The MS Wissenschaft Laid at Anchor in Mannheim with ZEW Exhibit

Dates and News

On board the MS Wissenschaft: (from left to right) ZEW Director of Business and Administration Thomas Kohl, Minister in the Baden-Württemberg State Ministry Silke Krebs, Professor Dr. Irene Bertschek (ZEW), Professor Martin Przewloka (SAP SE).

The MS Wissenschaft laid at anchor in Mannheim on the Rhine Promenade at Lindenhof from August 4-7, 2014. The "Information and Communication Technologies" Research Department of the Centre for European Economic Research (ZEW) has contributed an exhibit to the installation on board the former cargo ship. This year's exhibition is dedicated to the digital society and the increasing global integration via digital networks.

ZEW welcomed some 100 guests from the fields of business, politics, and academia on board the remodelled cargo ship on August 5. Professor Irene Bertschek, head of the ZEW Research Department "Information and Communication Technologies", gave a presentation on change in the working world stemming from digitalisation and the resulting ubiquity of work.

"Flexible working arrangements in terms of space and time, growing demands regarding the work-life balance, and self-organisation are the key issues that will shape the future working world", the economist said. In his presentation on "mobile empowerment", Professor Martin Przewloka, Senior Vice President at SAP SE, addressed economic and social change as a result of the technology trends known as big data, cloud computing, and social media.

After the presentations the guests had the opportunity to exchange ideas and visit the exhibition "Digital unterwegs (Digital Voyage) on board the MS Wissenschaft. The ZEW exhibiti "Social Media & Co. - Alles wirklich kostenlos?" ("Social Media & Co. - Truly Free of Charge?") demonstrates how news is spread across various digital and analogue information channels. The ZEW researchers have been tackling this question in order to find out whether companies become more productive and innovative by using digital media.

The MS Wissenschaft will call at 38 cities along German and Austrian waterways until the end of September 2014. Entrance to the exhibition is free of charge. Opening hours are from 10 am to 7 pm daily. School classes and groups of ten or more people are asked to give an advance notice. Further information about the MS Wissenschaft and the “2014 Science Year – The Digital Society” can be found at: www.ms-wissenschaft.de and www.digital-ist.de (German websites).

For more information please contact:

Prof. Dr. Irene Bertschek, Phone +49 6211235-178, E-mail bertschek@zew.de