FTK

FORSCHUNGSINSTITUT FÜR TELEKOMMUNIKATION

Since its foundation as an interdisciplinary research organisation closely related to the University of Wuppertal and the Distance University in Hagen in 1991, the work of FTK Research Institute for Telecommunications concentrates on the area of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT). The continuous monitoring, analysing and evaluation of the development of the markets, technologies and the usage of ICT are the groundwork for the institute’s affairs. The most important aim of all FTK’s activities is to encourage promising developments in the area of Information and Communication Technologies with a high economic and societal potential. Therefore FTK gives recommendations to political stakeholders on the regional and national level, is engaged in EU projects and participates in networks and initiatives dealing on current ICT themes. On behalf of the state chancellery of North Rhein Westfalia (NRW) FTK is in charge of the management of the ICT NRW cluster. This cluster is one of the largest ICT clusters in Europe with more than 134.000 employees, 15.000 ICT companies, 59 universities, many of them with high ICT-reputation and 25.500 students in ICT-related fields of study.

When it comes to initiating and implementing ICT innovations, FTK is an impartial and pragmatic partner. An interdisciplinary team with well-founded research background paired with an expanded network to all important stakeholders in the field of Information and Communication Technologies in North Rhine-Westphalia and beyond makes FTK a leading institution for the development and implementation of innovation strategies for business and administration in the ICT area. The Institute is organized as a non-profit membership organization and is statutory pursuing objectives in the public interest

FTK has been providing management and support services to a number of regional, national and EU projects (also in the Framework Programmes). Participating members of the respective consortia included public organisations like regional and national ministries and research institutions like universities and Fraunhofer institutes as well as small and medium-sized enterprises and renowned multi national corporations like Oracle, Telecom and Metro.

FTK's input to the project will be based strongly on the experiences and know how from the cluster activities in NRW. As ICT cluster manager, FTK is responsible for the topics broadband, mobile communications, RFID and sensor networks, smart cities, IT-security, SOA (service-oriented architecture) and SaaS (software as a service) as well as spatial information. The deep involvement of FTK in the latest developments of innovative technologies is intensively linked to the expertise in introducing new technological developments to markets, especially SMEs. And FTK’s experience in that field is not only based on regional activities but furthermore it is widely based on projects with international cooperation, e.g. in the framework of INTERREG and Twinning projects.

In the project, FTK takes over the role of the coordinator and will be responsible for the day-to-day management tasks, for the distribution of funding as well as for the reporting. The governance structure of the project involves a scientific coordinator who takes over the responsibility for the scientific implementation of the project. FTK will concentrate on the management tasks and support the communication and dissemination of the results of the project. One main focus will be the introduction of the projects results into markets. Not least due to its experiences on the field of project management on the one hand and on the field of bringing new technologies into markets, FTK will be able to fulfil the duties and responsibilities of the project.

CV of Key People

·         Dominic Heutelbeck, General Manager.