Fraunhofer Institute for Production Technology IPTLeistungszentrum "ICNAP"
Research Project "Leistungszentrum"
Project duration: 1.10.2016 - 31.12.2020
From a Research Platform to a Driving Force for Industrial Transfer
The International Center for Networked, Adaptive Production (ICNAP) originated as an initiative of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia and the Fraunhofer Society, with strong support from industry, and was launched in Aachen in late 2016 as the Fraunhofer Center of Excellence for “Networked, Adaptive Production.”
The mission of the Competence Center is to design an open research platform and test environment for industry, where new concepts in digitalized production and their transfer to industry can be researched and tested in a practical setting.
Today, the ICNAP in Aachen is one of the key platforms for data-driven production solutions, with the goal of translating research findings into industrial applications more quickly and effectively.
Through initiatives such as the digital twin, data analytics, and networked production systems, ICNAP is laying the groundwork for the competitiveness of industry in Germany and Europe.
A Strong Community as a Foundation
Since 2019, ICNAP’s growing community has been bringing together companies, research institutions, and experts to collaborate on challenges and solutions for the future of manufacturing. In many ways, the ICNAP community has established itself as a platform for exchange and innovation:
- more than 20 industrial partners in bilateral and publicly funded research and development projects within the community
- over 100 workshops on current topics related to digitalization in manufacturing
- more than 25 networking events for existing and new community members
- over 250 student participants in hackathons
- 35 research reports on the initiatives and publicly available project results
These activities not only raise the network’s profile but, above all, create a robust innovation network that gives rise to concrete collaborations.
From Knowledge to Transfer: Projects and Results
ICNAP consistently pursues a practice-oriented approach: In addition to fundamental studies, the partners regularly engage in transfer projects specifically designed to translate research findings directly into industrial practice.
Bilateral and multilateral collaborations that emerge directly from the community lay the foundation for this: With a total of more than 50 projects, as well as the development of demonstrators and guidelines, ICNAP has achieved tangible results that strengthen technology transfer in the long term.
You can get an overview of the projects via the ICNAP Explorer: https://s.fhg.de/ICNAP-Explorer
