May 2023: Nationwide transformation hub to software engineering launched
As part of the “Automotive Industry Future Fund”, the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK) is funding the “Transformation Hub Automotive Software Engineering” (TASTE) with a total of approx. 3.8 million euros. The project was approved by BMWK by the 1 November 2022 and aims at strengthening the competence of the automobile sector to integrate software along the value chain and product life cycle. Part of the consortium is also the “go-cluster” member ITS mobility e. V., which takes on the role of networking partner.
Nicole Schröder
© ITS mobility e. V.
Software developments are increasingly changing the automotive industry: connectivity, autonomous driving, shared mobility and electrification are the four central trends, all based on innovative software technologies. Technology and customer expectations are constantly changing, and in parallel the complexity of software continues to increase. Short release cycles and regular online updates are the result.
The industry faces the challenge of defining value creation in the automotive sector through digital, software-driven mobility services at the cutting edge in order to remain competitive on the international market.
Transformation hub TASTE: incubator and multiplier of software development
Against this background, a research consortium has set itself the goal of using the TASTE transformation hub to support companies in the software-driven transformation and to strengthen the automotive sector's competencies for integrating software along the value chain and product lifecycle. The consortium consists of the FZI Forschungszentrum Informatik (Research Centre for Information Technology), the German Aerospace Center (DLR Institute of Systems Engineering for Future Mobility), fortiss GmbH – the Bavarian state research institute for software-intensive systems and the Automotive Research Centre Niedersachsen (NFF) at the Technische Universität Carolo-Wilhelmina in Brunswick. The networking partner ITS mobility e. V. as the largest competence cluster for intelligent mobility in Germany accompanies the consortium. Website of TASTE (in German)
In a first kick-off workshop of the project partners, four central topics of the transformation hub were identified, which are derived from the current challenges of software engineering for the automotive industry: Processes and organisational structures (1), software components (2), platforms and architectures (3), and deployment and post-deployment. (4). Further content considerations for relevant fields of action included matching stakeholder needs and existing offerings, developing a comprehensive knowledge transfer concept that also includes solutions from research and development, analysing and demonstrating transformation potential and scaling for companies, and networking between the hub and its target groups on the one hand, and between the target groups themselves on the other, in order to generate multiplier effects. TASTE on Instagram (in German)
ITS mobility e. V.: Central networking partner between the hub and the user community
The “go-cluster” member contributes to the success of the project in particular through its nationwide networking, public relations work and knowledge and technology transfer. This includes the establishment and maintenance of user communities (actor network) for the dissemination of results and solutions. As the central contact for the hub, ITS mobility is also responsible for information events and trade fair participation as well as specialist publications and press releases. In addition, ITS mobility coordinates the Tour d'Automotive, which will take place in the form of six summits, spread over the project period.
In the future, TASTE will act as an incubator and multiplier to establish software development as a strategically relevant topic in the automotive sector and to build up an industry-wide software engineering culture. The focus is not only on the car as a product, but also on methods and tools, technical processes, and business models of the future.
About the Transformations-Hub initiative
As part of the “Zukunftsfonds Automobilindustrie”, the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action is funding the establishment and implementation of transformation hubs to support transformation processes in value chains in the automotive industry. The aim is to enable the automotive and supplier industries affected by structural change to undergo the necessary transformation quickly and sustainably. To this end, thematically tailored focus centres – hubs – are being developed, established and operated along the entire value chain. The main topics include engines, batteries, automated driving, interior design and software. Eleven thematically different hubs with a joint investment of almost 50 million euros are planned for nationwide transfer of knowledge. One of these hubs is the TASTE project, which is being funded with a total sum of 3.8 million euros until June 2025.
Central contact person at ITS mobility e. V.:
Nicole Schröder (project management): nicole.schroeder@its-mobility.de
