Across 25 European countries and within countless R&D&I projects, Inside (formerly known as ARTEMIS) has long connected great minds in the field of Intelligent Digital Systems. What does it mean to be part of this unique community? Two representatives from AVL List discuss their experiences Inside.
Going beyond main roads
“One of the biggest benefits we have is the exchange of ideas within this community,” begins Horst Pfluegl, Global Research Program Manager at AVL. “We can collaborate and work together on solutions we couldn’t do alone.” Together with AVL Director of Research & Technology Michael Paulweber, he’s been involved with Inside for more than a decade. In that time, they’ve witnessed enormous changes in software but also the emergence of a wealth of opportunities via cooperation with Inside’s network of OEMs, SMEs, research institutes and universities.
“If you want to change to another company, the fact that you have access to this network increases your value dramatically,” says Michael. “First of all, you can keep track of this fast-growing digitisation of the economy. This is valuable for the company as you can incorporate new technologies or gain access to customers when you enter new areas like electrification or automated driving as examples of changes currently going on in the automotive domain. Inside is a great starting point for this. Another aspect is that a lot of consortia-building is taking place in this community. It’s like going to a foreign country: you have some idea of the main roads but when you get there, you get lost because it’s way more complex than that. If you have a lot of partners in such consortia and look at a topic from many angles, you learn much faster. The meetings organised by Inside really help in this area.”
Reaching the top
In addition to the benefits at an individual and organisational level, Michael is also keen to stress that Inside is a truly European endeavour. In areas such as competitiveness and sustainability, such networks are vital to influencing discussions and putting Intelligent Digital Systems on the agenda at the highest levels. “We can always blame the politicians for not understanding what’s going on, but that’s stupid in my opinion. They’re also just humans, so we need to provide them with the information. That’s what we’re doing in communities like Inside.”
As an example of this, Michael is reminded of the Mobility.E Lighthouse, a collaboration and networking platform which brought together numerous Inside members to signpost subjects of common European interest. “In my opinion, the Mobility.E Lighthouse Initiative was very underrated. All of a sudden, the Key Digital Technologies community came in very close contact with the mobility community. We had a lot of exchanges and it was very easy! We’re now writing roadmaps together. Again, this is very important for politicians when it comes to finding out where to spend the money. In Europe, I don’t know any other communities like this.”