Launching Research Consortium to Bridge AI and Industry

This week, the Institute of Technology Management (ITEM-HSG) was pleased to host the official kick-off for our new AI and Industry consortium, at the WBZ St. Gallen. The consortium unites our institute with a formidable group of partner companies: ALPLA Group, Bucher Municipal, Bühler Group, Cicor Group, Heidelberg, Hilcona AG, illwerke vkw, Peri, Schindler Group, SFS Group, Siemens Energy, Starrag, and Weidmann.

The central goal of the initiative is to tackle one of the most pressing challenges for established firms today: bridging their deep-rooted, physical product worlds with emerging digital technologies like Artificial Intelligence. For companies across diverse manufacturing sectors—from utilities and building technologies to food processing—this means turning the promise of AI into practical, value-creating applications.

During the hands-on kick-off workshop, participants collaborated to:

• Map the ongoing AI initiatives within their companies.

• Identify high-value use cases that resonate across different industries.

• Prioritize key challenges and pain points surrounding AI interaction, investment, integration, and innovation.

The dynamic and open dialogue demonstrated a remarkable alignment on concrete opportunities from the very start. This inaugural workshop marks the beginning of an exciting journey, with a series of future sessions planned in St. Gallen, Zurich, and London, including visits to Google, Microsoft, and Imperial College London. We look forward to a fruitful collaboration and driving the future of AI in industry.