science benefits maximally from the practical experience of users under real conditions. It’s a win-win situation.

What factors are essential for the success of such innovative cooperation?

The biggest hurdle in robotics is putting together or integrating a system, which must always consist of at least a robot, software and tool and be harmonised with each other. This also requires a lot of resources in the research project before development can go any further. So far, there is no ready-made solution on the market that works plug-and-play. Not least because of safety concerns.

Why is the Transfer Week Berlin-Brandenburg an important platform for you and your work?

The Transfer Week offers us the opportunity to make our ideas visible and expand our network.

Text and interview: Ernestine von der Osten-Sacken