House of Transfer: Knowledge transfer for technology-oriented structural change in Central Germany

At a glance

• The industry in the Central German mining region is facing major transformations due to the phasing out of coal, climate goals, and the transition to a circular economy.
• Extensive knowledge on how to render the region future-proof is already available in existing networks and clusters. What is still lacking is the interlinking of the different sectors and skills as well as a central hub to initiate and drive forward the joint activities across sectors and in a neutral manner.
• In the House of Transfer (HoT) project, the partners are developing a shared one-stop-shop allowing knowledge and technology transfer via a holistic approach and promoting the development of an innovative and high-performance model region for Industry 4.0.

The challenge

The Central German mining region finds itself in a period of challenging structural change. The end of coal-based energy production, the achieving of climate neutrality by 2045, and the establishment of a circular economy are affecting biobased economy, chemical, plastics, and hydrogen companies in multiple ways: energy supply and raw materials procurement need to be rethought. At the same time, it is important to preserve the structures in the region which have been developed over decades and are future-proof.

Networks existing in this structure function as multipliers and often serve as a mouthpiece and platform. What is still lacking is the cross-industry and cross-sector linking of these clusters operating independently to date, so as to connect the existing infrastructure, specialists, and skills in the region better, harness synergies, and, in this way, accelerate the structural change.

The solution

This is where the House of Transfer project comes in. The objective is to create a shared one-stop-shop and bundle initiatives which were previously running in parallel. To do so, “HoT” will employ a holistic approach: the project aims to create a market overview of the changing value chains in the core sectors of biobased economy, chemistry, plastics, and hydrogen as well as scenarios for future developments of technologies, processes, and raw materials as well as their effects on the labor market, for example. This knowledge will be processed and made available to all interested parties both via a digital platform and in direct exchange. To this end, event and networking formats will be implemented, contact information passed on, and projects initiated to create space for shared business innovations in a developing community working across sectors to shape the structural change.

Particular focus is being placed on the interface work between research, business, and politics, for which knowledge is prepared in a fact-based manner and recommendations for action are developed.

Among other duties, Fraunhofer IWES is responsible in the House of Transfer project for the establishment of cross-organization and cross-sector processes for knowledge management and transfer. This includes the setting up and running of the House of Transfer office in Leuna and the digital knowledge platform as well as the networking with various stakeholders and the representation of the initiative to relevant parties.

The added value

As a one-stop shop, the House of Transfer serves as a central point of contact for all business, scientific, and political stakeholders. It enables transparency and exchange regarding emerging technologies, funding opportunities, and other framework conditions. This allows insights and research findings to be transferred to industrial practice more rapidly. At the same time, it should help minimize parallel activities and avoidable errors. The cross-sector cooperation in the House of Transfer promotes the development of an innovative and high-performance model region for Industry 4.0.