Ferdinand Steinbeis Institute

What Ferdinand Steinbeis Institute does

The Ferdinand-Steinbeis-Institut (FSTI) is a non-university research institute founded in 2015 and legally structured as a non-profit gGmbH under the Steinbeis-Stiftung für Wirtschaftsförderung. It operates from two locations in Baden-Württemberg, Germany — Stuttgart (Steinbeis-Haus für Management und Technologie since 2021) and Heilbronn (Bildungscampus since 2019) — and employs approximately 45 staff. The institute's stated mission is to combine academic research with immediate practical application through a "dual scientific research" methodology, supported by an interdisciplinary team spanning political science, sociology, economics, engineering, and computer science.

FSTI's core research domains include Artificial Intelligence of Things (AIoT), cooperative data spaces, digital twins, data cooperatives (Datengenossenschaften), generative AI, autonomous systems, and business transformation methodologies. It has developed proprietary tools such as the Digital Platform Transport (DPT) — a digital twin solution for intralogistics built with Leadec, Liebherr-Hydraulikbagger, and Sick AG — and the KS ROAD Tool for designing data trustee models. A 2023 commercial spin-off, LLS GmbH, is now bringing these solutions to market.

Revenue is generated through three streams: government research funding (notably a €1.4 million grant from the Baden-Württemberg Ministry of Economy for the Datengenossenschaften pilot in 2020), industry-funded collaborative research (with enterprises such as Liebherr, Sick AG, Leadec, Flughafen Düsseldorf, and grosshandel-bw), and project-based grants tied to specific research initiatives. The institute's go-to-market is relationship-driven, relying on regional ecosystem ties (Dieter Schwarz Stiftung, IPAI, Digital Twin Consortium) and academic channels rather than commercial product sales.

Name

Ferdinand Steinbeis Institute

Legal name

Ferdinand-Steinbeis-Gesellschaft für transferorientierte Forschung gGmbH der Steinbeis-Stiftung (FSG)

Website

https://ferdinand-steinbeis-institut.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Ferdinand-Steinbeis-Institut is a non-university research institute in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, conducting applied research in AIoT, digital twins, and data cooperatives for SMEs, large industrial firms, and public-sector partners, funded primarily through government grants and industry collaborations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Applied Research Services

NAICS

Scientific Research and Development Services (5417)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Customer Experience (CX) & Digital Experience (BPAHAEAC)

Keywords

• Applied industrial research
• Digital transformation consulting
• Data cooperative research
• AIoT research programs
• Innovation consulting services

Headquarters

HQ city

Stuttgart

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Government Research Funding: FSTI receives funding from government bodies including the Ministry for Economic Affairs, Labour and Housing Baden-Württemberg, the Dieter Schwarz Stiftung, and federal ministries for research projects.
2. Industry Research Partnerships: Collaborative research projects with industry partners where companies co-fund research activities in exchange for practical insights and solution development. Includes project spin-offs like LLS GmbH.
3. Project-Based Grants: Time-limited research grants for specific projects such as the Datengenossenschaften project (€1.4 million from Ministry of Economics), techourfuture, and others.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

FSTI is a non-university applied research institute that delivers interdisciplinary research and project-based consulting in digital transformation, AIoT, cooperative data spaces, digital twins, data cooperatives, and business model innovation. It works with SMEs, large industrial enterprises, regional industry associations, and government bodies across the Heilbronn-Franken region of Baden-Württemberg, combining academic researchers with industry practitioners to develop practical solutions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• AIoTLab: Research laboratory focused on Artificial Intelligence of Things (AIoT) applications
• New Mittelstand
• Digitale Plattform Transport (DPT)

Products and services

• Digitale Plattform Transport (DPT) Digital platform for transport and intralogistics optimization using digital twins, developed with industry partners Leadec, Liebherr-Hydraulikbagger GmbH, and Sick AG, enabling real-time tracking and optimization of intralogistics processes.
• AIoT Lab Research laboratory focused on Artificial Intelligence of Things (AIoT) applications, including Software-Defined Vehicles, fleet management, intralogistics correlation analytics, and Bring Your Own Device experiences.
• KS ROAD Tool Web-based tool for the systematic, legally compliant design of data trustee models, supporting structured communication between specialist departments and legal teams in data ecosystems.
• New Mittelstand Research Program Research concept and program for digital transformation of SMEs through cooperation, digitalization, and scientifically-based cooperative business models, developed and applied in projects such as Ottenbruch GmbH and grosshandel-bw.
• Graduate School Digital Transformation Joint graduate college located at Heilbronn/Ulm providing doctoral programs in collaboration with partner universities, researching digital change.
• techourfuture Initiative Public engagement initiative to help citizens understand future technologies such as AI and autonomous systems, featuring events and a trust platform for future technologies.

Quantifiable outcome

• LLS GmbH company founded from research project and already generating market revenues
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability9 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core and secondary.

