QI-Digital is an initiative of the central players in German quality infrastructure (QI) - DIN, DKE, DAkkS, PTB, and BAM. The Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK) supports QI-Digital as an essential contribution to the success of innovative technologies, products, and processes - to strengthen Germany as a business location.
THE QI-DIGITAL INNOVATION ECOSYSTEM
The activities of the QI-Digital initiative are aimed at enabling a comprehensive ecosystem for QI in which the digital transformation can be brought from research to application. Three pillars are at the centre of this:
- Research and development for modern QI: The partner institutions of the QI-Digital initiative are working along pilot projects relating to quality assurance in modern production and on technical systems to develop concrete solutions for new methods and processes as well as tools for digital QI. In particular, the aim is to demonstrate their interaction along integrated, automated process chains. The aim is to increase efficiency, transparency and reliability. To this end, realistic test environments have been set up at the Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing in the form of a real laboratory for Additive Manufacturing and a Reliable Hydrogen Refuelling Stations. PTB is also contributing the pilot project for trustworthy Artificial Intelligence in Medicine.
- Sustainable and effective transfer measures into application through intensive stakeholder dialogue: The QI includes numerous stakeholders from industry, politics and public administration. Building and maintaining a strong network of relevant interest groups is therefore essential for the transformation. Events such as the QI Digital Forum, workshops, lectures, various accompanying research activities and much more help to raise awareness, identify requirements and put solutions into practice.
- The accompanying design of the necessary framework conditions is an essential prerequisite for the success of a complex transformation. Necessary adjustments to the legal framework or administrative practice are therefore also addressed and underpinned, for example, in studies with recommendations for action. International integration must also be promoted at an early stage and in an accompanying manner.
A high-performance quality infrastructure (QI) is the basis for the competitiveness of industry and the economy. It guarantees high product quality and also ensures functioning health, labour, environmental and consumer protection. It is also an essential prerequisite for the success of the green and digital transformation as well as key political goals and programmes.
The transformation of QI is a comprehensive endeavour, as it is a complex system that encompasses institutions, processes and tools and is embedded in legal and regulatory frameworks - both nationally and internationally. The fields of action are correspondingly multi-layered.
A QI with digital tools, processes and data spaces will improve quality assurance processes in companies and enable the fast, integrated, smooth provision of quality information across the entire value chain - for all QI stakeholders. With the support of QI-Digital, requirements will in future be automatically checked as machine-understandable standards (smart standards), results reports will be provided digitally and digital certificates will be transferred as eAttestion without media discontinuity. Digital data infrastructures such as Quality-X enable the optimisation of data flow and access.
THE OFFICE
PTB has established an office for the QI-Digital initiative in 2023 as a central contact point and communication hub.
The Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung (BAM) is a senior scientific and technical Federal institute with responsibility to the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action. It tests, researches and advises to protect people, the environment and material goods.
In compliance with the principle of subsidiarity, BAM provides science-based services for safety-related issues, e.g. in the form of expert opinions and expert reports or certified reference materials and interlaboratory tests. In addition, it covers services such as the testing, analysis and approval of substances, technical products and plants.
BAM develops, tests and demonstrates new methods and procedures for modern testing, inspection and maintenance in its test environments for the central pilot projects Additive Manufacturing and Reliable Hydrogen Refuelling Station*. In addition, a digital ecosystem for QI is being developed to enable companies and other private and public sector players in value creation networks to provide, use and exchange quality-relevant data, information and documentation confidently and efficiently. The focus here is on concepts and applications for Quality-X as a federated platform for networking institutions and the simple, secure exchange of quality-related data and information on the basis of international data spaces. BAM also contributes central accompanying research projects, in particular on the legal framework and stakeholder dialogue as well as trend studies.
Further information can be found at www.bam.de/qi-digital
German Accreditation Body (DAkkS)
Since Regulation (EC) No. 765/2008 came into force, accreditation has been a sovereign task throughout the European Union (EU) and is performed in the respective member states by a single national accreditation body. In Germany, the German Accreditation Body (DAkkS) is the responsible authority. Within the scope of accreditation, DAkkS assesses and supervises the work of conformity assessment bodies and thus contributes to improving the quality and safety of products and services.
Accreditation as the governmental guarantee on the competence and trustworthiness of conformity assessment bodies is becoming increasingly important in a digital quality infrastructure as more tests themselves become digitized or digital products and services need to be assessed. The assessment of competence is becoming increasingly dynamic. Together with the partners and the network of QI Digital, DAkkS is gathering empirical data to clearly define the requirements for conformity assessment bodies in these areas and to further develop existing requirements for new technologies.
DAkkS is contributing to the QI Digital initiative with projects on the digital, forgery-proof provision of attestations of conformity (eAttestation), as well as projects on artificial intelligence and the handling of digital testing methods in conformity assessment bodies.
For more information, visit https://www.dakks.de/en/home-en.html
DIN, the German Institute for Standardization, is the independent platform for standardization in Germany and worldwide. As a partner for industry, research and society as a whole, DIN plays a major role to opening up future fields. As a co-shaper of the digital and green transformation, DIN makes an important contribution to solving current challenges and enables new technologies, products and processes to establish themselves on the market and in society. Around 36,000 experts from industry, research, consumer protection and the public sector bring their expertise to work on standardization projects managed by DIN. The results of these efforts are market-oriented standards and specifications that promote global trade, encouraging rationalization, quality assurance and environmental protection as well as improving security and communication.
For more information, visit www.din.de/en.
The DKE Deutsche Kommission Elektrotechnik Elektronik Informationstechnik in DIN und VDE, which is supported by the VDE, is the platform for around 9500 experts from industry, science and administration for the development of standards, norms and safety regulations for electrical engineering, electronics and information technology. As a competence center for electrotechnical standardization, DKE represents the interests of German industry in European (CENELEC, ETSI) and international standards organizations (IEC). In addition, the DKE provides comprehensive services related to standardization and the VDE body of regulations.
For more information, visit https://www.dke.de/en
The Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB) is the national metrology institute (NMI) of Germany. It is therefore the supreme authority in all questions of correct, accurate and trustworthy measurement. Together with NIST in the USA and the NPL in Great Britain, PTB ranks among the worldwide leading institutes of metrology. It is a scientific and technical higher federal authority falling under the competence of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action.
In accordance with the Units and Time Act, the PTB is responsible for the representation, preservation and dissemination of the international units of measurement as well as the development and provision of the national standards. The work at QI-Digital consistently builds on existing digital projects: digital, machine-readable certificates, digital networked processes, new production methods and artificial intelligence.
For more information, visit https://www.ptb.de/cms/en.html