Digital.Hub Logistics

In 2017, the German federal government started the »Digital.Hub Initiative« project and initially named five »hubs« to advance the digital transformation of the economy in Germany. The Digital.Hub Logistics is operated jointly by Fraunhofer IML and EffizienzCluster Management GmbH. The initiative was launched by the industry association Bitkom and is now coordinated by the Federal Ministry of Economics.

Dortmund is already one of the most important logistics locations in Germany with a unique infrastructure, more than 900 companies active in the logistics sector and nationally and internationally recognized scientific institutions. In recent years, the diverse activities of Fraunhofer IML and EffizienzCluster Management GmbH in particular have led to a bundling of competencies in the field of logistics and digitization at the science location of Dortmund: Industry-related initiatives and flagship projects such as the innovation lab Hybrid Services in Logistics, the EffizienzCluster LogistikRuhr, the Industrial Data Space Initiative, the Mittelstand 4.0-Kompetenzzentrum Dortmund or the Enterprise Labs establish new forms of long-term and fundamental cooperation between business and science, make significant contributions to the transfer of know-how, for example in the field of Industry 4.0, and enable small and medium-sized enterprises in particular to develop and test new technologies quickly and easily.

Thus, the logistics location Dortmund already covers a significant part of the innovation chain - from basic research to applied research with insdustry partners. Digital.Hub Logistics now aims to close the gap that still exists between pre-competitive research and the transfer of product ideas to the market. The heart and core of the measures is a new type of »corporate incubator«. It will address in a special way the needs of companies to develop new digital products and business models and bring them quickly to market. At the same time, the Hub will offer opportunities for the convergence of ideas, talents and technologies, thus laying the foundation for the sustainable development of start-ups and start-ins in a digital ecosystem. The Digital.Hub is designed as a twin hub with the locations Dortmund - Metropole Ruhr and Hamburg.