Workshop
The Information Society in the Euro-Mediterranean context:
Research and Information Technologies

GMD’s TechnoPark
- A Window to Technology and SME -

by

Dr. Karlheinz Schunk

German National Research Center for
Information Technology

D-53754 Sankt Augustin, Rathausallee 10
Phone:	+49-22 41-14-32 15
Fax:	+49-22 41-14-30 17
e-mail:	schunk@gmd.de
Internet:	http://www.gmd.de

GMD’s TechnoPark
A Window to Technology and SME

The vision of our arising information society is not yet clear. It will change continuously and the gaps between vision and reality will remain. But the convergence or the divergency of these counterparts will be highly influenced and impressed by several factors you may find looking around. One of these factors can be identified as the process of technology transfer. The quality of conducting sucessful transfer from research to industry is mainly depending on the value of the output of our research and development activities on the one side and the different tools to put these results into practice.

In the context of our workshop here in Sophia-Antipolis I would like to give you an example of a new instrument of technology transfer in our research center. This special view will be concentrated on an interface between research activities of a large scale research institution as a source of innovation and the transfer process of application oriented research and development results to the market. In addition to the main market players in information technologies, SME will play an important role in this process. Therefore it will be necessary, to increase the transfer process from research projects to SME. In this sense it has to become an essential objective of the involved research institutions in all countries. This applies to GMD as well.

GMD is the German National Research Center for Information Technology. It is one of 16 large scale research centers in Germany, but the only one concentrated clearly on the fields of information technology, telecommunication and media. With its staff of about 1200 employees, more then half of them are researchers, it conducts research aiming at the development of innovative methods and applications. Our total annual budget is nearly 170 Mio DM and we are located in Sankt Augustin near Bonn, in Darmstadt and in Berlin. GMD’s main research areas are System Design Technology, Communication and Cooperation, Intelligent Multimedia Systems and Parallel Computing.

All these research fields are very close directed to application and to the IT-market of the future. That means, that most of the results of these activities may influence to a certain extent the positive or negative development, the acceptance, the chances and the risks of our arising information society.

One thing we as researchers or research institutions can do among others to foster the positive factors of such a development, is to find new ways and means of communication and cooperation with developers, manufacturers and users of information and telecommunication technology. On this way I think we have to increase our efforts towards several directions. Which are those directions and where do they lead?

Firstly, we have to intensify our contacts, cooperation and collaboration with industry, that means manufacturers of hard- and software or telecommunication, service providers and consultants. I am aware of a lot of common projects, all research centers are running with national and international industrial partners and I know the various contacts between researchers of our institution and a widespread range of external partners. But nevertheless the readiness to cooperation must be seen as a matter of course independent of the particular fields of work. It has to become a part of our philosophy and thus an integrated part of our activities in research and development.

Secondly, we have to bring clother together research and the users of our results more intensively than it used to happen in the past. To meet the needs of the users of information and telecommunication technology, to become acquainted with real user problems, should leed to research approaches which are more demand driven than technology driven. We have to come to a better and more profound understanding of the requirements of the different user groups in order to provide adequate and user-oriented solutions.

On this background we should take the chance to create new markets and new innovative potential. Compared to traditional and well known products, technology as a certain kind of product and output of a research institute is much more difficult to be discribed and defined and to be understood. The different expectations, advantages and also problems and risks are needed to be discussed and explained more intensively among researchers and users. On such a base we may find an appropriate committment of understanding between research and application.

Thirdly, we should find sufficient instruments to integrate SME into these development and transfer processes. In the past above all the main players and international companies were normaly seen as the natural partners of institutes like GMD, but not SME. This visual angle has to be changed. Despite a growing global market and the irreversible process of concentration of the main players in the arena of information technology, SME are going to play an important role to create our future information society. In many sectors they will prove more flexible and adaptive than large companies, they will find the right places in the developing markets. Concerning transformation and adaptation of high sophisticated technology into acceptable use and products of these technologies, especially SME will function as a kind of agent and personal consultant in these application processes.

Forthly, we must try to initiate or to intensify contacts between SME at home and abroad. As the traditional market places of many SME, especially in the mentioned areas, are mainly focussed on regional or at most national markets and partners, this seems to be a pretentious and difficult task. But nevertheless the common European market as well as the existing international networks call for such international partnerships of SME. How to implement an instrument to  facilitate such cooperations I would like to give a hint later on.

Fifthly, we have to foster the creation and development of new high tech companies, so called spin-offs, founded by former employees of our research centers. With a high motivation to take the chance for new and innovative work, spin-off enterprises form a valuable link in the process of technology transfer between research, industry and the market. The sucess of spin-offs does not only depend on finding the right niche in the market. The appropriate environment, a close connection to the mother institute and by this a continuing link to new technologies arising in these institutes are also vital for such young companies.

What is finaly necessary to accelerate the process of technology transfer and cooperation between the different partners is to provide appropriate and accepted communication networks consisting of different elements. One key element is a platform for personal discussion, communication and common collaborative work. The second one is an electronic based network depending on the different regional, national and international requirements. In this context the existing and coming multimedia tools have to be integrated into these communication networks.

All these above mentioned aspects of an effective and sufficiant transfer and innovation process may also contribute to another effect: The restructuring or revitalisation of a region. Let me give you a short example. As you may know, the government of Germany in 1991 decided to relocate the Parliament and main parts of the Government from Bonn to Berlin, starting at the end of this century. This movement of about 20 000 people and jobs will cause an enormous intervention in the economical and social structures of the region of Bonn. So it will be necessary to restructure this region very intensively. As more then 90 % of the companies of this region are SME, the restructuring process has to be based on this economic fundament. To strengthen the existing SME and to create a positive environment to settle and found new high tech companies has to be an adequate answer to master this challenging and critical situation.

