Leipzig-Halle SME Digital Centre

The ‘Mittelstand-Digital Zentrum Leipzig-Halle’ transfer project, subtitled ‘Sustainability through innovative product design and digitalisation’, aims to outline digital development pathways, present these to businesses in suitable formats, and measure their impact on environmental, social and economic objectives. The target group consists of small and medium-sized enterprises, which shape the economic landscape, particularly in the new federal states. In addition to internal company improvements, the focus is primarily on a sustainable and regional supply chain.

The project, managed by the German Aerospace Centre (DLR), is funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action with a total of €2.8 million and is part of the Germany-wide “Mittelstand Digital” initiativehttps://www.mittelstand-digital.de/MD/Navigation/DE/Home/home.html.

HTWK Leipzig’s main areas of work lie within the work package “Innovation Compass, Catalyst and Measurement Approaches”. The project is based at HTWK Leipzig within the Faculties of Digital Transformation (Prof. Oliver Crönertz) and Economics and Industrial Engineering (Prof. Holger Müller (SCM), Prof. Rüdiger Wink). The project offices are located in the Hopper Building of the Faculty of Digital Transformation.

Work packages / key topics:

1. Opening of a liaison office at HTWK Leipzig, including the development of a portfolio of digital higher education initiatives and suitable contact and educational formats
2. Design of a status quo assessment and a digitalisation roadmap
3. Development of an SME-specific sustainability score to measure the effects of digital projects
4. Regional trend and resilience research in relation to sustainability and digitalisation