Jointly shaping economic change in the Rhenish textile and coal region with artificial intelligence (AI) is the goal of the WIRKsam competence centre launched at the beginning of November. The joint project, funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research with €14 million over five years, is researching innovative forms of work to secure employment, create attractive jobs and strengthen regional companies.
WIRKsam is to establish itself as a central point of contact and align scientific findings into company practice and into the broader society. After the funding phase, the competence centre will continue to work independently.
Prospects: Attractive jobs in the lignite mining region
The region on the left bank of the Rhine is not only a lignite mining area, but also a historically grown textile region where technical textiles are produced today, for example for medical technology or plant and vehicle construction. This offers valuable future prospects for the employees affected by the lignite phase-out.
Against this background, the aim of the WIRKsam centre of excellence is to research the extensive possibilities of artificial intelligence for shaping the future world of work and to transfer them to companies. AI applications are used to develop innovative work and process flows to create attractive workplaces and increase the competitiveness of local companies.
Together: business and science
The special feature: research institutions and companies from the Rhenish textile industry and related sectors work together in the centre of excellence. Research partners are the Institut für Textiltechnik of RWTH Aachen University (ITA) and the Institute for Mobile Autonomous Systems and Cognitive Robotics (MASCOR) of FH Aachen University of Applied Sciences, headed by ifaa - Institut für angewandte Arbeitswissenschaft e.V. (Institute for Applied Work Science).
Nine regional companies are involved so far; more will join. AI applications are being developed and exemplarily implemented for their respective needs. In this way, the diverse potentials of AI for work design are being tested and qualification requirements derived.
These results will not only increase the global competitiveness of the textile industry and other sectors; they will also secure jobs and make an important contribution to overcoming structural change in the Rhenish lignite mining area.
WIRKsam is funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research as part of the funding measure "Regional Competence Centres for Labour Re-search" and is supervised by the Karlsruhe Project Management Agency (PTKA) (funding code: 02L19C600).
The WIRKsam competence centre will be based in Hürth, Germany, on the edge of the Rhenish mining area as soon as the conversion work on the former TV studios on the Euronova campus is completed.
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Press contact:
Sabrina Gellissen
Scientific communication
Institut für Textiltechnik (ITA) of RWTH Aachen University
Phone: +49 241 80 247 01
E-mail: sabrina.gellissen@ita.rwth-aachen.de
Dr. Tim Jeske
ifaa - Institut für angewandte Arbeitswissenschaft e.V. (Institute for Applied Work Science)
Phone: +49 211 542263-24
E-mail: t.jeske@ifaa-mail.de
Dr. Andrea Altepost
Institut für Textiltechnik (ITA) of RWTH Aachen University
Phone: +49 241 80 23400
E-mail: andrea.altepost@ita.rwth-aachen.de
Professor Dr. Alexander Ferrein
Institute for Mobile Autonomous Systems and Cognitive Robotics (MASCOR) of FH Aachen University of Applied Science
Phone: +49 241 6009 51904
E-mail: ferrein@fh-aachen.de
https://www.ita.rwth-aachen.de/cms/ITA/Das-Institut/Aktuelle-Meldungen/~rwntf/WI... Homepage WIRKsam
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