Themes
Innovation culture
„Culture is either the biggest obstacle or the strongest accelerator of innovation. Innovative societies are characterised by openness, courage and willingness to change. These attributes promote social learning processes and make it possible to reflect on old processes and adopt new patterns of action. Successful change processes require a culture of innovation in business, science and administration." (Innovation Strategy of the Free State of Saxony, page 14)
Innovation culture is the basis of regional change. simul+ therefore supports activities that break new ground, apply unconventional ways of thinking and acting, accomplish opportunities for creative thinking and trying something out, and promote openness, cooperative interaction and networking both internally and externally.
Better Living Conditions
The digital transformation, which has been significantly accelerated by the pandemic, has intensified the consideration of new flexible forms of work. It opens up new perspectives for the densely populated regions. We now know much more about when and how we want to work together directly or digitally. One aim of simul+ is to use the potentials of the new working methods and procedures, even after the pandemic. Coworking and HomeTownOffices are examples of promising approaches in terms of regional development and mitigating the shortage of specialists.
Innovative forms of housing and intelligent living spaces, whether in the residential environment - in the community, in the neighbourhood, at home, in social institutions - contribute to a better quality of life. They are often created by connecting previously separate forms of use and adding new services. This is increasingly being done using digital technologies, often based on new usage concepts. Aspects of safety, (energy) efficiency and better operability are at the heart of these applications.
The simul+ activities focus on new solutions for different target and age groups, e.g. technological-social approaches that enable older citizens to live a self-determined life in familiar surroundings for as long as possible and to participate in social life. Equally important are solutions for a balanced development of housing in all Saxon regions that attractive housing and living perspectives in urban and rural areas. For the preservation and enhancement of the quality of life and thus also the quality of a location, more togetherness and cooperation is of great importance. We therefore support civic engagement in voluntary work, e.g. in municipalities, associations and local groups.
The consequences of climate change – with its impact on health and the environment - as well as the European Commission's targets to reduce CO2-emissions by at least 50%-55% (compared to 1990) by 2030 pose enormous challenges for regions worldwide.
simul+ therefore supports joint efforts by economic actors, science and local authorities to find new solutions that contribute to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and strengthening resilience to the effects of climate change. The climate-adapted transformation touches almost all areas of a very complex urban-rural system: e. g. climate-friendly construction materials, buildings, neighbourhoods and infrastructures, new mobility and logistics concepts, energy and heat supply, or innovative governance formats for integrated municipal management.
Regional Value Creation
In view of the decreasing availability and increasing demand of raw materials, and the growing amount of waste, the reuse of raw and industrial materials is very important. Therefore, simul+ supports approaches to make products and production processes climate-neutral, sustainable and circular. Our goal is the transformation from a linear to a circular economy.
The circular economy brings benefits for the environment and the economy. Through the circular economy, we expect a significant reduction in the burden on resources, but also advantages for the economic development of regions, for example in regional resilience, innovative capacity, a diversified economy or new employment opportunities.
Digitalisation contributes to additional value creation. It promises higher productivity and flexibility, lower costs and higher turnover. Digital transformation in the regional economy is a cross-cutting theme that runs through numerous simul+ activities and all economic sectors. Our goal is to make business and production processes, products or services more competitive through digital technologies and business models. We want to support regional players in defining new markets with digital and digitalised total solutions, e.g. by opening up new, data-driven business fields.
The construction industry and its associated manufacturing and services sectors face a number of challenges. The biggest of these is reducing the high CO2 emissions through innovative products, processes and technologies. Additionally, implementing circular economy,ensuring affordability and increasing the speed of construction processes are important goals. simul+ promotes initiatives that strengthen the regional connection between science, planning, production and construction technology. We attach great importance to digitalisation from the design phase through the construction process to the operation of buildings. We support resource-saving construction methods through integrated planning approaches, the use of new materials such as lightweight construction materials and the strengthening of timber construction. Intelligent energy systems and new solutions for the building envelope are related to the spatial expression of buildings and open spaces. The goals are attractive and energy-efficient urban neighbourhoods and rural settlement structures in our regions.
The creative industries make an important contribution to regional identity and location quality. They shape the face of towns and villages. With innovative, region-specific products, e.g. in the fields of music, art, media and architecture, it creatively opens up new markets. Networking with other business sectors and municipal projects provides impetus for new ideas and opens the door for cultural and social activities together with the population. simul+ supports the networking of companies and actors in the cultural and creative industries with regional partners.
