“The gold of the future”

Artificial intelligence will transform industry and elevate its digital networking to a new level. This is very much a given for the participants of the MIT REAP program. At their workshop in Heilbronn, the focus was on taking the next step: How can the region be developed into a global hub for artificial intelligence? And how can Heilbronn position itself as a location for future technologies?

The conditions are practically ideal. The region is home to a dynamic start-up scene, an excellent research landscape and world market leaders with immense expertise. These include, for example, the car manufacturer Audi, the screw manufacturer Würth and the logistics network TII Group. Companies such as Semorai and Aleph Alpha stand for AI expertise. In addition, there is a diverse research landscape, including the Fraunhofer Institute IAO and the TUM Campus Heilbronn, with Campus Founders as a hub for up-and-coming entrepreneurs as well as the Innovation Park Artificial Intelligence (IPAI). The aim is to connect these players with young companies and venture capitalists, and to interlink their research and activities in order to truly become a global AI hub. How can this be achieved?

Answers are sought, and provided by the Regional Entrepreneurship Acceleration Program of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, or MIT REAP for short. The program helps regional ecosystems to combine the strengths of science, business, start-ups, investors and politics. Guests from Chile, Botswana, Canada, Taiwan and the USA shared their experiences at the Heilbronn workshop. “After these four days, we are all full of energy and ready for action,” says Miriam Biller of the Dieter Schwarz Foundation, coordinator of the MIT REAP team from Heilbronn-Franken.

All stakeholders – from companies and start-ups to academia – have recognized that they need to cooperate more closely if an innovation ecosystem is to be successful. Research institutions and start-ups require customers, capital and concrete, practical challenges. For companies, cooperation with a research institution, start-ups or the IPAI can give a welcome boost to innovation and ensure future viability.

“Medium-sized companies and world market leaders are sitting on the ‘gold of the future’: data, industry expertise and domain knowledge,” says coordinator Biller. Excellent AI research can also be found at other locations around the world. “An international competitive advantage in the Heilbronn-Franken region will only be achieved if marketable AI solutions are created through the combination of research, start-ups and industrial applications.” This can only succeed if industry and science collaborate effectively, and if founders and investors come together.

This is the task for the coming months. “Only through true co-innovation can we translate our potential into value-creating products, services and solutions that set global standards,” says Miriam Biller. “Global impact made in Heilbronn-Franken.”