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Digital maturity in the company
Interview with Elke Büttner, Deputy Head of the Project Management Agency at Bayern Innovativ
The economy in Bavaria is facing great pressure to transform with regard to digitalization and decarbonization. This requires increased investment and efforts within companies to maintain and strengthen their competitiveness. Accelerated development and the use of future technologies are essential for this - as is the development of new, sustainable business areas in international competition. This is where the state government's new Bavarian Transformation Fund comes in.
How is the Bavarian Transformation Fund structured and which companies can apply for funding?
The Transformation Fund supports companies in Bavaria in their transition to new business models. It is made up of three modules with different funding criteria. Module 1 comprises R&D funding for technologically new or significantly improved products as part of the Technology Promotion Program plus (BayTP+). Module 2 promotes projects in the area of process and organizational innovation and Module 3 investments in plants for the (bio)chemical recycling of plastic waste.
A total of 350 million euros is available.
The funding is open to all sectors and is aimed at companies throughout Bavaria. Companies with up to 400 employees are generally eligible for R&D projects (BayTP+). Larger companies can take advantage of the funding if the project is of exceptional strategic importance for Bavaria as a research and technology location. In the context of process and organizational innovation, large companies are only funded if they cooperate effectively with SMEs.
What does the transformation fund mean specifically for the digital development of companies?
Digitalization is a central driver and explicit focus of the Transformation Fund. Process and organizational innovations often involve digital modernization - from ERP systems to networked production processes. Faster development and the use of digital technologies of the future are crucial for competitiveness. They enable more efficient work and can avoid staff shortages.
How digital are Bavarian companies today? What does the Bavarian Digital Index show?
The Digital Index Bavaria measures the progress of the digital transformation and provides a clear definition of where companies should invest. There are currently still regional differences that depend on universities, transfer centers or the presence of large digital companies, among other things. The index serves as a benchmark and highlights potential and structural deficits. Bavarian companies can use it to determine their starting position and initiate the necessary developments for improvement with the help of the transformation fund.
Further information on the funding conditions can be found atBavarian Transformation Fund