INSTITUT FUR AUTOMATION UND KOMMUNIKATION EV

Their core work

ifak is a German research institute based in Magdeburg specializing in automation, communication technologies, and industrial digitalization. They develop practical engineering solutions for smart manufacturing, including process automation, digital factory concepts, and supply chain optimization. Their work bridges the gap between industrial control systems and modern ICT infrastructure, helping manufacturers adopt Industry 4.0 approaches for production and logistics.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

ifak's early H2020 work (2016-2017) centered on foundational Industry 4.0 themes — smart production, key enabling technologies, and industrial Internet connectivity. By 2019, their focus shifted toward practical engineering tooling for digitalization, with Arrowhead Tools explicitly targeting reusable engineering solutions for digital transformation. The progression shows a move from broad Industry 4.0 research toward concrete, deployable digitalization tools and frameworks.

ifak is moving from conceptual Industry 4.0 research toward building practical, reusable toolchains for industrial digitalization — expect them to bring strong systems integration and automation engineering expertise to future projects.

How they like to work

ifak operates exclusively as a participant, never as coordinator, suggesting they contribute specialized technical expertise rather than project management. With 190 unique partners across 22 countries from just 3 projects, they work in very large ECSEL-type consortia (60+ partners each), indicating comfort with complex multi-stakeholder environments. Their broad partner network means they are well-connected across European electronics and manufacturing research but likely serve as a focused technical contributor rather than a consortium anchor.

Despite only 3 projects, ifak has collaborated with 190 unique partners across 22 countries, reflecting participation in large-scale European electronics and digitalization initiatives. Their network spans most of the EU, with particularly strong ties to the semiconductor and electronics manufacturing ecosystem.

What sets them apart

ifak brings a distinctive combination of automation engineering and industrial communication expertise rooted in decades of German manufacturing research tradition. Their Magdeburg base places them in eastern Germany's growing automation technology cluster. For consortium builders, they offer a reliable specialist partner who understands both the control systems layer and the digital integration layer of smart factories — a bridging competence that is hard to find in a single institute.

Highlights from their portfolio

• SemI40
  Largest funding (EUR 157K) — focused on power semiconductor manufacturing 4.0, connecting ifak to the European chip production ecosystem.
• Arrowhead Tools
  Their most recent project (2019-2022), building reusable engineering tools for digitalization — signals their current strategic direction.