1. Cohort

The project will first take a broad approach in identifying the level of implementation and the potential needs and starting points for using digitization in business development agencies. Later on, the focus lies on changes in innovation processes of firms and the monitoring of regional innovation systems with the help of digital technologies. The objectives of the project are to develop approaches and implementation proposals for business development agencies to support the new innovation processes of companies and to identify ways in which they can identify developments in the regional innovation system faster and more efficiently by using digital technologies. Central to the project are the development and test of an exemplary digital tool which can be employed in business development agencies to monitor the developments of their regional innovation system. The main focus is on the analysis of structured data (eg patent data). In addition, an outlook will be given on how these analyzes can be extended to include unstructured data.

The research project investigates the evolution of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies from a global perspective. Conceptually, the research draws upon innovation systems and technological systems approaches. The projects analyzes geographic specialization patterns in AI technologies in the US, China and Europe; it investigates the network structure in specific AI technologies in these regions; and it scrutinizes the relation between network position and performance of private network actors. The research applies social network analysis and exploits patent based indicators, bibliometric information as well as web-based resources.

• DRUID21, Copenhagen, Denmark, “AI’s local patterns of innovation”, October 18, 2021.
• The Economics and Management of AI Technologies, “An evolutionary view on the emergence of Artificial Intelligence”, January 19, 2021.
• Data infrastructure for mapping production and diffusion of AI technologies, Copenhagen, Denmark, “Diffusion of AI: Preliminary findings from a global patent analysis”, February 27, 2019.
• Diginomics Brown Bag Seminar, Bremen, Germany, “The Race for Technological Leadership in Artificial Intelligence”, May 22, 2019.
• European Meeting on Applied Evolutionary Economics (EMAEE), Brighton, United Kingdom, “The Race for Technological Leadership in Artificial Intelligence”, June 5, 2019.
• Artificial Intelligence - Between Panacea and Skynet, Bremen, Germany, “Patenting Patterns in Artificial Intelligence: Identifying National and International Greenhouses”, September 27, 2019.
• New perspectives in innovation economics, Thiessow, Germany, “The diffusion of Artificial Intelligence: Preliminary findings”, October 3, 2019.
• The Economics and Management of AI Technologies, Straßburg, France, “The diffusion of Artificial Intelligence: Preliminary findings”, October 18, 2019.
• Diginomics Brown Bag Seminar, Bremen, Germany, “The Race for Technological Leadership in Artificial Intelligence”, January 29, 2020.

• Matheus E. Leusin, Björn Jindra, and Daniel S. Hain (2021): An evolutionary view on the emergence of Artificial Intelligence. Download. 
• Matheus E. Leusin, Jutta Günther, Björn Jindra, and Martin G. Moehrle (2020): Patenting patterns in Artificial Intelligence: Identifying national and international breeding grounds, World Patent Information No. 62, 101988.

• EAEPE Prize for the best Political Economy paper at EMAEE 2019, Brighton, United Kingdom, for the paper “The Race for Technological Leadership in Artificial Intelligence”, June 4, 2019.

The introduction of new technologies into operational procedures involves the reorganization of existing processes, which results in the adaptation of hierarchical and group structures and areas of responsibility, resulting in a change in tasks, leadership and cooperation. In this connection, e.g. due to the creative leeway that has been gained, the motivation and well-being of the employees are to be illuminated, also taking into account interactions with, for example, the industry. It can also be assumed that increased self-control and a change of control mechanisms in the work processes will have an impact on the social norms in groups and on the relationships between managers and employees. Questions on these topics are answered by means of qualitative and quantitative methods in the context of problems posed by selected practical partners.

• Rieth, M. & Hagemann, V. (2021). Automation als gleichwertiger Teamplayer des Menschen? – Eine Expertenstudie. Presentation at the 67th Spring Congress of the Gesellschaft für Arbeitswissenschaften (GfA), Bochum, Deutschland.

• Rieth, M. & Hagemann, V. (2021). Analyse der Möglichkeiten der Automatisierung und damit einhergehende Auswirkungen in Bezug auf veränderte Anforderungen an Mitarbeitende in High Reliability Organizations. Presentation at the 67th Spring Congress of the Gesellschaft für Arbeitswissenschaften (GfA), Bochum, Germany.

• Rieth, M. & Hagemann, V. (2019). Analyse von Kompetenzanforderungen an Mitarbeitende in High Reliability Organisationen aufgrund der Einführung von Automation. Presentation at the 11th Conference of the Fachgruppe Arbeits-, Organisations- und Wirtschaftspsychologie (AOW) der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Psychologie (DGPs), Braunschweig, Germany.

• Rieth, M. & Hagemann, V. (2022). Automation as an equal team player for humans? – A view into the field and implications for research and practice. Applied Ergonomics, 98, 103552. Download.
• Rieth, M. & Hagemann, V. (2021). Veränderte Kompetenzanforderungen an Mitarbeitende infolge zunehmender Automatisierung – Eine Arbeitsfeldbetrachtung. Gruppe. Interaktion. Organisation. Zeitschrift für Angewandte Organisationspsychologie (GIO), 52(1), 37-49. Download.

The ongoing process of digitization has not only far-reaching consequences for the labor market but also affects climate change: On the one hand, digitization may lead to a more efficient input of resources, on the other hand, digitization may also increase the total demand for energy which accelerates climate change. The aim of this project is to discuss the long-run growth and distribution effects of digitization from the background of ongoing climate change and labor market dynamics.

Blockchain technology has a high potential for making an impact on different industries. Many potential technological variants of blockchain technology have already been predicted, e.g. in terms of smart contracts or decentralized application platforms. A prominent application field for both technological variants may be the patent management of companies and other patenting organizations. In patent management, secrecy over the course of developing an invention plays a central role, as an invention has to be unknown to the world to be granted as a patent. This secrecy is often protected by non-disclosure agreements in particular for cooperation between companies or other organizations such as research institutes. At the same time and in contrast to the idea of secrecy, it is important to document the different outcomes and laboratory activities over the course of development, as this documentation could be helpful in legal cases of patent infringement. The project will address questions that arise: how many of the expectations regarding the blockchain technology can already be underpinned by reliable facts? How do experts from patent management deal with the new opportunities? Will there be standards developed for an inter-organizational exchange of secret information in patent management? How will the Blockchain technology change the traditional ways in patent management?

Cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin or Ethereum have been part of a new and alternative asset class for some years. This asset class of digital assets is highly volatile, independent from traditional asset classes like stocks or bonds and still very inefficient. This opens the possibility to test and to investigate existing capital market models and theories in a young and emerging asset class and thus, to draw conclusions for established asset classes. Since only a few findings have been published next to the technical perspective until now, the value added from a finance perspective is especially big and makes this field of research even more interesting.