Farewell interview Dr. Harald Schöning

Dr. Schöning, Vice President Research for the publicly funded research projects at Software AG

Bild: © Software AG
Munich, 7 January 2026

Dr. Schöning, you were Industry Spokesperson of the Research Council Industrie 4.0 for almost eight years. How do you look back on this period?

With great pleasure, in any case. The work on the Research Council was very enriching. We were also able to provide important impetus on the Research Council, for example with our roadmaps, the discussion papers and the strategy paper. There was always a good and fruitful exchange with the ministry, the project management agency and also with acatech. Above all, however, I appreciated the heterogeneous composition of the Research Council, which consisted of leading figures from research and industry, making every meeting a source of inspiration and a way to broaden my horizons.

In April 2018, the Research Council opened its doors to members from the business community, and you became its first Industry speaker. How did you find this new collaboration? Were there any surprises?

The members from the research community welcomed us members from industry with open arms, and we worked well together in the new constellation right from the start. What surprised me was the initially unclear status of the Research Council in relation to the platform. However, we were able to clarify this quickly. The collaboration with the platform was also good and appreciative from the outset.

From your perspective, what is the greatest strength of the Research Council?

On the one hand, there is the heterogeneous composition of science and pioneering companies. On the other hand, there is also a clear focus on the medium and long term, while the platform addresses direct implementation and maintains good mutual exchange with the Research Council. For example, the “Next Level Mittelstand” initiative led by Chairman Henrik Schunk has achieved a great deal within the platform, which in turn has provided impetus for the Research Council.

A key aspect of the transformation to Industrie 4.0 is the transfer of research into application and subsequent scaling. What progress has been made in this direction in recent years and what challenges still need to be overcome?

Large industrial companies have already implemented Industrie 4.0 in its essential aspects or are making great progress in this area. Unfortunately, this is not the case across the board for small and medium-sized enterprises. However, there are also pioneering companies here that can serve as role models and intermediaries for other SMEs. This is another reason why the “Next Level Mittelstand” initiative is so important.

In recent years, you have been involved in various projects and publications in the field of data spaces, among other things. Where does German industry stand on the path to the data economy and the widespread implementation of sovereign data ecosystems? What hurdles still need to be overcome?

From my perspective, many companies (again, primarily the large ones) have recognised the advantages that the data economy can bring. That is why they are investing considerable resources in projects related to Manufacturing-X. It is to be hoped that these projects will also demonstrate viable ways of successfully operating data spaces in practice. This is less about technical implementation and more about legal and economic aspects. Ultimately, there must be recognisable added value for every company involved.

Most recently, the Research Council, together with the Plattform Industrie 4.0, presented key aspects and perspectives for action for the future of networked industrial value creation in its paper ‘Industrie 4.0 – Zentrales Leitbild für eine wettbewerbsfähige und nachhaltige Industrie’. The Research Council is currently working on a strategy paper that, in addition to assessing the status quo of industrial transformation, outlines a vision for Industrie 4.0, defines specific topics for relevant research and development needs via topic roadmaps, and clarifies the Research Council’s mode of operation and vision. The BMFTR has also published the German Hightech Agenda, which focuses on six key technologies. How do you view the priorities set out in the Hightech Agenda and what would you like to convey to policymakers?

Looking at key technologies (artificial intelligence, quantum technologies, microelectronics, biotechnology, fusion and climate-neutral energy production, and technologies for climate-neutral mobility), it is striking that these have no direct connection to industry. This also applies to strategic research areas (aerospace, health research, security and defence research, marine, climate and sustainability research, and the humanities and social sciences). On the other hand, our topic roadmaps (business models, sustainability, engineering, future of work) show that there is still a lot of research to be done in the field of Industrie 4.0. What I would like to convey to politicians is that key technologies should not be promoted in Germany without considering their value-adding applications – and value creation in our country is largely driven by industry. The fourth industrial revolution – which is what Industrie 4.0 is, after all – is not yet over and must continue to be supported by politicians.

What was the best moment during your time as Spokesperson of the Research Council?

There was no single ‘best moment’; there were many wonderful moments: every face-to-face meeting of the Research Council with its discussions, in which aspects from a wide variety of perspectives contributed wonderfully to the overall picture; the joy when another publication by the Research Council was widely received; and the regular consultations within the Spokespeople of the Research Council, which repeatedly showed that we were able to complement each other wonderfully on the way to our common goal.