As the approval authority, the BAV, headquartered in Aurich, organizes and manages a wide range of funding programmes within the remit of the Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure (BMVI). The "Silicon Economy Logistics Ecosystem" project is being funded by the BMVI with 25 million euros. With its alternative to Silicon Valley, Fraunhofer IML will help a decentralized and open platform economy achieve a breakthrough in Germany and Europe. During a tour of the institute, the BAV delegation was able to gain an impression of the state-of-the-art equipment in the adjoining research halls and the innovative potential of scientific research. In particular, the demonstrations of a bio-intelligent swarm of drones and the autonomous high-speed "LoadRunner" vehicles gave the BAV representatives a first good insight into possible applications in the context of the "Silicon Economy".

The panel agreed that the close cooperation between science and industry is of great importance for the success of the new platform economy. Innovative developments from research must reach companies as quickly as possible. For the Silicon Economy, the principle of "no development without application" therefore applies from the outset, ten Hompel, Managing Director of the Fraunhofer IML, once again made clear: "We invite all interested companies to contribute their specific needs to our work. Because only in cooperation with industry will we set the course for an open and decentralized platform economy that gives every company - regardless of size - access to the business models of the future."

The project is currently establishing a community with a wide range of participation opportunities for companies. Well-known companies have already been won as partners for the first agile development projects.