Federal Minister Cem Özdemir visits Hochschule Anhalt and gives the go-ahead for the TRANSFORM project to establish Smart Transformation Labs for future-oriented agriculture in Central Germany

Mobile Labor BioSensoLab of Fraunhofer IBMT. © Prof. Dr. Uwe Knauer, Hochschule Anhalt, Bernburg.

Dummy on-site technical module © Prof. Dr. Uwe Knauer, Hochschule Anhalt, Bernburg.

Existing demonstrators to be integrated. © Prof. Dr. Uwe Knauer, Hochschule Anhalt, Bernburg.

On July 27, 2023, the Federal Minister for Food and Agriculture, Cem Özdemir, visited the Bernburg Campus of Hochschule Anhalt and officially launched the TRANSFORM project by presenting the funding notification. TRANSFORM is part of the funding program "Future Enterprises and Future Regions" and is dedicated to the digital transformation of agriculture in the Central German region. The Fraunhofer Institute for Biomedical Engineering IBMT contributes its expertise in device and technology development, particularly in establishing and operating mobile and modular units.

In close collaboration with agricultural businesses, TRANSFORM aims to transform agriculture through the use of digital tools. The focus is on establishing Smart Transformation Labs in the Central German region and providing decision support for current issues in crop production.

The Smart Transformation Labs will be set up as knowledge transfer sites in the Innovation Workshop in Bernburg-Strenzfeld and in the Elbe Dome of the Fraunhofer Institute for Factory Operation and Automation IFF in Magdeburg. They are intended to enable intensive exchange with agricultural businesses about what constitutes a future-oriented farm and how the transformation into such a farm can be designed.

As part of the project, events will also be held directly at agricultural sites to promote exchange and cooperation among all participants. The Hochschule Anhalt is responsible for coordinating the project. Project partners include the Fraunhofer Institute for Factory Operation and Automation IFF in Magdeburg, the State Institute for Agriculture and Horticulture Saxony-Anhalt based in Bernburg, and the Fraunhofer Institute for Biomedical Engineering IBMT in Sulzbach/Saar.

For the on-site demonstration of an optimized digital infrastructure, technical and presentation modules for existing vehicles are being developed. The Fraunhofer Institute for Biomedical Engineering IBMT, as a device and technology developer, brings its expertise in establishing and operating mobile and modular units. The connection of mobile components via modern mobile communication technologies links the various sites in terms of technical capacity and within the consulting process. Different application needs impose varying requirements regarding robustness, terrain independence, energy supply, space utilization concepts, operating environment, and safety aspects. Due to its expertise and extensive experience, Fraunhofer IBMT is involved in developing the spatial concept for the mobile Smart Transformation Lab, creating the specifications, overseeing construction, and handling acceptance and commissioning of the vehicle modules.

The ceremonial presentation of the funding notification took place on July 27, 2023, from 12:00 to 13:30 in the Innovation Workshop at the Hochschule Anhalt campus in Bernburg. In addition to Federal Minister Cem Özdemir, the Minister for Economy, Tourism, Agriculture, and Forests of Saxony-Anhalt, Sven Schulze, representatives of Hochschule Anhalt and project partners, as well as other guests from politics, agriculture, and science, were present.

Contact:
Prof. Dr. Uwe Knauer
Focus: Digital Technologies in Plant Production
Department of Agriculture, Ecotrophology, and Landscape Development
Email: uwe.knauer@hs-anhalt.de
Phone: +49 (0)3471 355 1278