Bosch opens IoT campus in Berlin

Berlin is a hotspot for many important players working on and with connected solutions. They include software and hardware providers, technology partners and startups. The Senate Department for Economics, Energy and Public Enterprises recognised the importance for Berlin as a location for innovation labs early on. With the study “<link https://projektzukunft.berlin.de/fileadmin/user_upload/pdf/studien/130626_Innovations-_und_Kreativlabs_in_Berlin_-_eine_Bestandsaufnahme.pdf - external-link-new-window "Opens internal link in current window">Innovation and Creative Labs in Berlin – an inventory</link>”, Project Future provided a comprehensive overview of locations dedicated to the development and implementation of innovative ideas in Berlin as early as 2013. See our overview of all Berlin-based innovation and innovation labs <link https://projektzukunft.berlin.de/fileadmin/user_upload/pdf/Liste_Labs/LabsBerlin_Stand_Juli_2014.pdf - external-link-new-window "Opens external link in new window">here</link>.

More than 250 Bosch associates are working at the new IoT campus – the biggest and most important IoT innovation lab in the city. They come from a range of different domains within the company. Over the next few years, the number of associates is expected to rise to around 400. The IoT experts will advise and support customers during the development and implementation of projects for connected solutions. These encompass, for instance, solutions for Industry 4.0, connected mobility, smart cities, and smart homes.

“With our new premises, we are building bridges between our own IoT experts and others in Berlin’s creative and digital scenes”, Bosch CEO Dr. Volker Denner said at the opening of the new Bosch IoT campus at the end of January. “We believe in openness for the internet of things – open ecosystems and open collaboration and partnership. This idea is also reflected in the campus concept,” Denner added.

The new location is also the headquarters of Bosch Software Innovations GmbH, which was previously located at Berlin’s Schöneberger Ufer. This Bosch subsidiary has been playing an active role in shaping the internet of things for around ten years. IoT consultants, software developers, project managers, trainers, and other specialists have now realized more than 250 international IoT projects.

Creative working environment

Visitors to the Bosch IoT campus immediately notice that the open-plan, three-storey ensemble offers an unconventional working environment. In total, Bosch has invested some 3 million Euros in the location and its unusual workspaces. The workshops are there to help associates build prototypes quickly and easily, for example. In contrast, the caravan is all about user experience: together with customers and users, it is a place where prototypes can be tested in the very early phases of a project. All of this is based on the design thinking method of innovation, which is widespread in the software development world. 

From prototypes to productive solutions

In order for customers and associates to get an even better idea of how a prototype becomes a productive solution, the campus itself functions as a kind of living IoT lab. The caravan has been converted into a Bosch smart home, and the office kitchens are equipped with connected home appliances. Associates are also encouraged to integrate new appliances into their everyday work on an ongoing basis. One very recent example is an app that uses geodata to guide associates to the next free meeting room of the required size.

Thus, the inauguration of the Bosch IoT campus is another important building block for Berlin as a digital capital.