Projects

Migrant Work Inclusion - Co-creating Joint Opportunities through Employment and Entrepreneurship (MW Inc)

About the project

In this project, we will develop insights and methods for how collaboration and co-creation can be improved so that migrants are better included in working life either as an employee, or by creating their own job through entrepreneurship. Values ​​and knowledge in the field of co-creation (co-creation / co-production) represent sources of such knowledge.

The project has a relational perspective. Several methodological approaches will be used. This provides opportunities to study co-creation from different angles; institutional ownership and anchoring (public / private), networking, organization, and management.

Aims and implementation

The project will result in new knowledge about challenges and opportunities and, not least, proposals for better co-creation between migrants, employers, and public support programs. We will develop methodological, theoretical and practice knowledge for increased innovation in local and regional inclusion work.

The results will provide new understanding and new practice for better inclusion of immigrants in working life. This knowledge will also have value for other wicked problems in the welfare state. Moreover, the project actively contributes to meeting the challenges set out in UN Sustainability Goal 10; to reduce inequality.

Links

To the project's webpage

Kontakt

Prof. Dr. Yngve Dahle
E-Mail

Dr. Kevin Reuther
E-Mail

Regionales Transformationsnetzwerk - MoLeWa | Mobilität – Leipzig im Wandel

Development and implementation of a regional transformation strategy in the vehicle and supplier industry as well as the industry-related service sectors in the Leipzig region.

Project description

MoLeWa is a joint project of the University of Leipzig, the Automotive Cluster East Germany (ACOD), the Office for Economic Development of the City of Leipzig, the IG Metall trade union, the Leipzig Chamber of Industry and Commerce, the Leipzig Employment Agency, the Berufsfortbildungswerk Gemeinnützige Bildungseinrichtung des DGB GmbH (bfw), AGIL GmbH Leipzig and other associated partners and networks. It is funded by the Federal Ministry of Economics and Climate Protection (BMWK) with six million euros . The Chair of Innovation Management and Innovation Economics of the University of Leipzig accompanies the project scientifically with its competence and expertise in the fields of knowledge and technology transfer, as well as entrepreneurship. Among other things, a transfer concept for the use of technological development potentials in the model region will be developed, impulses for the implementation of product-related innovations of SMEs will be set, and assistance will be provided in the development of innovative business models of the automotive and supplier industry. The project runs from August 2022 to June 2025.

Initial situation

The automotive industry, including its suppliers and service providers, is a driver of positive employment development and plays an important role in the development of value creation and employment in the Leipzig region and its surrounding area. Compared to other top locations in Germany and Europe, the economic region has a decisive competitive advantage: Its growth limit has not yet been reached, despite trimodal infrastructure. However, it must also be said:  Hardly any other industry is currently undergoing such dynamic change and transformation of existing business models as the automotive and supplier industry. Not only in view of the shortage of skilled workers, but also in view of climate change and the energy turnaround that is therefore necessary, concepts that have worked for many decades must be rethought and rethought.

Goals and implementation

The goal of the network is to support the digital and ecological transformation of the automotive value chain in the Leipzig region. The transformation network spatially refers to the city of Leipzig, the district of Leipzig and the district of North Saxony, without disregarding the interdependencies with other areas (especially the links to Halle, West Saxony and Zwickau). The transformation strategy is being developed on the basis of a systematic exchange between science and companies, with the approach of bundling and scientifically supporting the diverse activities of companies, employees, company interest groups and business, science and research institutions in the automotive industry. The network has set itself the goal of bundling the various activities for the first time, working out synergies and exchanging best-practice experience. Based on the resulting strategic vision, concrete implementation steps are being designed and initiated in the fields of technological innovations, improvement of location conditions, development of innovative business models, operational management of change, and qualification and development of skilled workers.

Kontakt

Anique Hadeler
E-Mail

Dr. Kevin Reuther
E-Mail

 

Links

Partner IG Metall Leipzig

ACCESS

The goal of the African Centre for Career Enhancement & Skills Support (ACCESS) at the Saxon University of Applied Sciences is improved access to the labor market on the African continent.

Brief description

Unemployment among people with university degrees is very high in a large number of African countries. In some cases, it exceeds 30 percent of a cohort. Therefore, the work of the African Centre for Career Enhancement & Skills Support (ACCESS) will focus on developing and piloting new interdisciplinary concepts to increase the employability of students from African universities. In a consortium with six universities from Benin, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda and Tunisia and in close cooperation with the local business community, a research program on employability, a training program for university teachers and measures to develop the transfer capacities of the universities will be bundled under the umbrella of ACCESS.

Funding

ACCESS is funded by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) in the program Hochschulexzellenz in der Entwicklungszusammenarbeit (exceed). With exceed, the DAAD, which is funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), supports the establishment of international university networks on three continents. Seven German universities, including the University of Leipzig, will receive a total of 30.8 million euros until 2024.

