Free State of Bavaria
The Free State of Bavaria supports the formation of networks both within science or industry and between science and industry.
With the High-Tech Agenda Bavaria, the Bavarian State Government is setting up a state-wide, thematically focused network in AI research and is supported by the Bavarian AI Council, an expert council of leading experts from science and industry. A total of 100 new AI chairs have been established at the universities for this purpose. In addition, eleven structural professorships for AI have been established at universities of applied sciences. In cooperation with leading institutions, associations, incubators and innovation management organisations, a steadily growing network of current and future AI experts is being created that attracts cutting-edge technology and talented people and enables groundbreaking innovations for Bavaria and beyond.
The Bavarian State Government's Cluster Initiative has established itself as a very successful instrument of economic policy. The networking of small, medium-sized and large companies, cutting-edge research and applied research in state-wide clusters strengthens the competitiveness of companies. The bundling of potentials in business and science contributes, among other things, to the faster development of research results into marketable products. The Bavarian Cluster Initiative comprises 17 Bavaria-wide cluster platforms in sectors and fields of expertise that are particularly important for the Bavarian economy: from traditional sectors such as chemicals and food to high-tech fields such as biotechnology, new materials and mechatronics & automation. With around 7,300 cluster players (including more than 4,700 companies), more than 2,100 initiated projects and more than 13,800 events with around 731,000 participants, the initiative has a remarkable broad impact. Currently, a special focus of the cluster work is on cross-cluster innovations, which are promoted with so-called cross-cluster projects.
Bayern Innovativ supports the systematic development of technology roadmaps and strategies for all clusters, providing appropriate tools for the development of such roadmaps and strategies. Since 2020, the business-oriented thematic platforms of the Zentrum Digitalisierung.Bayern (ZD.B) are part of Bayern Innovativ GmbH. The ZD.B thematic platforms aim to be active in all regions of Bavaria in order to initiate and expand cooperation in the field of digitalisation between business and science. Bavarian companies benefit from strong networks, extensive funding and consulting offers, access to important partner organisations and new services related to digitisation projects.
With the Solar Technologies go hybrid (SolTech) research network, the Geothermal Alliance Bavaria and the Bavarian Climate Research Network (bayklif), the Free State of Bavaria has been funding three research networks in the field of renewable energies and climate for several years. Another research network to explore new strategies against multi-resistant pathogens by means of digital networking - bayresq.net - was established in 2020. The Bavarian research networks, in which scientists from several Bavarian universities conduct interdisciplinary research on topics relevant to the future, are a proven instrument of inter-university cooperation. A total of more than 70 Bavarian research associations have already been funded.
(last update: January 2022)
