Cross-sector field of digitalisation

As part of the profile and structure development at the University of Applied Sciences Jena, our expertise in the area of digitalisation has been increasingly expanded in recent years. There is a large number of topics, which are currently being structured and deepened in various initiatives at our university.

Artificial Intelligence

In recent years, artificial intelligence (AI) has made massive progress in many different areas. At the University of Applied Sciences Jena, research is being conducted particularly in the engineering sciences on the topics of data analysis and process optimisation as well as resource efficiency. The focus is on both manufacturing processes and material development. Furthermore, in the context of social and economic sciences, service engineering using AI systems plays a role in assisting people.

Industry 4.0

In Industry 4.0, industrial production is to be interlinked with modern information and communication technology. The technical basis for this are intelligent and digital networking systems. A core idea here is the production of individualised products (batch size 1) among other things with digital manufacturing technologies such as 3D printing. The university has particular expertise in this area. In addition, the topic of machine networking is addressed in various projects.

Work 4.0 – Digital working environment

Research activities on Work 4.0 deal with the processes of change in the world of work in the digital age. As a cross-cutting topic, these processes are important content in a wide range of projects from various disciplines at the University of Applied Sciences Jena. The activities focus in particular on the challenges and opportunities that arise for small and medium-sized enterprises as a result of digitalisation.

Cloud-Computing, Smart Services and E-Commerce

The research work on the topics like cloud computing, smart services and e-commerce focuses on the investigation, development and transformation of digital value creation systems. The basis for this is the service-oriented approach as well as internet, cloud and mobile technologies. The activities focus on the design and integration of digital business models and cooperative value creation networks as well as prototypical, technical implementations of novel use cases and transformed processes in the field of the internet economy.

It is impossible to imagine everyday life without digitalisation: smartphones, smartwatches and smart home devices accompany almost everyone in their daily lives. Hardly any other technology wave has flooded us with new possibilities so quickly. But the (technological) change in industrial sectors or even in education and research is progressing comparably slowly. Although everyone seems to be aware of the opportunities and sometimes even the necessity, there are very different challenges on the path of digital transformation in the work environments of the future.

Contact: Prof. Dr.-Ing. Christian Erfurth (Mail: Christian.Erfurth@eah-jena.de, Tel.: +49 (0)3641 205-920)

The research group is working on current topics in both manual and automatic assembly. In particular, the possibilities of integrating Industry 4.0 approaches are being investigated. The main topic is worker assistance: the support of the worker in carrying out his or her work. The focus is on the integration of augmented reality systems into manual assembly processes. In particular, manufacturing companies are to be provided with various tools to meet the challenges of manual assembly in the long term.

Contact: Prof. Dr. Tobias Pfeifroth (Mail: Tobias.Pfeifroth@eah-jena.de, Tel.: +49 (0)3641 205-948)

The analysis and design of digital ecosystems - which manifest themselves in different value creation networks, business and service models, processes and actors - with the help of modern internet, mobile, cloud and distributed ledger technologies is the focus of this research area. This interdisciplinary field addresses the application and development of competences and methods for understanding phenomena caused by digitalisation in the social, socio-cultural and economic-industrial environment. The aim is to design technical systems to implement digital ecosystems and to manage and develop such complex systems.

Contact: Prof. Dr. Andrej Werner (Mail: Andrej.Werner@eah-jena.de, Tel.: +49 (0)3641 205-577)