f.l.t.r.: Robert Merz (Digital Factory), Helmut Leopold (AIT), State Council Marco Tittler , Governor Markus Wallner, Chairman of the AIT Supervisory Board Hannes Androsch, Stefan Fitz-Rankl (Managing Director FH Vorarlberg), State Council Barbara Schöbi-Fink; (Image: Frederick Sams)
The AIT Austrian Institute of Technology and Vorarlberg University of Applied Sciences (FH Vorarlberg) are pooling their expertise in the form of a joint venture. This was announced by Markus Wallner, State Governor of Vorarlberg, and Hannes Androsch, President of the AIT Supervisory Board, at the university of applied sciences in Dornbirn today (Thursday). Over the next five years the partners will invest around five million euros in establishing and expanding the Digital Factory Vorarlberg GmbH. This industry-wide research institution will serve as a bridge between science and business.
Researchers at the Digital Factory of FH Vorarlberg have been working on developing digital technologies for the production plants of the future since 2018. Austria’s largest non-university research centre, the AIT Austrian Institute of Technology, has been a strategic partner since mid-2019. Now a research centre will be established in Vorarlberg in the form of a joint venture, with AIT taking a 51 percent and FH Vorarlberg a 49 percent share. The aim of the research institution is to translate the results of basic research into products, processes or services for the regional economy.
Core financing of around five million euros is available to set up and grow the Digital Factory Vorarlberg GmbH in its first five years. Once fully established, the annual financing will amount to 1.5 million euros, and the institute will employ a workforce of around 30 employees. Additional financing will be secured through participation in research programmes and from partner businesses.
“We want to position ourselves to capitalise on advancing digitalisation and successfully manage the structural changes impacting business and society,” stressed State Governor Markus Wallner: “We need to strengthen and further enhance Vorarlberg’s excellent standing in research and development. With AIT on board, we have another important partner in our efforts to improve our innovative research landscape in Vorarlberg.” Marco Tittler, State Councillor for Economics, stressed the importance of the institute to Vorarlberg’s economy. “Access to and use of the latest digital technologies safeguards the competitiveness of local companies. This also secures the competitive edge of our leading companies, and consequently prosperity and jobs in the region.”
Hannes Androsch, President of the AIT Supervisory Board, believes that globalisation makes cooperation at a regional level more important than ever before: “By leveraging the AIT network, Vorarlberg can connect to the European innovation system, providing access to new technologies and global developments.”
Stefan Fitz-Rankl, Managing Director of FH Vorarlberg, is convinced that the new research cooperation is hugely significant for the university of applied sciences. “Together we can develop practical solutions, validate them in our model factory, as well as helping companies to build up the skills they need. In short, we are hugely expanding the digitalisation knowledge hub here in Vorarlberg to provide our partners in business and industry with cutting-edge research results.”
Cutting-edge research
The focus of research at the Digital Factory Vorarlberg lies in cloud-based production systems, data science and artificial intelligence, wireless technologies and cybersecurity. One concrete example is the setting up of a so-called cyber range for developing and verifying IT security systems for companies in Vorarlberg. The cyber-range can be used to simulate cyber-attacks on company networks so that employees can be trained to detect and combat such attacks. The research institution will also be involved in wireless technologies, and a laboratory for developing 5G-based applications is already in the planning stage.
A recording of the press conference is available at: https://youtu.be/H-qmTTxPyMw
Additional media can be found at: https://presse.vorarlberg.at/land/dist/vlk-63863.html
Contact:
Michael W. Mürling
Marketing and Communications
Center for Digital Safety & Security
AIT Austrian Institute of Technology
T +43 (0)50550-4126
michael.muerling(at)ait.ac.at | www.ait.ac.at
Michael H. Hlava
Head of Corporate and Marketing Communications
AIT Austrian Institute of Technology
T +43 (0)50550-4014
michael.h.hlava(at)ait.ac.at | www.ait.ac.at