Think Tank "Center for Digital Work": Chair of Innovation Management and Economy  and Fraunhofer IMW Institute Director investigates digitization as a growth engine for companies

The recently launched "Center for Digital Work" is a think tank of the Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs (BMAS) and five regional "future centers" in eastern German federal states. It promotes the transfer of knowledge between small and medium-sized enterprises and research institutions on digital and demographic changes in the labour market.

The Leipzig University is participating in the Center for Digital Work through Prof. Dr. Hannes Zacher of the Faculty of Life Sciences and Prof. Dr. Thorsten Posselt, who holds the Chair of Innovation Management and Economy at the university and is also the director of the Fraunhofer Center for International Management and Knowledge Economy IMW. In the research project, the chair investigates how the potentials of digital change can be transferred into innovations in companies, in which the Qualification and Competence Management Unit of the Fraunhofer IMW supports him through applied socio-economic research. The focus of the research is on how digitalization can be successfully implemented as a growth driver for companies. In addition, Professor Posselt's chair researches company- and industry-specific processes, structures, and competences for the implementation of innovative measures and design aspects of digital transformation. A further focus of the scientific analysis is to identify future trends and opportunities in order to promote innovation in companies. The findings are concentrated on a digital platform for specific target groups and form the foundation of the activities of the Center for Digital Work.

The BMAS think tank and the five regional future centers of eastern German federal states will initially operate until June 2022, with ARBEIT UND LEBEN Sachsen e.V. managing the think tank Center for Digital Work. The center is part of the ESF funding programme "Future Centres - Supporting SMEs, employees and the self-employed in the development and implementation of innovative design approaches for mastering the digital transformation". The Leipzig University, the Leipzig University of Applied Sciences (HTWK) and the ATB Arbeit, Technik und Bildung gGmbH from Chemnitz are also involved as project partners.

More information about the project