The research institute of the Free State of Bavaria for software-intensive systems is a project partner of the Digital Center for SMEs in Augsburg, one of 29 nationwide centers funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK).

The Digital Center for SMEs in Augsburg supports small and medium-sized enterprises during the digital transformation by offering various services at no cost and by guiding companies through the most important steps of the transformation. The center operates nationwide and maintains a presence in large parts of Bavaria through its decentralized partner structure. Funding is provided through the BMWK initiative Mittelstand-Digital.

The center’s services can be broken down into four categories:

• Information – “Understanding digital opportunities”
• Qualification – “Attractive training and education”
• Implementation – “The future is digital“
• Networking – “Learning from one another”

The center covers various topics ranging from sustainability, digital strategies, artificial intelligence (AI), Work 4.0 and Finances 4.0, to connected production and logistics. fortiss brings its expertise in the field of software engineering and AI to the consortium and oversees AI as a focal point.

Apart from attractive education formats in the form of webinars and training programs, potential analyses and project steps, all offered at no charge, provide a highly interesting and effective means of helping SMEs address issues related to digitalization.