As GMD is one of the main players in the fields of information technology and telecommunication and is situated with its headquarters and four of its institutes in the Bonn region it has to play its particular part at the restructuring process towards a future oriented high tech region in these key technology areas. As a well defined contribution to all the above mentioned aspects GMD has founded a TechnoPark on its campus in Sankt Augustin. How does the GMD TechnoPark work, what is it providing and what are the main benefits for GMD, for its partners and the region?

Concentrating on the key sector of information technology, telecommunication and media the TechnoPark is opened up to the three following primary target groups:

It provides firstly a home for the R&D departments of larger and established, but also young and innovative business enterprises, and offers them attractive working conditions and the opportunity to work closely together with similar project areas. The enterprises occupying the TechnoPark are coming from all branches of information and communication technology and include both manufacturers and R&D-intensive users of these technologies.

Because of its many contacts to the national and international information technology scene, GMD TechnoPark is also an excellent partner to foreign companies and organisations, especially SME desiring to strengthen cooperation with Germany and Europe.

At the same time, the TechnoPark will secondly also be able to accommodate other research institutes alongside GMD which work in areas which are either the same as or complementary to those of GMD or other TechnoPark enterprises.

Last but not least the TechnoPark also provides GMD employees and employees of other participating enterprises and institutions the optimum starting conditions for establishing spin-off activities, especially for such high tech spin off companies in our research fields.

The TechnoPark environment offers participating organisations the opportunity both to cooperate in projects with GMD, including other TechnoPark enterprises and other companies in the region, and also to carry out their own independent R&D projects and develop these into marketable products.

To meet the needs of these different TechnoPark partners a new modern office building in the center of Sankt Augustin is available. Adequate, well equipped rooms for conferences, seminars, workshops and presentations will also be provided on the GMD campus.

TechnoPark partners will also have access to various GMD laboratories with technical backup as necessary. GMD for example operates laboratories and testbeds for parallel computing, for telecooperation, for scientific visualisation, for multimedia as well as for example video studios.

GMD’s powerful internal and external telecommunications infrastructure is of the highest technical standard and can be utilised by all TechnoPark partners.

General infrastructure and services include the GMD library, training programmes, house and security service and support by a start up team.

Thus there is a package of appropriate facilities to support the growth of the included TechnoPark companies and to ease the connections between GMD’s researchers and these partners.

All premises and services provided by GMD will be charged on a cost-sharing basis according to use.

What may be the benefits for the partners?

The TechnoPark provides participating companies and institutions with excellent opportunities to exploit their R&D potential to greater effect, to increase their innovative ability and thereby to improve their position in the market. This is achieved through increased know-how. Conducting joint work „on site“ ensures faster access to the results of GMD’s research work and thus accelerates technological development work and its implementation into products with capital market opportunities.

Exchange of personnel ensures greater, more effective know-how transfer. The mobility of GMD’s scientists provides an adequate basis for this.

Each participating company’s employees will benefit from the manyfold opportunities which exist for on-going further training programmes by GMD.

Offering the option of opening a transfer office - we call it TransferWindow - espacially for foreign institutions and SME, these partners will find a place from where they are able to analyze the potential of the German infocom market and research scene, to develop business opportunities, to support marketing and PR activities, to establish contacts and to assist in finding the right partners.

Economic efficiency as another benefit leeds to considerable cost savings, which can be achieved through making joint use of GMD’s modern technical infrastructure.

It is possible to establish specific R&D areas or groups in the TechnoPark environment without having to build up the entire infrastructure.

The TechnoPark concept provides opportunities for expanding to larger premises as required. This facilitates planning and minimises costs.

GMD participates in all major national and European promotional programmes and thereby can also provide TechnoPark partners with a line of access to these sponsors.

Communication advances is the third group of benefits. The TechnoPark provides an outstanding information and communications platform for all participating partners, for example by workshops, round tables and so on.

Permantent contact with the research groups of GMD and other TechnoPark users stimulates the creativity of the personnel.

GMD possesses up to date, high-performance communication links throughout the world.

Strategic benefits are to be seen insofar as the political and geographical conditions for establishing a TechnoPark are particularly favourable. As already said, the strengthening development of information and communication technology is a key factor in the Bonn area which will follow the planned relocation of the German Parliament and many ministries to Berlin.

The clear political intent to develop Bonn and its environment as another political center and as an area with new political, scientific and cultural functions and a future-oriented economic structure, ensures a high market potential both within and outside the region.

If you compare the different requirements I mentioned in my first part you will find a lot of correspondig points to contribute to these requirements in the concept and the realisation of our TechnoPark.

When we started two years ago having all these above mentioned objectives and ideas in mind we were not quite sure wether this pilot project of GMD would come to work. Meanwhile the first 17 companies and institutions are settled at TechnoPark. Among them are research groups, existing SME and spin-offs of GMD. Today we are facing an increasing interest and demand of additional external partners, but also a stronger acceptance and involvement of these partners in the research and development work and transfer activities of our researchers.

We are fully aware to stay at the very beginning of a new transfer process, but we are quite sure to be on the right way to accelerate this process and thus to contribute as a research institution towards an information society we can be responsible for in the long run on the basis of our own research and development results.