Building on the results of ESKODIA, follow-on research projects will be considered, starting in 2022. The focus is on the funding lines of "Industry 4.0 Adaptability of Enterprises in Tomorrow's Value Creation". The goal of this funding guideline is to ensure that manufacturing companies in Germany will continue to meet the challenges of technological change in the future. This requires an increase in adaptability in manufacturing companies through development, design, and introduction of innovative system solutions as well as prototype implementation of the developed solutions in different applications.

The focus of research is structured into four basic areas: 

1. Company strategy

2. Organization and company culture

3. Competency development in learning-conducive and participative work systems

4. Vertical and horizontal integration of technologies for digital consistency

The area "Competency development in learning-conducive and participative work systems" offers an optimal connection to the ESKODIA research project.

In addition, interest is high in the funding focal points of "Innovative work environment in SMEs" and "Innovative SME: Production research".

The goal of the first focus is on research and development projects to make the work environments in small and medium-sized companies fit for the future. Here, technological and organizational innovations should make equal contributions to a new way of cooperation, employee competency development, and development of value-creation systems that will meet the demands of the future. This funding line has differences from the ESKODIA research project and so offers the possibility to go deeper into these interesting topics.

Within the research focus "Innovative SME: Production research", we are especially interested in "Increasing Employees' Competencies and Qualifications”.

For additional information on the individual funding focuses, see here.