Cooperation

With the creation of the African Centre for Career Enhancement & Skills Support, organized as a predominantly virtual network, we are bundling existing cooperation projects between African partner universities and the University of Leipzig to create a practice-oriented cooperation interface for African universities as well as partners from development cooperation and business associations/agencies in the global south. The center is organized around four pillars:

• Capacity Building
• University business linkages
• Employability research
• African-German Entrepreneurship Academy

Work on the ground

In the context of German foreign policy and development cooperation, both North Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa play a crucial role. ACCESS is to be developed in African countries that are hotspots of transnational mobility, such as Tunisia and Nigeria. Our project is therefore expected to have a high impact on understanding the causes of migration, but more importantly on its prevention. To combat unemployment, African universities have developed and implemented entrepreneurship initiatives in recent years. Nevertheless, we must accept that only a smaller proportion of graduates (between 5 and percent) are willing and able to start innovative businesses. The vast majority of graduates seek employment in existing companies or public institutions. As for the problem of graduate unemployment, we therefore see a special responsibility for universities to develop and implement new initiatives to promote the employability of university students. Employers in Africa are now looking for graduates who can think for themselves, integrate into a fast-paced work environment, learn new ways of working, and develop creative solutions to real-world problems. Developing these job-relevant skills depends more on how they were taught (methodology) than on what they learned (content). In fact, we need to integrate work-relevant learning approaches into all disciplines and programs of study (curricula) rather than creating additional courses to develop such skills and competencies.

Interdisciplinary collaboration

Interdisciplinary collaboration
In order to develop, implement and roll out an innovative approach to graduate employability in collaboration with African universities, we plan to create a joint African Center for Career Enhancement and Skills Development (ACCESS). The establishment of ACCESS will be supported in an interdisciplinary approach by various institutions of the University of Leipzig: the Institute of African Studies in collaboration with the SEPT Center of Excellence (through the African German Entrepreneurship Academy), the Institute of Geography (urban youth development), the International Department of the Faculty of Sports Science (performance education expertise), the Institute of Information Systems (digitization expertise), and the Institute of Service and Relationship Management (intrapreneurship and innovation expertise). Under the leadership of the University of Leipzig, we will form a project consortium that includes six African partner universities from Benin, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda and Tunisia, as mentioned above.

Contacts

Professor Utz Dornberger
E-Mail

Robert Meyer (Koordinator)
E-Mail

Raoul Jochum (Koordinator)
E-mail

Links

TO THE WEBSITE OF THE PROJECT

Data Mining and Value Creation

In the Data Mining and Value Creation project, Fraunhofer IMW explores the potential for data-based value creation models in Saxony.

Project description

Data Mining and Value Creation is a joint project of the Fraunhofer Center for International Management and Knowledge Economy (IMW) and the University of Leipzig. It is funded by the European Union and the Free State of Saxony. The Fraunhofer IMW is researching the potential for data-based value creation models in Saxony, while the University of Leipzig is focusing on technical implementation in the area of software solutions. The project runs from April 2018 to March 2022.

Initial situation

In the course of digitalization, more and more data is being collected. This also affects mechanical and plant engineering, as sensors are used in machines, components and materials. But what happens to the data collected in this way? How are they used? How can they be evaluated? Many companies are still at the beginning of these considerations. But in order to survive in reorganizing value networks, they need to answer questions about the value of data and how it can be used commercially.

Goals and implementation

The goal of the project Data Mining and Value Creation is to measure the value of data using application-oriented methods. Software solutions should also enable Saxon companies to use their data profitably. In the course of the project, a comprehensive range of consulting services will be developed, encompassing scientific, technological and socio-economic methods and tools. As many Saxon companies as possible are to be involved in the research and development.

Contact

Dr. Sebastian Haugk

Links

TO THE PROJECT PAGE
TO THE PROJECT PRESENTATION AT FRAUNHOFER IMW

DocBot

DocBot is a tool for document-based configuration and monitoring of chat-based dialog systems.

Brief information

"DocBot" is composed of 2 components. On the one hand the already known technology of automated chat-based dialog systems (ChatBot) is used. In addition, the development of automated systems for the configuration of a document-based (Doc) database, which provides the ChatBot technology with information, is added.

Project description

The goal of the project is to develop an automated chat-based dialog system for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

Initial situation

Chatbots support the user in finding information within technical systems, such as internet-based company portals, internet stores or cell phones. The information is queried via a natural language interface. In doing so, chatbots rely on configurable knowledge bases and predefined recognition patterns, which makes them more similar to full-text search than to artificial intelligence applications.

