Collaboration between academia and industry to support defence capabilities

Thurnau Castle is not only home to the Research Institute for Music Theatre and the Institute for Bavarian Regional History at the University of Bayreuth, but also to the Coach House, which provides a beautiful setting for exciting events. This was also the case for the event ‘Knowledge Drives the Economy’, organised by the Bavarian Industry Association’s Upper Franconia regional group in collaboration with the University of Bayreuth and Hof University of Applied Sciences, which has been held since 2019. 

This year, the event focused on the current global geopolitical and security situation – a topic that is more relevant than ever. Companies in Upper Franconia are faced with the task of adapting their business models and strategies to the new framework conditions and thus addressing economic challenges. In his welcoming address, the President of the University of Bayreuth, Prof. Dr Dr h. c. Stefan Leible, emphasised that universities, too, must open up to security research and that an open discourse must take place.

Major General Jörg See, commander of the Bundeswehr’s 10th Armoured Division and responsible for the multinational brigade in Lithuania – and thus for securing NATO’s eastern flank – spoke at the event about his work as a commander and the current cooperation with political partners. As a brigade commander, his primary focus is not on the Bundeswehr’s supply chains, but rather on analysing how formidable political adversaries currently are and what challenges his troops may face in the future. 

Michael Sporer, Senior Vice President of Protection Systems at Diehl Defence GmbH & Co. KG, was present as the keynote speaker. He titled his presentation “We want to bring new technologies to operational readiness quickly – this requires close collaboration between research and industry”. In his talk, he addressed the current need for research and staff, as well as the regulations to which a commercial enterprise such as Diehl is subject. He emphasised the need for speed and a change in mindset in order to remain competitive.

Stephanie Lingemann, Vice President Air at Helsing GmbH, delivered the second keynote speech, in which she spoke about the threatening changes taking place in the world and the need for Europe to do more itself in the field of defence. She emphasised both the growing importance of Europe’s resilience and the increasing significance of unmanned defence systems, as well as the challenges posed by software dependencies. 

Examples from university practice were then presented by Prof. Dr Stefan Schafföner, Chair of Ceramic Materials, University of Bayreuth; Prof. Dr Richard Göbel, Multimedia Information Systems Research Group at the Institute for Information Systems, Hof University of Applied Sciences; Martin Büchs, Managing Director of Jopp Holding GmbH, Bad Neustadt, and Mario Michel, Managing Director of M.A.i GmbH & Co. KG, Kronach – Neuses. It became clear that there are still a number of challenges to be overcome, whilst at the same time the Upper Franconian business community can draw on decades of experience in transformation processes. 

The event was very well attended, with over 100 guests, and provided representatives from academia and industry in Upper Franconia with an afternoon of active discussion and networking.