German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence – Robotics Innovation Center

The German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence DFKI was founded in 1988 as a non-profit private research center dedicated to Artificial Intelligence (AI). With branch institutes in Kaiserslautern, Saarbrücken, Berlin, Osnabrück and Bremen, and a staff of more than 600 researchers and 400 graudate students, DFKI today is one of the largest “Centers of Excellence” in AI worldwide.
The DFKI Robotics Innovation Center (RIC) in Bremen is headed by Prof. Dr. Frank Kirchner. At DFKI RIC, an international staff of almost 200 researchers and students cooperate to push the state-of-the-art in professional service robotics. Over the last 10 years, DFKI RIC has become the dominant research center for robotics in Northern Germany, with an excellent research infrastructure and reputation well beyond the Bremen region. RIC is active in a number of robotic application domains, including robotics for inspection & maintenance, space and maritime environments, production, mobility and health care.
DFKI has excellent connections to industry, SMEs, and academia on a regional, national and European level. Large industries like AIRBUS Group, Robert Bosch GmbH, and Volkswagen are shareholders of DFKI. DFKI has also close links to academia. The leaders of the different DFKI departments usually hold professorships at the partnering universities. The Robotics Innovation Center is associated to Bremen University, where Prof. Kirchner teaches computer science and robotics. Through the University and the Bremen Chamber of Commerce, DFKI RIC is involved in vocational training related to the use of service robots in SMEs. DFKI is a core partner of EIT Digital. This EIT KIC (Knowledge and Innovation Community) is dedicated to innovation driven by ICT, AI, and robotics. This includes robotics for inspection & maintenance, for example in port areas.