Sustainability aspects are closely linked to the goal of competitiveness. All three forms of sustainability, namely ecological, economic and social, offer far-reaching potential. For example, the circular economy can lead to higher resource productivity, a reduction in energy consumption and savings in primary raw materials. Research funding must therefore focus more strongly on the interaction between new scientific foundations and market innovations that build directly on them, thereby motivating industry to invest in innovation in a pre-competitive manner.
Ecosystems for the value creation of tomorrow
Industry 4.0 requires a far-reaching reorganisation of business models, processes and technologies. Ecosystems must be provided that are economically successful, but above all offer companies the flexibility to adapt to dynamically changing targets such as productivity or customer benefits. In order to successfully implement Industry 4.0, economic, technical and regulatory challenges must be overcome. Mechanisms for automated pricing of highly individualised, service-centric services, cross-company access to data (spaces) and the associated financing and insurance aspects, legally compliant procedure models, data portability and interoperability as well as vertical and horizontal interoperability are playing an increasingly decisive role.
Radical rethink in engineering
The engineering of production and value creation systems is facing major challenges: In order to remain competitive, it must be possible to react quickly to changes. The future of engineering therefore requires a radical rethink. Development capabilities need to be redesigned in order to meet the challenges of digital and sustainable transformation. Instead of developing individual systems, it is increasingly a question of designing "networked systems of systems".
Engineering skills are the key to cost-effective, flexible and sustainable system, product and production solutions. In this way, they can contribute to greater sovereignty in the field of digital and physical lead technologies. Through intensive research, "German engineering" must be adapted to the changing challenges of the fourth industrial revolution in order for Germany to once again take on a clear pioneering role in the development of technical systems and thus largely elude Chinese and American hegemony.
The future of industrial labour
The world of work is undergoing profound changes driven by digitalisation and automation. Traditional industrial work is tending to decline, while digitally characterised knowledge work is increasing. Digitalisation should not be seen as an end in itself - the aim is to create optimally designed working environments.
Productivity and added value are the result of the interplay between different areas of the company. Future industrial work must therefore be considered from a broad perspective. Engineering, commercial processes, machine management and other disciplines must be considered in an integrated manner. A comprehensive transformation process and the interaction of all areas of work are crucial in order to fully utilise the potential of higher productivity and economic success through Industry 4.0. The criteria for this change must be researched and driven forward against the background of a human-orientation, a changed, synergetic relationship between people and technology and dynamic structural and technological development.
Targeted research funding for Industry 4.0 with a focus on practice
A key potential of Industry 4.0 is to increase productivity and thus secure the competitiveness of German industry. Despite significant progress in many areas, this potential of Industry 4.0 is not yet being fully utilised. Industry 4.0 research generates a high economic benefit. Research activities must promote direct transfer into practice. The central role of people, sustainability, resilience, interoperability and technological and strategic sovereignty must be considered together. Companies and research institutions are called upon to do this. Research must be geared towards economic, technological and labour-oriented goals. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in particular need more orientation. Confidence in Industry 4.0 solutions must be strengthened here so that SMEs and start-ups can step up their implementation efforts.
Germany's technological and infrastructural renewal in an environment of increasingly fierce international competition requires continuous Industry 4.0 research funding and new formats which, in addition to the possibilities of utilising new technologies such as AI, also address the question of which factors inhibit the use of Industry 4.0 and how these can be overcome.
The impulse paper is based on discussions held in the context of the Industry 4.0 research conference held by the BMFTR (formerly BMBF) on 24 and 25 February 2025. At the invitation of the BMFTR, the Industry 4.0 Research Advisory Board and other invited guests discussed the future prospects of research funding in the field of networked value creation.
The full impulse paper is available on the acatech website.