• IPAI (Intelligent Pharmacy AI)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2025FSTI joined IPAI as Core Partner to work on scalable business ecosystems for AI applications. Plans include workshops on cooperative ecosystems, AIoT for product development, shared data spaces, digital twins, and generative AI-based service development.
• University of Information Technology (UIT), VNU-HCM, VietnamcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 July 2025Memorandum of Understanding signed in Ho-Chi-Minh-City for academic exchange, international doctoral programs, and practical research collaboration. Focus areas include AIoT, Cybersicherheit (cybersecurity), autonomous systems, and generative AI (GenAI).
• LLS GmbH (LLS Logistik)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Company founded in 2023 by FSTI together with partners Leadec, Liebherr-Hydraulikbagger GmbH, and Sick AG to commercialize the Digital Platform Transport (DPT) solutions. Already generating market revenues with solutions for intralogistics digital twins.
• Dieter Schwarz StiftungcoreOthersMain supporter and host of FSTI's Heilbronn location on the Bildungscampus. Provides funding and infrastructure support for research activities.
• Baden-Württembergischer Genossenschaftsverband (BWGV)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for Datengenossenschaften (data cooperatives) pilot project. BWGV contributes expertise in cooperative legal forms and supports the establishment of data cooperatives for SMEs.
• Universität Stuttgart (Lehrstühle für Controlling und Wirtschaftsinformatik 1)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partners in the Datengenossenschaften project. Research focuses on participation models, coordination mechanisms, data quality, and governance structures for data cooperatives.
• Digital Twin Consortium (DTC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFSTI is a member of the Digital Twin Consortium, hosting regional events like the DTC 3-Day Regional Member Event in Heilbronn (2025).
• appliedAI Institute for Europe gGmbHsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on AI research and applications, particularly in the context of data spaces and real-world problem solving with students from ARKADIA Heilbronn.
• Prof. Dr. Uwe K. SchneidersecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerNew Professorial Fellow joining in October 2025 with expertise in IT law, digital regulation, compliance, and contract design for technology projects.
• Leadec Management Central Europe BV & Co. KGcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndustrial service company co-founding LLS GmbH for Digital Platform Transport. Contributes expertise in industrial services and operational processes.
• Liebherr-Hydraulikbagger GmbHcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerManufacturing company co-founding LLS GmbH for Digital Platform Transport. Provides real-world intralogistics environment for testing and validation.
• Sick AGcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSensor technology company co-founding LLS GmbH for Digital Platform Transport. Contributes sensor expertise for digital twin implementations.
• HOLZBAU Baden-WürttembergsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for short study on digital resource sharing in timber construction. Supported by Ministry for Economic Affairs, Labour and Tourism Baden-Württemberg.
• Vogel & Partner Rechtsanwälte mbBsecondaryImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerLaw firm where Prof. Uwe K. Schneider practices as specialist lawyer for IT and medical law, providing legal expertise for technology projects.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• acatech (National Academy of Science and Engineering): Germany's national academy of science and engineering, providing policy advice and bridging research with industry. Comparable to FSTI in bridging science, business, and policy, but operating at a national policy level rather than executing applied research projects.
• Leibniz Association (Leibniz-Gemeinschaft): Network of 97 non-university research institutes in Germany covering social sciences, economics, and applied research. Comparable in being a publicly funded applied research body, though Leibniz institutes are typically larger and more established than FSTI.
• Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT): Major German research university and Helmholtz-associated institute with deep applied research in AI, mobility, production, and data spaces. Comparable in research depth and the Germany-wide grant competition FSTI faces for AI and digital transformation funding.

Direct peers

• German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence (DFKI): Germany's leading applied AI research center with a similar model of public-private funding and industry collaboration. DFKI operates at a much larger scale but pursues the same kind of applied AI, data, and digital transformation research that FSTI's AIoT Lab and data cooperative work addresses.
• Fraunhofer Society (Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft): Germany's largest non-university applied research organization, running 76 institutes that conduct contract research for industry and government. FSTI competes for similar applied R&D projects, government grants, and industrial partnerships in digital transformation, AI, and production.

Emerging players

• appliedAI Institute for Europe: Munich-based non-profit that supports AI adoption in Europe through training, applied projects, and ecosystem building. A current FSTI partner; comparable in mission of translating AI research into SME and enterprise value, though its orientation is broader AI enablement rather than research.
• Berlin Institute for the Foundations of Learning and Data (BIFOLD): German AI research center focused on machine learning, data management, and big data analytics. Shares FSTI's focus on data, AI, and applied research impact, but BIFOLD is more academically oriented and Berlin-based rather than Mittelstand-focused.
• IPAI (Innovation Park Artificial Intelligence): Heilbronn-based AI ecosystem initiative that FSTI joined as a Core Partner. Operates in the same geographic and thematic space (AI for industry), though IPAI is more of a platform/network orchestrator than an executing research institute.

Regional players

• Steinbeis Transfer Centers (Steinbeis-Verbund): The broader Steinbeis network of transfer centers of which FSTI is part. Other Steinbeis centers perform similar applied research and technology transfer for SMEs and industry, sharing a common parent (Steinbeis-Stiftung) and similar grant-based funding logic, though FSTI is structurally independent.
• Hochschule Heilbronn (Heilbronn University): The university on the Bildungscampus where FSTI's Heilbronn location is housed. Both engage in applied digital transformation research, but the university focuses on teaching and doctoral education while FSTI focuses on industry-applied research projects.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ferdinand-steinbeis-institut

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles17 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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