Over the next four years, University of Bremen researchers will promote knowledge and technology transfer in two different innovation communities. The Innovation Community Urban Health (ICUH) is concerned with social and ecological transformation in old industrial areas. Professor Gabriele Bolte and Dr. Stefanie Dreger from the Institute of Public Health and Nursing Research (IPP) at the University of Bremen are on the management team of the joint project and are responsible for activities in Bremen and Bremerhaven.

The aim of “Smartport Transfer” (SPorT) is to promote digitalization in maritime logistics. At the University of Bremen, Michael Freitag, Professor in the Department of Production Engineering and spokesperson for the Bremen Research Cluster for Dynamics in Logistics, is in charge of the project. Each innovation community can apply for up to 5 million euros of funding over a period of four years.

DATIpilot: Experimental Space for Knowledge and Technology Transfer

The DATIpilot funding line provides experimental space and serves a source of experience and ideas for the establishment of the German Agency for Transfer and Innovation (DATI). It differs from other funding programs in its experimental character, the technology transfer focus of the funded projects, a simplified application process, and greater flexibility in the use of the funding. The University of Bremen has been successful several times with DATIpilot: In addition to the two innovation communities, a project by Dr. Christophe Galerne from MARUM – Center for Marine Environmental Sciences is already being funded as part of the “Innovation Sprints” funding line.

“Assuming social responsibility – this has been the guiding principle of the University of Bremen since its foundation. This includes transferring innovations from research into application: for the benefit of the community and for the sustainable development of our society. That is why we took part in DATIPilot. We are delighted with the success of our researchers in both formats of the funding line. I would like to express my thanks to all the teams that contributed great ideas. Their commitment shows that we live by our guiding principles. I wish the selected teams every success in their work and very much hope that the impetus generated by the competition will lead to further knowledge transfer projects between the university and society,” says Professor Michal Kucera, Vice President for Research and Transfer at the University of Bremen.

The Innovation Community Urban Health (ICUH): New Solutions for Old Industrial Areas

The Innovation Community Urban Health is coordinated by theBochum University of Applied Sciences. In addition to the University of Bremen, other partners include the State Center for Health NRW, the State Association for Health and Academy for Social Medicine Lower Saxony Bremen e.V., the Wuppertal Institute for Climate, Environment and Energy, and the Technical University of Dortmund. In collaboration with the other institutions, the researchers at the University of Bremen want to research how socio-ecological transformation can take place in the old urban industrial areas of the Ruhr and Bremen/Bremerhaven.

The key concept here is environmental justice: Cities and districts are affected to varying degrees by environmental contaminants such as air pollution. At the same time, environmental resources, such as urban parks, are not accessible to everyone. The project team wants to reduce these social inequalities and involve as many people and institutions as possible in environmentally relevant decision-making processes. The central theme of ICUH is overcoming the implementation gap, i.e. the question of why scientific findings and accepted guiding principles such as sustainability or health-promoting urban development often is not implemented in practice. Additionally, through the work in the ICUH, the “Health-promoting and sustainable urban development” area of focus at the IPP will be further expanded.

The Innovation Community Smartport Transfer (SPorT): Advancing Digitalization in Maritime Logistics

In the innovation community “Smartport Transfer – Coopetition in Bremen ports as an innovation booster on the way to the Smartport,” the bremenports port management company is cooperating with the Institute of Shipping Economics and Logistics (ISL) and the Bremen Research Cluster for Dynamics in Logistics (LogDynamics) at the University of Bremen. The project partners – all with a focus on technology transfer – are concerned with the digitalization and automation of logistics processes in the ports of Bremen. Among other things, they are working on the planning, monitoring, and control of handling processes for containers and vehicles as well as general cargo and bulk goods. They are also looking at how shipping and hinterland transportation, such as freight trains, can be linked to port processes using information technology.

These technologies should not be an end in themselves, but should above all increase the competitiveness of German ports and their resilience to market fluctuations and disruptions in supply chains. The logistics researchers at the University of Bremen will develop organizational concepts, methods for planning and optimizing processes, as well as models for IT systems and infrastructures. Moreover, they are going to implement and evaluate prototypes together with industry partners in the innovation community.

Further Information:

https://www.bmbf.de/bmbf/de/forschung/datipilot/datipilot

Contact:

Prof. Dr. Gabriele Bolte
Institute of Public Health and Nursing Research (IPP)
University of Bremen
Phone: +49 421 218-68820
Email: gabriele.bolteuni-bremen.de

Prof. Dr. Michael Freitag
Bremen Research Cluster for Dynamics in Logistics
University of Bremen
Phone: +49 421 218-50001
Email: frebiba.uni-bremen.de