Berlin Center for Digital Transformation

The 5G Testbed transfer center integrates ongoing research and development efforts for the further development of 5th generation mobile communications into early trials with mobile communication industry partners. This makes it an important contact point for national and international research projects as well as preliminary product development studies, and a test center for 5th generation mobile communications product testing. The transfer center offers training as well as user and application-oriented workshops on technical details of 5G to regional and cross-regional industrial enterprises. Select hardware is also available in the 5G Testbed as an open test platform in order to conduct specific practical tests on technology components and applications. The transfer center serves as a link that closes the gap between research and industrial enterprises.

About the Center for Digital Transformation

On Tuesday, 26 January 2016, the former Senator for Economics, Technology and Research of the state of Berlin, Cornelia Yzer, and Professor Dr. Manfred Hauswirth, Executive Director of the Fraunhofer Institute for Open Communication Systems FOKUS, signed the agreement founding the Berlin Center for Digital Transformation . The project is funded by the Governing Mayor of Berlin, Senate Chancellery – Department for Research and Technology as well as from the European Regional Development Fund (EFRE) until August of 2018.

The Fraunhofer Center for Digital Transformation is a cooperative effort of Berlin’s four Fraunhofer institutes FOKUS, HHI, IPK, and IZM. Its focus is on the joint development of technologies and solutions to enable and facilitate the increasing digitalization and networking of all areas of life. The research is conducted on fundamental and cross-sectional technologies as well as on solutions for four concrete fields of application:

  • Health and medicine
  • Mobility and the city of the future
  • Industry and production
  • Critical infrastructures

The Center for Digital Transformation combines the competencies and technologies of the four Fraunhofer institutes in the fields of information and communication technology, data processing and data handling, development and delivery of electronic systems, and production and microelectronics. The Fraunhofer Center of Excellence also works closely with Berlin Technical University. It combines excellence in research and teaching, training and continuing education, transfer and economic activities in an efficient innovation system with regional, national and international effect. Synergy effects between these fields should be used in order to cover the entire digital networking technology chain.

Industry partners have the opportunity to cooperate with the participating Fraunhofer institutes in the course of research projects. The benefit lies in using the existing technology infrastructures of the institutes and in the direct transfer of research results to practical applications. Relevant players in science, industry, and politics are jointly creating a road map and taking part in the creative process. This promotes interdisciplinary and cross-industry cooperation with the resulting synergy effects.

Each of the participating Fraunhofer institutes represents a transfer center. These four transfer centers form the creative node of the Berlin Center for Digital Transformation:

  • CPS Hardware Lab
  • IoT Lab
  • 5G Testbed
  • Industry 4.0 Lab