The digital future of the economy

Strategies for faster research transfer and innovation

Addressing digital future topics at an early stage, accelerating the transfer of scientific results to market-oriented cutting-edge technologies – on behalf of the BMWi, the DLR Projektträger (DLR-PT) designs and supports funding measures that advance digital transformation.

With its own specialist department "Digital Technologies and Applications", DLR-PT supports the activities of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi) addressing the digitalisation of the economy.

In addition to constantly monitoring and analysing developments in the field of digital technologies both at national and international level, we are responsible for the analytical and conceptual design and further development of the funding framework "Development of Digital Technologies". In addition, we have been involved in the Federal Government's National Strategy on Artificial Intelligence, among other things.

AI for new services and business models

One component of the AI strategy that we played a major role in shaping is the innovation competition "Artificial Intelligence as a Driver for Economically Relevant Ecosystems". The goal is to embed artificial intelligence methods as a central technological building block in the development of innovative digital services and business models. The application areas in the 24 consortia we currently support range from the construction industry through the health sector to quantum computing, including for small and medium-sized enterprises. In several consortia, AI applications are being developed and tested in connection with pandemics and other crisis events.

Other funding priorities we are currently overseeing on the basis of the funding framework are:

"Smart Data Economy" – a programme to promote novel smart solutions such as data products and systems as well as data services and data-based business models derived from them.
"Smart Service World I" and "Smart Service World II" – development of intelligent services
Innovation competition "Showcase Secure Digital Identities" – user-friendly, trustworthy and economical eIDAS solutions from Germany
Franco-German innovation projects for private 5G networks and for artificial intelligence

We prepare calls for funding, organise the review process, advise applicants and interested parties, approve project applications and provide technical and administrative support during the project period. We are also responsible for carrying out the programme evaluation. As an appointed project management agency, we act independently to a large extent.

We provide scientific support for a number of strategic individual projects in particularly promising fields of technology and application which often involve international partners (including from Austria, Canada, France and Japan). Within the framework of scientific programme support, the transfer of results from collaborative projects is also one of our tasks.

In addition to funding management and strategic tasks, also in the field of international cooperation, we ensure broad awareness of the funding topics through our website, publications and events.