The BRIDGE-US Project – Big Data Made in Germany Inspiring the US

Veröffentlicht am 27. September 20199. November 2023 von Alexandra Garatzogianni

Today’s networked world produces large amounts of data with great diversity in terms of volume and data sources, with data from industry 4.0 and self-organized systems or services gaining an ever-increasing share. The invention of new technologies in the field of Big Data therefore requires new know-how. A key path to the integration of value creation and digitisation systems and related services in industry 4.0 is to support human decision making with automated digital algorithms. The gap between human cognitive abilities and the need to understand large amounts of data is widening and therefore requires technological support and specially trained professionals.

Photo: Prof. Dr.-Ing. Roman Obermaisser, University of Siegen

BRIDGE-US is funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research within the context of the campaign “The Future of Work”.
This project aims to strengthen the required capabilities as a Big Data Expert by comprehensively marketing research. The project includes various activities ranging from different types of workshops, the presentation of a Big Data Award to the marketing of Big Data Research Made in Germany through innovative promotional materials and social networking activities. The project started on 1 June 2019 and has a duration of 18 months. Our focus is on research topics in the areas of supply chain management, logistics, smart cities and digital processes in healthcare. In this project, joint German-American concepts are to be developed which complement each other and are to be continued after the end of the project in order to sustainably develop project results.

According to Andrea Nahles, former Federal Minister of Labor and Social Affairs, „digitization drives our imagination and innovation and surprises us with an endless stream of new products and business models. The Minister stressed the role of big data, digital transformation, industry 4.0 and crowdworking as the most important technical prerequisites for progressive work 4.0. In this respect, Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS) are best suited to revolutionize traditional business models and personnel development. BRIDGE-US defines the concept of Human Cyber Physical Systems (HCPS), which are not limited to the area of Work 4.0 and Smart Offices, but also include applied CPS in the area of human well-being, Smart Health Care systems and human services, which are key requirements in the innovative world of Work 4.0 concept. In this context, training in digitisation and in particular expertise in handling large amounts of data are particularly important skills. We therefore believe that special efforts should be made in the area of Big Data to revolutionise and modernise the world of work.

The Consortium of BRIDGE-US consists of three full partners, i.e. the University of Siegen, Petanux GmbH and the TIB – Leibniz Information Center for Science and Technology. The University of Maryland, Georgia Tech and the Mississippi State University complement the Consortium as Associated Partners.

The BRIDGE-US project focuses on benefiting:

Universities, academics and young researchers from the Big Data research area. This target group is addressed in particular by our scientific events. Topics such as artificial intelligence and data sciences are our focus. Young researchers are specifically addressed by our Start-Up Workshop.
Startups with a focus on innovative new technologies in the field of Big Data and Artificial Intelligence. Start-ups are particularly addressed by our Big Data Innovation Award and through their participation provide innovative impulses for young scientists and companies.
Companies that are successful in the Big Data market. Start-ups and scientists can learn from the experience of established companies. The companies will also benefit from new impulses from science and start-ups as well as from the research network.

In this regard, several communication activities are planned for the upcoming months, including innovation and startup workshops and the Big Data Innovation Award. Follow us on Linkedin and Twitter to stay tuned!