Hybrid Decision Support in Product Creation: New DFG Priority Programme Launched
Funding is provided for interdisciplinary, collaborative research projects that investigate how to increase performance in product creation through hybrid decision support.
In March 2023, the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG – German Research Foundation) established the Priority Programme ‘Hybrid decision support in product creation’ (SPP 2443). The programme is designed to run for six years and comprises two funding periods of three years each.
The main objective of this Priority Programme is to increase performance in product creation through hybrid decision support. The programme aims at gaining insights into how processes and methods of Data Science and Artificial Intelligence (DS/AI) can be used to complement human capabilities in conjunction with established heuristics, methods, modelling and simulation. Moreover, it aims at investigating the achievable effect in product creation and the resulting changes in processes, methods, IT tools and information standards (PMTI). Combined with established engineering methods, DS/AI methods should be able to be used product-related in the sense of hybrid decision support.
The focus is on the ability to take decisions in the analysis and synthesis of complex, technical systems in product and production engineering. Applicants should classify their project into one or more of the following three focus topics:
- The human-centred design of hybrid decision support.
- Analysis tasks – problem-related analysis and future-oriented analysis.
- Synthesis tasks – the generation of alternative solutions and the reasoned formation of preferences.
The Priority Programme addresses scientists from the fields of mechanical engineering (engineering design, product development), production engineering and related areas of application-oriented computer science. Collaborative projects are particularly encouraged.
Eligible to apply are researchers who work in Germany, or at a German research institution abroad, and who have completed their academic training (usually with a doctorate). In justified cases, the participation of researchers based outside Germany is also possible.
Funding is available for a period of three years and covers project-related costs such as personnel, materials and instrumentation.
The deadline for the submission of project proposals is 15 November 2023.
(This report was the subject of a RESEARCHconnect Newsflash.)