Problem

Currently, there are already some dialog systems like IBM Watson, Microsoft Azure Bot, Google Dialogflow or the open source solution RASA. They offer robust systems for productive operation to realize dialogs and the recognition of user intentions via natural language input, which, however, often do not make them suitable for individual applications of highly specialized companies due to their rigid configuration. The configuration effort of the dialog design is usually associated with a high effort to integrate intended information and functions into a chatbot system. For potential user groups (for example SMEs), this represents an effort that often cannot be covered by their own competencies, even though much information is already prepared for other purposes (FAQ, forums, website, documentation, wiki).

Solution development

To improve this situation, 1000° DIGITAL and the Data Mining and Value Creation project are joining forces. Together, machine learning and advanced visualization technologies are being researched and deployed so that existing knowledge from unstructured and structured sources can be automatically made available for the configuration of dialog systems. The step of elaborate dialog design and information acquisition will thus be facilitated by AI-driven automation. Through the application and product competence of 1000° DIGITAL and the research competence of the University of Leipzig, innovative chat-based and automated information systems will be designed in this project, which will provide small and medium-sized enterprises with possibilities for chat-based communication with employees, customers and users with a minimum of configuration effort. The cooperation of the Chair of Innovation Management and Innovation Economics in this project focuses on the research of data-based business model innovations and related evaluation methods.

Contact

Dr. Andreas Niekler
E-Mail

Lino Markfort
E-Mail

Links

To the Webpage of 1000 Grad

 

Center for Digital Work

Society, companies and employees are facing new and complex challenges because of demographic changes, the advancing digital transformation and global competition. For small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in particular, digitisation can provide new growth impulses, markets and opportunities. Simultaneously, the increasing digital penetration of structures and processes is changing many organisational structures as well as job descriptions and thus leading to new requirements for their design.

In the ESF support programme “Future Centers - Supporting SMEs, employees and the self-employed in developing and implementing innovative design approaches to mastering the digital transformation”, competencies are bundled in order to support social and economic actors in the transformation process and to proactively help shape it. The “Center for Digital Work” (ZdA) creates a superordinate think tank which bundles scientific expertise. The Regional Centers (RZ) located in the eastern federal states make the knowledge available to the target groups in a demand-oriented way and support them in its implementation. Subsequently, this experience knowledge flows into the development of a knowledge pool, which forms the long-term foundation of the Center for Digital Work's activities.

The operational management of the Center for Digital Work is in the hands of WORK AND LIFE Saxony e. V. Within the central interface, the interdisciplinary work and competences of the other project partners and the RZ are bundled and coordinated to create the think tank as well as the knowledge pool. As a project partner, the Chair of Innovation Management and Innovation Economics at the University of Leipzig, supported by the Qualification and Competence Management unit is investigating individual and organisational prerequisites for increasing innovation competence. This is undertaken with the aim of optimally positioning the actors in the changing digital working world and maintaining their innovative ability in the long term. The work focuses on processes, structures and framework conditions at the individual and organisational level that favor the transformation.

Procedure:

1. Scientific and content analysis of the state of research
2. Research in the field of innovation support measures
3. Identification of opportunities, challenges and trends in digital working environments

Goals:

• Support for East German KMUS in the design of digital transformation
• Creation of a well-founded knowledge pool and impulse-giving think tanks
• Enabling a nationwide, cross-sector knowledge transfer
• Networking of various actors and target groups

The project is funded by the European Social Fund (ESF), the German Federal Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs (BMAS) and the Saxon State Ministry of Economics, Labor and Transport (SMWA). The project is managed by the Gesellschaft für soziale Unternehmensberatung (gsub). The responsibility for the content of the ZdA lies with ARBEIT UND LEBEN Sachsen e. V., further project partners are:

• ATB Work, Technology and Education gGmbH, Chemnitz
• Leipzig University of Applied Sciences
• University of Leipzig, Chair of Industrial and Organizational Psychology and Chair of Innovation Management and Innovation Economics

The "Center for Digital Work" project is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs and the European Social Fund as part of the "Future Centers" program and is additionally co-financed by the Free State of Saxony, represented by the Saxon State Ministry of Economics, Labor and Transport.

Contacts

Dirk Förster-Trallo
E-Mail

Tom Herzberg
E-Mail

Links

TO THE WEBSITE OF THE PROJECT

Bridge

Bridge stands for: Beruf und Bildung in Tunesien.

Bridge aims to create a sound conception, development and implementation of a model to export German training and further education services for the automotive supplier industry in Tunisia.

Project Description

The concept developed by Beruf und Bildung in Tunesien (BRIDGE) is to be disseminated in the longer term via the vocational training institutions in Tunisia (Formation professionnelle). To this end, the University of Leipzig has been entrusted with the conception of a business model for educational services. Due to cultural, social and political differences, the business model is of critical importance for success.

The project is funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF). The project management agency is the German Aerospace Center (DLR).

Links

To the projekt's website
Projektvideo