Corporate Technology - Rolf Hellinger

Research and Development at Siemens
Research and development (R&D) are the key driving forces
behind the innovations that safeguard the future of a company.
That’s been true of Siemens ever since the company was founded
in 1847. Today the company employs some 32,300 researchers
and developers worldwide who work on innovations that secure
existing business and open up new markets. In business year
2008, Siemens spent €3.8 billion on R&D. That represents
4.9 percent of its sales and some €17 million per workday. With
around 2,875 employees worldwide, Corporate Technology plays
a key role in R&D at Siemens,
A Network of Expertise —
A Partner for Innovation
Corporate Technology (CT) and its worldwide
network of experts is a powerful
innovation partner for Siemens’ business
units. The organization provides expertise
regarding strategically important areas to
ensure the company’s technological future,
and to acquire patent rights that safeguard
the company’s business operations. Against
the background of megatrends such as climate
change, urbanization, globalization,
and demographic change, CT focuses on innovations
that have the potential to change
the rules of the game over the long term in
business areas that are of interest to
Siemens.
The Chief Technology Officer (CTO) at
Siemens, Prof. Hermann Requardt, who also
serves as the Head of Corporate Technology,
is at the heart of the innovation network. For
an integrated technology company such as
Siemens, it is vital to develop technological
synergies beyond its individual operational
units — within the Siemens Sectors and between
them, as well as between the Sectors
and Corporate Technology. One of the responsibilities
of the CTO is to make sure that
these possibilities are fully exploited (see p.
64). Another responsibility is to analyze the
company’s technological foundations and
generate powerful momentum for improvement.
In addition, the CTO is charged with
increasing the efficiency of research and development
activities and creating open innovation
networks all over the world — both
inside and outside the company.
4 Corporate Technology
A major role in Siemens’ innovation activities
is played by Corporate Research and
Technologies (CT T, see pp. 10-37). The
2,250 men and women who work within
CT T’s global research network focus primarily
on key technologies and cross-sector
technologies that have strategic significance
for more than one business unit.
For example, researchers are working on
pioneering technologies in areas such as
materials development and software, production
processes and system integration,
energy and sensor technology, imaging
processes, and information and communication
technology.
In its Global Technology Fields (GTF), CT T
brings together experts from globally operating
research teams all over the world in order
to pool their expertise and become a preferred
innovation partner for the Siemens
Sectors. Together with the business units,
CT T is working on the development of new
solutions in numerous application-oriented
projects.
In order to ensure efficient and effective
operations, a large proportion of the budget
of Corporate Research and Technologies is
covered through project agreements with
the business units, which serve as its customers.
CT T also receives corporate funding
for the long-term development of new technologies
and the establishment of new areas
of expertise. All in all, CT T is responsible
for approximately 7.5 percent of Siemens’
total expenditure on research and develop-
Berkeley
Siemens research
locations (CT T)
Princeton
ment. This figure is made up of contract research
for the Sectors (about 60 percent),
corporate financing (31 percent), and external
funding (9 percent).
Particularly important factors for CT T are
its close connections with its customers and
top universities. These enable CT T to offer
faster and more target-oriented solutions
that are ideally adapted to local requirements,
and also to be perceived as an appealing
employer for the brightest candidates.
That’s why CT T has supplemented its locations
in the U.S. and Europe in recent years
by opening research centers close to its business
operations — for example, in Beijing,
Moscow, Bangalore, and Singapore — and
has expanded its cooperation with top universities.
CT T research teams are now
located in the world’s most important technology
strongholds: Princeton, New Jersey
(see p. 22); southern England (see p. 30);
Munich, Erlangen, and Berlin, Germany;
Moscow and St. Petersburg, Russia (see p.
28); Beijing and Shanghai, China (see p. 24);
Bangalore, India (see p. 26), Singapore and
Tokyo, Japan (see p. 32).
In all of these places, CT T researchers are
supporting Siemens business units with
their product development, maintaining
contacts with universities, analyzing global
trends, and observing developments in their
local markets. In addition, “incubators” such
as the Siemens Technology Accelerator in
Munich (see p. 33) and the Siemens Technology-to-Business
Centers in Berkeley, Cali-
Romsey