Kompetenznetze Deutschland

Simtec GmbH, a member of the “Gesamtzentrum für Verkehr Braunschweig e.V. (GZVB)” network of competence, is presenting a hands-on exhibit for visitors to try out at the Kompetenznetze Deutschland stand in the tech transfer forum at this year's Hannover Messe. Visitors to the trade fair can use the interactive driving simulator to test their own limits at the steering wheel.
This driving simulator is designed to demonstrate the underlying principle of interactive driving simulators as developed and built by Simtec. Based in Brunswick, Simtec is one of the world's leading systems suppliers of motion simulators for flying and driving and of test systems for the automotive and entertainment industries. Airlines around the globe use the company's flight simulators to train their pilots.

Vehicle simulation as an example of technology transfer
Vehicle simulation is a good example of the technology transfer that can arise from Germany's networks of competence. Within the GZVB network of competence, for instance, the Institute of Transportation Systems at the German Aerospace Center (DLR) and the Simtec company have developed a driving simulation tool with the support of the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). The objective of this collaboration was to establish a European center of competence for testing vehicle components and vehicle assistance systems at the Brunswick research airport.

A BMWi initiative with Germany's best technology clusters 
With its Kompetenznetze Deutschland initiative, the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology (BMWi) is making a significant contribution to cluster formation in Germany. The initiative pools the country's most powerful innovation networks and clusters, and provides them with support for their further development. At present, 130 networks of competence from 16 fields of innovation and over 30 regions are represented in the initiative, while more than 6000 commercial enterprises and over 1600 research institutions are involved in the initiative's member networks. 

From biotechnology through energy and medical engineering to microsystems and nanotechnology, the initiative's expert networks cover all the important areas of high technology. The regional spread of these networks throughout Germany nicely reflects the economic and technology power of the country.

Sustainable technology transfer
A network of competence is one that unites regional protagonists from education, research and economy, who work together in a thematically focused network to produce high-quality innovations and turn them into marketable products. A special feature of competence networks is that they involve long-term, close cooperation between research and economy within a network, rather than temporary collaborations in the course of individual projects. It is precisely by cooperating so closely along the entire value chain that networks of competence have been able to produce such high-quality innovations.

Linking research and economy
Without direct access to the latest research results, it will be increasingly difficult to gain an innovative advantage – yet this is of crucial economic importance to small and medium-sized companies. The link forged in networks of competence between research institutions and commercial enterprises, and the efficient technology transfer involved, is the key to a stronger power of innovation and the driving force behind the organizations' growth processes. The success criteria by which networks of competence must be judged, at least in the long term, thus include the positive effects they have on employment, education and growth.

High demands on networks
Under the umbrella of the initiative, the member networks are given the opportunity through various channels to present themselves to potential investors and partners and to exchange information. They also receive support in initiating collaborations and in pursuing their own internationalization activities. Being a member of Kompetenznetze Deutschland is now equivalent to having a seal of approval. Acceptance into the initiative is thus preceded by a strict evaluation procedure with very high demands.

Detailed information can be found at www.kompetenznetze.de.

Press contact:
Andrea Papperger
Management office Kompetenznetze Deutschland
c/o F.A.S.T. Gesellschaft für angewandte Softwaretechnologie mbH
Arabellastr. 17, 81925 Munich, Germany
Phone: +49/89/89052-201 or -111; Fax: +49/89/89052-222
E-mail: info@kompetenznetze.de
www.kompetenznetze.de