Research Projects for Enterprise Software of the Future to Begin Shortly

Research Projects for Enterprise Software of the Future to Begin Shortly

Strategy Board signs cooperation agreement in the presence of Saarland?s Premier, Peter Müller, in Saarbrücken
Initial projects to start shortly: Fundamentals of Emerging Software, Process Innovation in the Software Industry, and Software-Cluster Management
More than 80 researchers working on the software of the future
Investment of over ?30 million in the first three projects
Cluster management is coordinating the projects
National coordination center in Darmstadt, regional coordination centers in Darmstadt, Kaiserslautern, Karlsruhe, and Saarbrücken

Saarbrücken, Germany, July 13, 2010 – The Software-Cluster is researching enterprise software that can act as an „operating system? for any company?from suppliers and master craftsmen to small businesses and world market leaders. The enterprise software of the future forms the backbone of the value-added chains for operations and sales. After holding its Strategy Board meeting in Saarbrücken, the Software-Cluster will now launch its initial research projects. The official kick-off began with the signing of the cooperation agreement. Content preparation for the first three projects began more than twelve months ago and was finalized in the last six months by the participating project partners. More than 80 researchers will be working hard in the next few years on the enterprise software of the future. A total of more than ?30 million will be invested in the first phase. The three projects beginning now form the basis for further research. The cluster project?s total investment volume is expected to reach ?80 million. The Software-Cluster, as winner of the German federal government?s top cluster competition, is supported by a ?40 million research grant from the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF). The purpose of the national coordination center in Darmstadt and the regional coordination centers in Darmstadt, Kaiserslautern, Karlsruhe, and Saarbrücken is to improve the general conditions in the cluster region. In addition, the intention is to develop the Software-Cluster into a globally visible and world leading top cluster for the software industry that creates and protects jobs in Germany.

Contact person for members of the press:
Software AG
Norbert Eder, Software AG, +49 (0) 6151- 92-1146, Norbert.Eder@softwareag.com

Software Innovation for the Digital Enterprise“ Software-Cluster
Objectives: Digital enterprises work in highly flexible, Internet-based business networks, and design their dynamic business models and processes to ensure that all data regarding processes, operating funds, and resources is available at all times in precise real-time and dimensional resolution for planning, controlling, and optimization. The Software-Cluster’s goal is to enable the transformation of businesses into fully digital enterprises that use ICT as the key driver for product and process innovation. Studies predict 430,000 new jobs in Germany’s software industry by the year 2030. Some of the Software-Cluster’s other objectives include educating 5,000 skilled professionals in five years, launching 30 companies in the cluster’s core area of expertise, and persuading leading foreign companies to establish a presence in the cluster region. According to recent numbers, at least ?300 million will be invested in these efforts.
The path: The Software-Cluster will work on six projects to develop concepts, technologies and business processes for emergent software?an innovative leap in the area of enterprise software, which is a key contributor to the German national economy. Emergent software creates a dynamic and flexible combination of numerous components from various providers to meet the highly complex needs of digital enterprises. Successfully realizing the group’s goals will require a joint effort from the science and business sectors, and cross-organizational cooperation within the Software-Cluster.
The region: The Software-Cluster spans centers in Darmstadt, Kaiserslautern, Karlsruhe, Saarbrücken and Walldorf.
The partners:
Strategy Board: DFKI – German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence GmbH, Fraunhofer Institute for Experimental Software Engineering, IDS Scheer AG, IMC information multimedia communication AG, intelligent views gmbh, KIT (Karlsruhe Institute of Technology), proALPHA Software AG, SAP AG, Seeburger AG, Software AG, DARMSTADT University of Technology

Industrie Regional IT Networks: CAS Software AG, Competence Center Computer Science, ConWeaver GmbH, Corisecio GmbH, CyberForum e.V., 1 1 Internet AG, EUROSEC GmbH, IHK Darmstadt Service GmbH, Insiders Technologies GmbH, John Deere Werke Mannheim, KOBIL Systems GmbH, mineway GmbH, Netbiscuits GmbH, Ontoprise GmbH, SIEDA GmbH, Sirrix AG, STI Software Technologie Initiative Kaiserslautern e.V., Technologie-Initiative smartFactory KL e.V.

Research Development: DFKI – Innovative Retail Laboratory, Research Center for Information Technology at the University of Karlsruhe, Fraunhofer Institute for Computer Graphics Research, Fraunhofer Institute for Secure Information Technology, Fraunhofer Institute for Technical and Business Mathematics, KIT (Karlsruhe Institute of Technology), Kaiserslautern University of Technology, Saarland University

Project duration: 5 years (start 04/10 – finish 03/15)
Funding: Federal Ministry for Education and Research (BMBF), total funding over ?80 million

Main cluster contact:
Gino Brunetti
Head, Software-Cluster coordination center
Software-Cluster/CASED
Mornewegstraße 32
64293 Darmstadt, Germany
Tel.: +49 6151 16-70821
Fax: +49 6151 16-4825
gino.brunetti@cased.de
Website: www.software-cluster.org or www.software-cluster.com=417748″ width=“1″ height=“1″>