Prof. Christian van Husen is the contact at HFU for the new Center for Industry-Related Services.
Furtwangen University partner of new Center for Industry-Related Services
Furtwangen University (HFU) is to become an academic partner of the newly founded “Center for Industry-Related Services.” The project will develop complex, technology-based services for medium-sized industrial companies and service providers. The Center for Industry-Related Services will receive a total of €1.6 million in funding from the Baden-Württemberg Ministry of Economic Affairs, Labor, and Tourism in 2026.
Technology- and knowledge-intensive services are an increasingly important competitive factor for Baden-Württemberg as a business location. They generate innovation and provide opportunities for new business models, as well as increased productivity and value creation in service exports. Against this backdrop, the new Center for Industry-Related Services will work with companies in Baden-Württemberg to set up and advance development projects for the design and implementation of innovative, digitally supported services. Through the involvement of practical businesses and academic support, the development projects will be implemented in such a way that all companies in the field of industry-related services in Baden-Württemberg can benefit from the solutions developed.
Cooperation with companies
Internal link opens in the same window:Prof. Dr.-Ing. Christian van Husen, head of the project at HFU explains, "At the Institute for Product and Service Engineering, we are researching the use of modern technologies for services. With the new center, we want to support implementation in business practice. We welcome interested companies who want to actively work with us on the services of the future." Contacting the center and inquiring about collaboration on innovative projects is easy via the Center for Industry-Related Services website.
Other partners of the Center for Industry-Related Services include the Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Engineering IAO in Stuttgart, the Research and Innovation Center for Cognitive Service Systems (KODIS) in Heilbronn, HTWG Konstanz, and the itb – Institute for Business Management at DHI in Karlsruhe. HFU has already worked successfully with these partners as part of the “Smart Services Competence Center,” which has successfully supported around 20,000 companies with digitalisation between 2019 and 2025.
Further information on the Center for Industry-Related Services can be found at www.industrienahe-dienstleistungen.de.