Center of Excellence Logistics and IT

Founded in 2017, the Center of Excellence Logistics and IT forms the elementary hub for successfully linking university and non-university institutions here at the science location of Dortmund and, above all, tying them together. The center is an initiative of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft and is funded by the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft and the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. Industry supports the center by participating in individual research projects. The goal is to expand the existing research and development center for logistics and IT at the Dortmund location into a world-leading center with partners from industry and science.

Thus, as an important component of the joint research work, the center is the central point for the cross-organizational bundling of the competencies of the innovation ecosystem "Logistics and IT" with international charisma. This is because the initiative not only networks researchers at the Dortmund location, but also has an impact on science, business, society and politics on a national and international level.

Click here to go to the website of the Center of Excellence Logistics & IT.

The focal points 

1. we strengthen networking in the scientific community - locally, nationally and internationally.

2. we stand for excellent research and strengthen the scientific profile with roadmaps for the interdisciplinary science of logistics.   

3. we enable the development and application of the latest technologies through cross-institutional use of our research infrastructure.

4. we promote the continuity of research - from science to innovation in industry (transfer).

5. we carry the vision of logistics as the central science of the industrial future into business, society and politics.

"With the Center of Excellence Logistics and IT, we have built an extremely effective innovation ecosystem in recent years." 

Prof. Dr. Dr. h. c. Michael ten Hompel, Managing Director, Fraunhofer IML

Looking to the future: Focus on transfer.

For the planned extension of the center from 2020, the focus of activities has already shifted from promoting scientific excellence to transfer services in business and society. With the aim of acting in a goal- and future-oriented manner in a self-created research and innovation community, new formats are currently being promoted that strengthen joint research work, international cooperation and personnel exchange. The focus here is on research transfer.

These include, but are not limited to, the following activities:

• Expanding the performance center's strategic partnerships with industry in enterprise labs,
• Developing new cross-partner focus areas such as machine learning or artificial intelligence, 
• Promoting visits by international delegations of scientists as well as stays abroad by scientists from the  center and hosting visiting scientists at the Dortmund site, 
• Opening the center for events and tours with citizen participation.