After a letter of intent between Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU) and the Fraunhofer IPA had already been signed in autumn 2017, the process now continues: On March 26^th, 2019, the official contract for cooperation was signed by the Chinese side and institute director Professor Thomas Bauernhansl. Subsequently, the contract comes into force with the signature of the Fraunhofer President and the Fraunhofer Executive Board.

The aim of the cooperation in the so-called “Project Center for Smart Manufacturing” is to implement research projects on digital transformation in the Chinese market under the direction of Michael Lickefett (Managing Director) and Professor Hao Wang (Director) together with mainly German and European industrial partners. For the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, the project center is the first of its kind in China.